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ALBANY – Sixteen players, six coaches, two officials, a longtime media member and the 1972 Shenendehowa Plainsmen championship team make up the 2021 class of the Capital Region Football Hall of Fame.
The 11th grade Hall of Fame Guests of Honor was officially announced on Thursday.
“We’re excited to celebrate the fantastic careers of these capital region high school greats,” said Nick Fitzgerald, President of the Hall of Fame, in a press release announcing this year’s new additions. “The depth of this class, with more than a dozen schools represented, really shows how widespread talent is in our area. We look forward to welcoming these legends and their families again. “
The induction ceremony will take place on November 20th at 7pm at the Crowne Plaza Albany – The Desmond Hotel on Albany Shaker Road in Colonie. Tickets that include soda, wine, beer, and hors d’oeuvres are $ 60 each and are available at www.tinyurl.com/CRFootballHOF2021.
Here’s a look at this year’s new additions.
PLAYER
Jordan Canzeri – A state selection as a senior at Troy High School, where he stormed 3,300 yards in two seasons. Recruited to Iowa where he was All-Big 10 in his senior year (2015).
John Chaney – An all-star at Albany High School, he later became a Hall of Fame at Wagner College, where he made a variety of big games during the 1987 season for a 13-1 team that captured the Division III national championship .
Lyle Darmetko – As the captain of a Watervliet High School team that won the Colonial Council and Section IIClass C titles, he was named All-City Player of the Year and All-Area Small School Player of the Year before continuing in high school with Wagner.
Josh Etu – Named junior captain of his Queensbury High School football team, he helped lead the Spartans to the state finals and won all state honors. He gained wrestling (and academic) fame at the University of Virginia, where he won the 2003 ACC Championship.
Mike Fosmire – A star lineman at Troy High School in the 1990s, he was a first-team selection in all states in 1996. He played college football for the Hobart Statesmen.
Milt Graham – The Columbia High School graduate played college football at Colgate and was drafted by the NFL Chicago Bears in 1956. He played for the Boston Patriots in the American Football League and won the Gray Cup in the Canadian Football League for Ottawa in 1960.
Gary Hamm – An all-star ending at Middleburgh High School in the late 1960s, he was part of the very first New York all-state team.
Bob Higgins – A high school All-American at Albany Academy, he earned a spot on the Dartmouth football team only to suffer an injury that ended his career. He graduated with a medical degree after football and became the first black senior surgeon and director of surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospitals.
Jeff Higgins – An all-star high school career at Lake George (QB, RB, WR, DB) took him to Ithaca College, where he received two All-American honors. He also played in the Arena Football League for seven seasons.
David Holloway – A four-year varsity graduate and graduate from Albany Academy in 2002, he picked the full district pick then the University of Maryland, where he launched for three years. From 2007 to 2009 he played for four different NFL teams.
Josh Keyes – Acquired State-C Senior Player of the Year and Junior Co-Player of the Year at Chatham High School. Received all of the ACC awards from Boston College and spent time with eight different teams in the NFL.
John Mancini – Fonda Fultonville High School Recorder Player of the Year, played college football at Boston University, where he was twice selected for the Yankee Conference.
Mike Mazukry – Football successes at the La Salle Institute in Troy earned him the opportunity to play college football at Manhattan College, where he continued his success. He became famous as a professional wrestler and actor in more than 142 films, best known for his roles in “Dick Tracy” (1945), “Sinbad the Sailor” (1947) and “It’s About Time” (1966-1967).
Joe Ruggeri – A multiple all-star recipient and defender in Johnstown, he still holds spots on state receptions and yardage lists. He played four seasons at Union College, including two NCAA tournament appearances.
David Winter – A 3,000 yard runner at Hudson Falls High School, he was the 1996 Post-Star Player of the Year and a first-team Class B selection.
Dylan Wydronkowski – He was named First-Team All-State Class A and Section II Class A Defensive Player of the Year as a linebacker in both his junior and senior years at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School. He was recruited to help Stetson University return to Division I football in 2013.
EMPLOYEE
1972 Shenendehowa Plainsmen (team) – Went 9-0 averaging 44 points and less than four points per game. Coach Brent Steuerwald calls the team from 1972 “the best team that Section II has ever seen”.
Niall Howard (Youth Football Service) – Dedicated to youth football for more than 25 years as a coach in the same city where he began his high school and college career – Schenectady. Has trained at all levels, from peewee to semi-professional.
John Irion (Head Coach) – He garnered 136 career wins in 20 seasons at Queensbury High School before becoming head coach at Granville High School. His 2013 Queensbury team received a state Class A title.
Ron Jones (Head Coach) – Led the Hoosick Falls program to a Section II record of six straight section titles from 2009 to 2014, including winning the program’s first Class C football state championship in 2012. He won 155 Games in its 23 seasons.
Tony Wise (Service to Football) – Shaker High School’s product is one of the most successful offensive line coaches in the NFL and college football, including a Super Bowl title with the Dallas Cowboys and a national college championship in Miami.
Dar Rivers (referee)
Bob Woods (referee)
Pete Tobey (Service to Football) – Veteran high school sports beat writer for Post-Star Newspaper in Glens Falls.
Artie Waugh (Assistant Coach) – Trained at Guilderland High School for 20 years, under Hall of Fame Trainer Bud Kenyon for 14 years. In this 14-year span, the teams never had a losing season.
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Categories: University Sports, Sports
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