2016 Inaugural Inductees

Dimitria“ Demi”Bineares

Valentin“Vally”Davis

Mark Epps
Ralph Forman

William“Billy” Garran

Ruth Goering

William E. “Billy” Kretz
Jawon McKelvin
Audrey Doherty Nordland

Reginald Quintyne
Jon Shebar
Bruce Pescitelli

Melvin“Mel” Miller - Lifetime Achievment Award
Kevin White - Distinguished Athletic Alumnus Award

Dimitria "Demi" Bineares

Class of 1964 | Athlete

Demi was an outstanding athlete as a member of the class of 1964. Prior to Title IX, the highest team in each sport for girls was the “honor teams” selected to play interscholastically. Honor teams were normally comprised of juniors and seniors but Demi was selected as a freshman because of her playing ability on the softball field. This was a great honor. She excelled in all the team sports and was selected the following years for the honor teams of all the team sports played in Amityville which were field hockey, volleyball and basketball as well as softball.

Demi was elected to Leader's Club and earned her numeral, shield, and letter. She achieved the highest award in Suffolk County for girls' sports at the time, the prestigious Gold Key award.

Demi went on to teach physical education in Sayville where she was respected and beloved and has a scholarship named in her honor.

In her letter of acceptance to the AMHS Sports Hall of Fame, Demi wrote, “Although I am a reluctant recipient, I do appreciate the recognition. All I can say is being a student K-12 in the Amityville Public Schools meant very much to me. I had a wonderful experience with outstanding teachers, coaches and dear fellow classmates.”

Valentin "Vally" Davis

Class of 1958 | Athlete

Valentin Clifford Davis was born on January 13, 1941 at Lakeside Hospital in Copiague, NY to the late William and Anita Davis. He has two siblings, Vema Stewart and William Davis.

Vally was an honor student at the Amityville schools and is most remembered in Amityville as one of the best ever running backs in school history, making the number 31 famous, and the most sought after jersey to wear. He was also an excellent basketball player and track runner for Amityville, which made him one of the most popular guys in school.

Vally's accomplishments include:

Member and three year-starter of three championship football teams that won the Rutgers Trophy (1955, 1956, 1957)
Co-Captain of the 1957 football team
Averaged 20 points per game in football and basketball in his senior year
Captain of the 1958 basketball team
Second in the 100-yard dash at County Championship, 1958
Ran anchor on the 800-yard relay team (finished second in State meet)
Started on Hofstra's undefeated freshman team (1958)

While still in school, Vally attended a summer house party where he met and later married Mary Ellen Trollinger. Together, they had two children, Darrelyne and Valentin C. Davis, Jr. He has one daughter- in-law, Gwen Davis, and three grandchildren: Jayda, Valentin III and William.

Vally attended Hofstra University on a full football scholarship, later matriculating to West Virginia State for football and finally obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management at SUNY Old Westbury.

Vally was employed at LILCO, starting out as a meter reader and later becoming a Supervisor of the Computer Operations Center. He was Shop Steward for many years, retiring with 32 years of service.

Currently, Vally is involved in many community based organizations. He is the current owner and broker of Davis Realty which has been serving the community for over 35 years. He is a registered NY State mentor. He is a member of the Bethel A.M.E. Church in Copiague where he served as an usher and former Trustee, and is currently the President of the “Anita E. Davis” Lay organization. He has been a Hollywood Lodge member for over 32 years, serving as the Past Master and currently Grand Marshall of Prince Hall Masons of NY State.

Vally is a proud man who always supports and loves his family and friends. He is generous to a fault, always has a positive thought and is forever ready to have a good time and dance to the Temptations or the Spinners.

Mark Epps

Class of 1983 | Athlete

Mark Epps was a member of the Amityville Memorial High School Varsity Football, Basketball and Track teams.

In basketball, as a Junior and Senior, Mark was named an All-League member and voted co-captain of the varsity team.

Mark played football for three years and received several honors while playing for the varsity team.

Running track, as a sophomore, Mark received All-League and All-Conference honors as a member of the 4x400 meter relay team. In his junior year, he received All-League, All-Conference, All-County and All-State honors in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4x100 relay team. Individually, he won the County Championship in the 100 meters, 200 meters and placed 2"^ in the 100 meters in the New York State meet. These accomplishments helped Amityville High School to be named 1982 Track Team champion of Suffolk County.

