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Mets legend Keith Hernandez and WFAN radio personality Gregg Giannotti headline the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.
Hernandez has proudly lived in Sag Harbor for decades, commuting to his job at SNY as a broadcast analyst on Mets games. His old-school charm and frank wit in the booth, together with his brilliant play as a Met during the 1980s, led the franchise to retire his jersey No. 17 in 2022.
Giannotti is a Bellport High School graduate and co-hosts the Boomer & Gio show with Boomer Esiason on WFAN Sports Radio out of New York City. He lives with his family in Sayville.
In all, the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame added 24 inductees, including the Islip Wolves Fire Department Drill/Racing Team, one of the winningest drill teams in New York state history. The group will be honored at an induction ceremony May 30 at Flowerfield in St. James.
“These individuals represent the very best of athletics in Suffolk County,” said Chris R. Vaccaro, president of the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame, who announced the inductees while appearing as a guest on Fox 5’s “Sports Xtra.”
“As usual, our committee has selected a wide range of people who have left their mark on athletics in our country. We’re looking forward to celebrating their legacies this spring,” he added.
Listed below are the other inductees.
Bryan Collins: Sayville resident; college football coach at Post and Stony Brook. He is being awarded posthumously.
Dave Cohen: Commack High School alum who was Hofstra’s last head football coach. He has served as an assistant coach with several other college football programs and is currently the assistant head coach at Wake Forest.
Jim and Barbara Cromarty: Islip and Riverhead race track owners.
Dr. Anthony Donatelli: A Deer Park native who has been a doctor dedicated to sports medicine.
Sonny Feinman: Islip youth sports advocate and leader.
Leo Fishel: The Babylon native was the first Jewish pitcher in MLB history in 1899.
Sean Frazier: Harborfields alumnus who has been a longtime college athletic director. He is currently the athletic director at Northern Ilinois.
Howard Gershberg: A Bayport native who coached East Islip varsity baseball before excelling as St. John’s pitching coach and then in the Anaheim Angels’ minor league system.
Danny Green: North Babylon native who has played 15 seasons in the NBA and is a three-time NBA champion.
Louis Gregory: Sachem High School alumnus who has worked as a sports agent and manager, and is a U.S. Customs & Border Protection veteran
Sue Johnson: Walt Whitman High School alumna who was an All-Ivy hoops player at Yale before embarking on a decades-long NCAA Division I coaching career at Yale, Princeton, Boston College and New Hampshire. She now serves as the athletic director at Concord Academy in Concord, Massachusetts.
Bob Kersch: Veteran Section XI official with more than a half-century of service.
Alyssa Leonard: A Bay Shore native, Leonard was an All-American lacrosse player who won two NCAA championship in college and played professional lacrosse.
Ann Liguori: Renowned radio and TV sports talk show host, golf correspondent and author.
Bob Panariello: Longtime Bay Shore athletic director and National Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee.
Dr. Frank Segretto: Doctor dedicated to sports medicine.
Brian Spallina: Rocky Point native is a lacrosse legend. He is in the Professional Lacrosse League Hall of Fame.
Vera Truhlar: Longtime Connetquot women’s gymnastics coach.
Chris Wingert: Babylon native and former professional Major League Soccer player who is the head of International Football at Roc Nation.
Donald Yorie: Director of Suffolk County Police Department Police Athletic League.
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