Long Island Sports Hall of Fame explained

The Long Island Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1984 to honor sports figures who lived or played on Long Island, New York. The physical location was a small display^[1] on the lower level of the now "dark and dormant"^[2] Nassau Coliseum^[3] through at least 1994.^[4] Among the first inductees chosen were American footballers John Schmitt,^[5] Jim Brown^[3] and Ed Danowski, basketball's Julius Erving,^[3] polo's Tom Hitchcock, Yankee pitcher Whitey Ford,^[3] ice hockey's Mike Bossy, Dodger catcher Roy Campanella and bowler Andy Varipapa. The first induction was on November 30, 1984.^[6] Early induction ceremonies were formal events, with a 1987 report that a "black-tied crowd will be out in force."^[7]

The Long Island Sports Hall of Fame is now defunct.

Other members include:

• Vinny Testaverde^[7] (1987)
• Charlie Jarzombek^[8]
• Don Dunphy^[9] (1986)
• Woody Stephens^[10] (1988)
• Bob Sheppard^[11]
• Pete Bostwick^[7] (1987)
• Frank Sprig Gardner^[12] (1987)
• (Bandleader) Guy Lombardo^[7] (1987, a speed boat enthusiast)
• William Shea^[7] (1987)
• Ron Turcotte^[13] (1990)
• Ernie Vandeweghe^[7] (1987)
• Billy Smith^[14]
• Kingdon Van Nostrand (1987) ^[15]
• Lou Howard Sr., Amityville football coach^[16]

Notes and References

1. News: Fischler . Marcelle S. . December 28, 2003 . In Lieu of Flowers: Remembering 17 Who Made a Difference . en-US . The New York Times . August 17, 2022 . 0362-4331.
2. Web site: Buono . Joseph . July 27, 2022 . Islanders: Will the Nassau Coliseum survive? . August 17, 2022 . Eyes On Isles . en-US.
3. Web site: September 21, 1984 . Sports Briefs . August 16, 2022 . UPI . en.
4. Web site: Feldman . Dan . March 17, 1994 . Teams arrive in Nassau Coliseum . August 16, 2022 . The Daily Pennsylvanian . en-us.
5. Web site: September 9, 2008 . Hofstra to Retire Jersey Numbers of 20 Former Student-Athletes . August 16, 2022 . Hofstra University Athletics . en.
6. Web site: November 15, 1984 . Sports Briefs . August 17, 2022 . UPI . en.
7. News: Ketcham . Diane . April 26, 1987 . Long Island Journal. en-US . The New York Times . August 17, 2022 . 0362-4331.
8. Web site: Parpan . Grant . August 7, 2011 . Best of the Rest: Chargin' Charlie was always out in front . August 16, 2022 . Riverhead News Review . en-US.
9. Web site: April 23, 1986 . Conflict of interest: The folks planning America's... . August 16, 2022 . Chicago Tribune.
10. Web site: Woody Stephens' Induction To Long Island Sports Hall Of Fame . en . August 16, 2022.
11. Web site: July 12, 2010 . Yankees announcer Bob Sheppard dies . August 16, 2022 . News 12 - Long Island.
12. Web site: May 30, 2012 . 25 Years Ago in Bonac Sports 05.31.12 . The East Hampton Star . August 17, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190403104459/https://www.easthamptonstar.com/Sports/2012530/25-Years-Ago-Bonac-Sports-053112 . April 3, 2019 .
13. Web site: Ron Turcotte . August 17, 2022 . Ontario Racing . en.
14. Web site: Billy Smith career profile . August 17, 2022 . HockeyDraftCentral.com.
15. Web site: Kingdon Van Nostrand (1995) - SUNY Cortland C-Club Hall of Fame . 2024-03-04 . SUNY Cortland Athletics . en.
16. Web site: Lou Howard (2011) - Hall of Fame . 2024-06-23 . Springfield College . en.