In his senior year, Mark received All-League, All-Conference, All-County and All-State Honors in Track. He was voted 2nd Team All American in Track and Field.

Upon graduation, Mark enlisted in the United States Army Reserve and received an Associate’s degree in Criminal Justice from Farmingdale State College. In 2016, he retired from the New York City Department of Corrections.

Markthanks several teachers and coaches for helping instill in him guidance and discipline for everyday life all along the way: Mr. Mattera, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Byer, Mr. Pollock and Mr. Fred Williams.

Ralph Forman

Class of 1967 | Athlete

On December 23, 1948, Ralph Forman IV was born to parents Ralph Forman IH, an Amityville Hall of Fame coach, and Caroline Forman. Ralph and his brother, Ron, attended the Amityville school district from kindergarten to 12'h grade. A multi-sport athlete, Ralph excelled in four varsity sports, which earned him ten varsity letters, one in volleyball and three each in soccer, wrestling and track.

Asa soccer player, Ralph led his team in assists during his sophomore, junior and senior years and also in goals scored during his junior and senior years. His single season scoring record for Amityville boys’ soccer still stands as the high watermark with 21 goals and 28 assists. Ralph was also named first team All-League at the center forward position in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, and named first team All-County at the center forward position in his junior and senior years.

Not only did Ralph excel in soccer, but he was also an All-League wrestler and All-League for the mile run in track. He was part of the two-and four-mile relay teams that set Amityville school records. The Amityville four-mile record still stands today.

Ralph also started on the 1967 Amityville boys' volleyball team that won the school's last Suffolk County Championship in that sport.

Ralph's love for sports continued into college where he played soccer as a starter at Ottawa University and then Southern Connecticut State University. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation in 1971 and his Master of Science in 1972 in Physical Education at Southern Connecticut State University. He went on to teach health and physical education in the Sachem School District for 42 years and is still following in his father's footsteps as an accomplished coach.

Ralph would like to thank the Amityville Hall of Fame Committee for this great honor as well as the outstanding and talented teammates that he had the privilege to compete alongside with at Amityville Memorial High School. He also thanks his parents Ralph and Caroline for being outstanding role models and teaching him to be a positive role model for his children as a father, and his athletes as a coach. Ralph also thanks his wife, Toni, and his children, Daniel, Matthew and Kimberly for putting up with his long hours and stories about the teams he coaches and sports in general.

Charles William Garran III

Class of 1964 | Athlete

Charles (Billy) was born in 1945 in Brooklyn, NY. He and his parents moved to Amityville in 1954. Billy went to Park Avenue and Amityville Junior High School where he played softball and ran track.

Billy attended Amityville Memorial High School from 1960-1964. Because of his love for sports, Billy earned three Varsity letters in one year as a member of the Championship varsity basketball, varsity soccer and varsity track teams.

Billy ran the 100 yard dash in 9.9 seconds, setting a record at that time.

In 1963, Billy was the captain and goalie of the Championship varsity soccer team. He was selected as an all-star, recording eight shutouts and setting a school record.

From 1963 to 1964, Billy played with the championship varsity basketball team. Even though Billy stood only 5 feet and 8 ' 2 inches, he could high jump six feet and with his small hands, he could dunk a basketball with ease, even if he had to use both his hands.

Billy loved his family and friends. If there was a gathering (and there were many!) where there was music playing, you could count on Billy to get the party started. He loved to dance!

Billy wasn't a man of many words. But let there be music and he could talk to you loud and clear with his dance moves!

I’m sure if he were here, he'd say “Thank you all for this honor. Now bring on the music and let's talk!”

Ruth Goehring

Athlete

Ruth is incredibly honored to be inducted into the Amityville Memorial High School Sports Hall of Fame. She is forever indebted to Jessica Thole Bernius for nominating her, and the selection committee for voting to include her for such a special recognition. She developed her skill set as a budding athlete by following in her brother's footsteps. She played street kickball and stoop steam ball in Queens, NY before moving to the Amityville School District as a ten year old.

Amityville was a slice of heaven for Ruth. It is where she maturedathletica11y,1earned true sportsmanship and nurtured best friends for life. She played every sport offered to her and participated in the beloved Sports Night which was immensely popular in her time. She enjoyed the best coaching and had super role models in Patti Burns and Sally Brubaker. Her success was in basketball, field hockey and volleyball where she was fortunate to play at the Honor's level and earn a gold key. Her student life was enhanced by being a member of the band and orchestra, as well as serving as an officer on the student council.

