LATHAM, NY – The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) has announced it will formally induct its Hall of Fame Class of 2025 on Wednesday, July 30th at Rivers Casino/The Landing Hotel in Schenectady, NY. The NYSPHSAA Hall of Fame, launched in 2002, is sponsored by Zolnier Championship Rings, Crown Awards and Pupil Benefits Plan, Inc.
The Class of 2025 is Bill Bryant (Administrator, Section IV), Don Cupertino (Coach, Section I), Larry Gualtieri (Official, Section XI), Terence “T” McMahon (Coach, Section VI), Marty Sherman (Contributor, Section 2), and Carl “Rollie” Stichweh (Athlete, Section VIII). Inductees were chosen using a two-level selection and rating process involving a screening committee and a selection committee. Nominations were endorsed by each inductee’s member section of the Association—a preliminary requirement in the nomination process—before going onto the NYSPHSAA Screening Committee for consideration, then finally to the Selection Committee. Nominations can be submitted by anyone as long as a section endorsement letter accompanies the submission. The NYSPHSAA Hall of Fame is modeled after the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) program which recognizes individuals in the categories of athlete, coach, official, administrator and related contributor.
The 2025 NYSPHSAA Hall of Fame Class will be inducted on Wednesday, July 30th with a reception at 5:30 pm and dinner to follow. Tickets and other Hall of Fame event information will be released at a later time.
BILL BRYANT, Administrator (Section IV)
Bill Bryant has been a pillar of New York State high school athletics for nearly 50 years. Currently serving as Executive Director of Section IV since 2021, he has held numerous leadership roles since 1976, including Executive Director of the Section IV Interscholastic Athletic Conference (2017–2021). Bryant began his career as a teacher and coach at Binghamton High School (Section IV) before becoming Athletic Director at Spencer-Van Etten (1985–1988) and Ithaca High School (1988–2010), two other Southern Tier schools. After retiring, he continued to serve students and schools through interim administrative roles in Section V’s Brockport Central Schools (2011–2013) and Section III’s Marcellus Central Schools (2014–2021). A respected leader, Bryant has served on many league, sectional and state committees. His impact on student-athletes and athletic programs has earned widespread recognition. He is a member of the Ithaca College Hall of Fame (1989), Section IV Hall of Fame (2011) and New York State Athletic Administrators Association (NYSAAA) Hall of Fame (2017). NYSAAA honored him as Athletic Director of the Year (2001), with the Apple Award (2002), and the State Award of Merit (2014). He also served as NYSAAA President in 2007. A standout athlete himself, Bryant graduated from Owego Free Academy and starred at Ithaca College earning All-American honors in 1975 as a wide receiver. He went on to sign as a free agent in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1976) and Washington Redskins (1977). He earned a bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College in 1976 and a graduate degree in administration from SUNY Cortland in 1988.
DON CUPERTINO, Coach (Section I)
Don Cupertino is one of the winningest high school girls varsity soccer coaches in New York State history. Still active, he has accumulated a 544-135-37 record through the 2024 season all as the head coach at Bronxville High School in Section I. “Coop”, as he is referred to by his players, ranks in the top five in wins in the state and his teams have captured three NYSPHSAA State Championships, 22 Sectional Championships and 27 League Championships during his impressive 35-year career (1990-Present). He was voted State Class B Coach of the Year in 2010, then in 2014, was honored again as both the State and Regional Class B Soccer Coach of the Year. Earlier this year, Cupertino was inducted into the New York State Girls Soccer Hall of Fame and is one of just 15 coaches in the entire state to eclipse the 500-win club. Two years before he took over at Bronxville, he helped establish the first ever girls soccer program with the Eastchester Youth Soccer Club so young girls had a place to play. Not long after, Don established the Patriot Football Club, an elite club for girls to compete at a higher level. His commitment to leadership in the game of soccer led to various roles in Section I including as a Section League Representative for girls soccer and serving as President of the Section I Girls Soccer Coaches Association. Cupertino played soccer at Washingtonville High School in Section IX where he graduated in 1975, then went onto Canton State University where he played four years and earned an associate degree in mortuary science in 1977.
LARRY GUALTIERI, Official (Section XI)
Larry Gualtieri is one of the most highly respected officials in New York State having officiated the sports of soccer, basketball and baseball in Suffolk County (Section XI) since 1974. He has been selected numerous times by Section XI to represent the section as an official at the NYSPHSAA Boys Basketball and Boys Soccer State Championships over the last several decades. Almost annually, Gualtieri is chosen as a top rated official by the section to also officiate in the sectional playoffs in all three sports as well. He has been a member of the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials Board 40 (IAABO) of New York State since 1974 and has been a member of the Suffolk County Soccer Officials Association since 1994 serving as President and Vice President of NYS IAABO Board 19. Larry served as the President of the IAABO Board from 1985-87 and from 2012-17. He has compiled numerous awards for his continued consistency officiating and leadership in the field. Gualtieri was recognized with the Larry Chizever Award (Official of the Year) twice and earned the President’s Award (IAABO Board 40) in 1993, 1997 and 2018. In 2011, Suffolk County Soccer Officials Association awarded him Man of the Year, and five years later the Section XI Coaches Association voted him Referee of the Year. In 2014, he was inducted into the Center Moriches High School Hall of Fame. Gualtieri graduated from Center Moriches High School in Section XI in 1972, went on to earn a degree from Suffolk Community College then completed schooling at Suffolk County Police Academy to become a detective.