To provide a snapshot of life after high school, below is a biography of Ruth written by the University of Richmond's Sports Information Office:

A Mainstay in the Richmond Athletic Department for more than a quarter century, Ruth Goehring served in various roles to assist Spider student-athletes, coaches and administrators from 1981 until she retired in 2007.

These roles and titles included Coordinator of Women's Athletics, where she was a driving force to promote women's sports, Senior Woman Administrator and Associate Athletic Director for Sports, Event and Facilities. Ruth also oversaw all non-revenue sports programs in addition to serving as director of the Robins Center and the University of Richmond stadium. In addition, she coordinated conference championships and NCAA events hosted by Richmond in her role as tournament director.

A native New Yorker who had been listed in the Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities, Ruth graduated from SUNY-Cortland in 1968 where she was a four-year letter winner in field hockey, volleyball and basketball. She completed her master's degree at Cortland in 1971. Following undergraduate school, Ruth taught and coached in public schools for five years.

Her professional collegiate athletics career began at Colgate University, where she was charged with initiating a competitive women's intercollegiate program as the school transitioned to co-education. She is also well-known for her work as a high school and college basketball referee and served on the Board of Directors of the Richmond Police Athletic League. She became a master gardener in retirement.

William E. "Billy" Kretz

Class of 1982 | Athlete

Billy is a proud lifelong resident of Amityville. Here at Amityville Memorial High School, he was the definition of a student athlete and was a true three sport athlete who excelled in football, basketball and baseball.

Billy is the grandson of William(Inaugural AHOF inductee) and Doris Kretz, son of William and Leslie Kretz. and the older brother to Courtney, Carly and Brian who were all alumni and successful Varsity athletes. He is also the proud husband and father to Allyson and Kinsley Kretz. Two of Billy's proudest moments here at Amityville took place his senior year. Billy was the quarterback for the school's first ever Long Island Class HH Football Championship team in 1999 and was the starting forward for the school's first ever New York State Class B Boys Basketball Championship in 2000.

Billy, nicknamed ‘Scarecrow’ by his coach Len Mattera (AHOF member) was a 4-year letter winner on the Varsity Football team where he excelled as the punter, field goal kicker, and safety, as well as being the starting quarterback from his sophomore year on. He was named All-League three times, All-County twice, was named Second Team All-Long Island and was named to the All-Metro Team his senior year. He also played safety in the Annual Outback Bowl, pitting the best of Long Island versus the best from New York City.

Billy began his high school basketball career playing JV for Toby Mullen (AHOF member) his freshman year and was a three-year starter for Jack Agostino (AHOF member) on the varsity. He was named All-League and All-Conference three times, All-County two times, was named Newsday First-Team All-Long Island and Class B First Team All-State, and USA Today Honorable Mention All-American in his senior year, as well as All-Tournament Team in Glenn's Falls at the NYS Class B Boys Basketball Championship.

Every spring during Billy's high school career, he played Varsity Baseball. As a freshman, he was the starter at third base, he was part of the last Amityville Baseball playoff team to date. After his freshman year, he was a starting pitcher and starting shortstop for his remaining high school career. He would continually lead his teams in innings pitched, earned run average, strikeouts and wins.

Billy grew up a stone's throw from the High School fields, hearing stories from two generations of many successful family members who were all Amityville athletes. His grandfather was a captain of the 1942 undefeated football team and broke several track school records in 1942, one of which lasted up until Billy was still only a school boy. His father was also a starter and member of the 1970 undefeated championship football team. Billy over the years had always taken in every detail of their proud stories, hoping that one day he would carry the torch and have stories to pass down to even further generations to come. Billy is still a part of two proud Amityville programs. He is the current Head Varsity Football coach and the JV Boys Basketball coach.

Overall, Billy has always been proud to be part of many successful teams here at Amityville. He has had the privilege to be coached by three legendary coaches and has had even more pleasure in playing alongside Amityville greats such as Jessie O'Neill, Tristan Smith, Eugene Nottingham, Jason Fraser and Max Rose.

Jauron McKelvin

Class of 1994 | Athlete

Jauron McKelvin attended Amityville Schools from kindergarten through his senior year. A True student- athlete, Jauron excelled on the athletic field as well as in the classroom. An honor student for most of this tenure in school, he graduated from Amityville High School in 1994.

Jauron was a4-year starting pitcher and center fielder on the varsity baseball team and was voted All- County in baseball. He was also a3-year starter on the varsity football team, playing wide receiver and cornerback. Jauron made the All-Long Island football team in his senior year.

Jauron was recruited by dozens of Division I-AA football programs and attended Hofstra University on a full football scholarship in 1994. In college football, he started 4 years as a wide receiver and played with such teammates as Wayne Chrebet (NY Jets), Dave Fiore (San Francisco, Washington), Lance Schulters (San Francisco, Tennessee) and Raheem Morris (Former Head Coach Tampa Bay Bucs, currently Assistant Head Coach Atlanta). He graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Physiology.

Upon graduating college, Jauron had tryouts with several professional football teams: New York Jets, New York Giants, Carolina, Baltimore, San Francisco and Atlanta. He played 2 seasons for the semi- professional Brooklyn Seahawks.

Subsequent to that, Jauron landed a position with Pfizer, Inc., where he has been working for the past 16 years as a Physiologist in the Occupational Wellness Division.

Jauron also owns a music production company, an artist management company and the company DJ Start My Party.

Audrey Doherty Nordland

Class of 1944 | Athlete

Audrey (Doherty) Nordland was born October 27, 1924 in Mineola. She is the oldest of8 children, all of whom were star athletes at Amityville. Two of her young brothers (George “Doppy” and Dick) are members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Audrey attended grade school in Massapequa and as with almost all Massapequa residents at that time, she attended Amityville High School. She enrolled in the old high school on Park Avenue in 1940 along with her sister Gene(Doherty)Finn, Hazel Toten and Wilma Diehl. It was here that she met and became lifelong friends with fellow Hall of Fame member Mazie(Kretz) McDonough and later Doris Kretz. Audrey and Mazie competed in the same sports and clubs throughout their high school years.

Audrey's first love was field hockey. Joining the team as a freshman in the fall of 1940, she earned varsity honors all four years. She recalled in her senior year, that was the team that everyone loved. Some of those members remained close friends for years. In addition, she was teammates with her sister Gene and future sister-in-law Jean (Nordland) Gannon. Many of those teammates last got together in 2004 at their 60° High School reunion.

She was also a 3-year starter for the basketball team from 1941-1944 and a member of the cheerleading squad for four years. As one of the pioneers to help advocate women's sports, she became an integral part of the Amityville Girls’ Leaders Club.

Audrey met her future husband Tony Nordland in high school and they were married in 1949. She raised three sons (Tom, Jim and Tony), all Amityville HS All-County wrestlers and is the proud grandparent of six.

Bruce Pescitelli

Class of 1978 | Contributor

Bruce Pescitelli is the second son of Pat and Barbara Pescitelli. A lifelong resident of Amityville, Bruce has three brothers, Dale, Bobby and Tommy, who like Bruce attended Amityville Memorial High School and participated in athletics.

Bruce played soccer and baseball at Amityville and he received All-League Honors in soccer in 1977. Bruce was a member of two League Championships, one in soccer in 1977 (coached by Jerry Pollock, AHOF 2013) and a second one in baseball in 1978 (coached by Bill King, AHOF 2012). Bruce would also like to thank Coach John Gonser for instilling the discipline needed to be a student/athlete.

After graduating Amityville Memorial High School in 1978, Bruce attended Southampton College and became a four-year starter on the soccer team.

In 1985, Bruce became an Amityville Village Police Officer and he quickly set out to make his community a safer place to raise families. He was an active member of the Amityville P.B.A. and through his involvement he was able to reach out to the sports teams in the high school and help support their programs through donations to the teams.

It was Coach Mattera (AHOF 2012) that he struck up a strong bond with, a bond that still exists today.

When the Amityville Football team won the Long Island Championship, Bruce was able to get $1,500 for the team to buy jackets and rings.

While he worked as a Police Officer and Detective, he was visible at many sporting events at AMHS, always helping the kids by providing them with words of wisdom or giving them rides home after games. Bruce was always there for the kids and quite often they would stop by his house for advice.

When Bruce retired from the Police Department, he continued to provide for the kids. His father Pat told him years ago that “You must always help others and give back. This makes you a better person.

For the past six years, he has provided a Thanksgiving dinner for an Amityville family, and he has provided Christmas presents for families in the district. He has also provided breakfast and bought T-shirts for the Football team, and bought warm-up jackets for the baseball team. Just recently, he helped raise $1,200 for the soccer team.