TERENCE “T” McMAHON, Coach (Section VI)
Terence “T” McMahon is the all-time winningest high school boys varsity tennis coach in New York State and currently ranks third all-time in girls varsity tennis all while coaching at Orchard Park High School in Section VI. Since 1975, he’s accumulated a 661-92 career record on the boys side to go with 41 sectional championships and 52 league championships. Terence’s teams went undefeated in 20 seasons and he once led them to a string of 124 consecutive wins from 2010-2021. Since 1975, 80 boys players qualified for the state tournament under his leadership. His career coaching varsity girls tennis is nearly as remarkable having piled up a 400-28 record from 1975-2000 which included 21 league championships, 19 undefeated seasons and a run of 159 straight wins from 1989-98. In McMahon’s 25-year girls career, 50 of his players reached the state tournament. In addition to coaching high school, he’s guided college programs with stints as head coach at Canisius College (1964-75) and Mercyhurst College (2011-12). Terence has been inducted into the Section VI Hall of Fame, Bishop Loughlin Hall of Fame and Buffalo Tennis Hall of Fame while also earning numerous Coach of the Year plaudits locally and statewide. In addition to coaching, he has been the Section VI Boys Tennis Coordinator since 1982. Before kickstarting his career as a social studies teacher, guidance counselor and coach at Orchard Park, McMahon was a star player at Fordham University for a year then transferred to Canisius for his final three years where he was the team captain and eventually earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
MARTY SHERMAN, Contributor (Section 2)
Marty Sherman was a successful multi-sport coach for over three decades and a respected contributor to various NYSPHSAA and Section 2 committees for over four decades. He was most successful over a 33-year period as the varsity wrestling head coach at Corinth High School in Section 2 where he amassed 304 career wins and was named Section 2 Coach of the Year twice. Additionally, Sherman had success coaching 12 years of varsity baseball, football and track. As the baseball head coach at Corinth, where he also served as Athletic Director and a physical education teacher, his teams won six league championships and one section championship. Marty has been the NYSPHSAA wrestling state coordinator since 2008 and has served on various wrestling committees including 10 years as the Section 2 Wrestling Coordinator and 15 years as a member of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. As State Coordinator, he has overseen the individual state tournament and the dual meet state tournament, which he was instrumental in helping establish in 2019. Additionally, Sherman helped initiate vast improvements in the current weight certification process and has guided the wrestling state committee to many other beneficial changes for the safety and equity of wrestlers in New York State. Marty has been inducted into several Halls of Fame including the New York State Wrestling Hall of Fame, Upstate New York Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, NYSPHSAA Section 2 Wrestling Hall of Fame, and the Saratoga Springs High School Hall of Fame. A 1961 graduate of Saratoga Springs High School in Section 2, he continued to Ithaca College where he graduated in 1966 with a bachelor’s degree.
CARL “ROLLIE” STICHWEH, Athlete (Section VIII)
Rollie Stichweh was a four-sport star for Mineola High School in Section VIII from 1957-61. Most known as a record setting quarterback and defensive back in football, he was also highly successful in basketball, baseball and lacrosse, and a key part of numerous Mineola championship teams in those sports. Stichweh started for three years, and in his senior season he helped the team to an undefeated record and the 1960 Nassau County Championship. His career was recognized with the Thorpe Award as a senior, recognizing the best high school football player in Nassau County, and being named to Newsday’s All-County basketball team his junior and senior seasons. In the spring, he played three years of varsity baseball before turning to lacrosse his senior season and earning the reputation as a tough, highly skilled player even without having much experience in the sport. Stichweh was a key piece to the school’s county championship in lacrosse in 1961. Upon graduation that year, Rollie earned an appointment to the United States Military Academy/West Point when he was a highly touted football recruit. At West Point, he was the starting quarterback all four years earning numerous awards including an NCAA All-East Football selection in 1964 and earning All-American status in 1965. In 1964, Head Coach Darrell Royal of the #1 ranked University of Texas team referred to Rollie as the best back in the country at the time. Stichweh graduated in 1965 and was required to serve in combat duty in Vietnam despite the New York Giants and Oakland Raiders expressing interest in drafting him to the NFL. He has been inducted into the Mineola High School Sports Hall of Fame, Nassau County Hall of Fame and the Army Football Hall of Fame.
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