Bruce is and always will be a proud alum of the Amityville Memorial High School and he can be seen at most sporting events at the school.

He resides in Amityville with his wife Donna and their two daughters Kaitlin and Jennifer.

Reginald "Aggie" Quintyne

Class of 1973 | Contributor

Reginald “Reggie” Quintyne was born in New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. His family moved to Amityville where Reggie began 2"" grade at the Park Avenue School in Ms. Eden's class.

Basketball was the sport of choice at first, playing countless hours with friends on his block or at Northeast Elementary School courts. When Reggie made the team in Junior High School, he was both excited and awestruck. Imagine a new uniform and a brand new pair of Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers!

Reggie was known for his outside shot from the guard position. Coach Artie Shepard would always shout “Shoot it Reggie. Shoot it!” Reggie did in one game hit 8 shots in a row in one half. Reggie made the JV team in High School where Coach Mullin continued to encourage Reggie to shoot, but also to concentrate on using his hands to steal the ball, and to play better defense. Coach Mullin taught Reggie a few nifty defensive moves, and Reggie led the team in steals and blocked shots.

Enter soccer coach Ralph Forman. After a basketball game, Coach Forman approached Reggie to explain he needed a player for the soccer team that was quick and had good hands to play goalie. Reggie had no desire to play soccer, so he politely declined. Coach Forman would come to every single home basketball game and each time ask Reggie to play soccer. Finally, Coach Forman said, “Come to one soccer game and just watch. If you don't like what you see, I'll leave you alone. But if you do, you have to play for me.”

Results: Reggie joined the JV soccer team where Coach Schmitt and Coach Forman taught Reggie the position of goalie. In half of the games, the team was undefeated. Reggie was brought up to Varsity midseason, where he was credited with three shutouts, and in a key game against a powerful Bayport team, Reggie recorded a shutout knocking Bayport out of l" place in the division.

In 1972, Reggie was credited with over 100 saves for the season. It quickly spread around the league and county that Coach Forman at Amityville had a goalie with quick hands who could block almost any shot. In 1973, Reggie was named Team Captain and had his best game against division-leader Bellport. In a 2- l game with Amityville leading and 5 seconds on the clock, Bellport had a penalty shot. Reggie blocked the shot to preserve the win. Reggie was selected to the league's All-Star Team and again had over 100 saves for the season. Reggie's proudest moment was when Coach Forman won his 100° game. After that game, Coach Forman told Reggie that he was the best goalie he had seen since Billy Garran (AHOF). Coach Forman asked Reggie, “Are you glad you played soccer?” Yes, Coach, Yes!

Reggie was humbled at the end of the year during a league dinner when some of the coaches of opposing teams stood on stage and echoed Coach Forman's sentiments saying Reggie was the best they'd ever seen. Coach Forman had two friends scout Reggie for college. At the end of Reggie's last game in 1973, Coach Ramsey of Stony Brook University and Coach Heller for Sullivan County College both approached Reggie and offered to recruit. Reggie went to Stony Brook University, playing his best game, ironically, against Sullivan County. Reggie came into a losing game, held Sullivan without a score, and Stony Brook rallied to win the game.

Reggie and his wife Ruthann have lived in Brightwaters for 28 years.

Jon Shebar

Handball Coach 1981-1987

Amityville handball? What?Amityvi1le varsity handball existed for a brief but intense period from the early 1970s to the late 1980s. Suffolk County's Section XI established handball as a varsity sport,1ed by the West Islip coach and section coordinator, Nick LaGiglia. The section conducted a 12-team program, divided into six 2-team leagues determined by student population.

When Frank Kekker, the original coach of the team, stepped down, A.D. Bill King, knowing that Jon played handball, asked Jon to coach “for one year because handball was not included in the budget for next year. “That year the team went undefeated in its league and defeated perennial power West Islip in the county play-offs before losing in the finals to Brentwood. Several players received All-County and All-League honors, as well as many trophies won in weekend sectional tournaments and the year-end Individual County Championships.

Recognizing the great student interest and success of the program, the district restored handball to the budget. In ten years, the team established a record of 114-0 against League II competition, obviously winning ten league titles. In that time, Amityville won three Suffolk County Championships, five runner- up and two third place finishes. Virtually all student athletes over this period received some level of All- League or All-County recognition.

Although Jon is justifiably proud of these achievements, he is equally proud of the reputation that these students and the team established. In an activity where the players umpired their own game, Amityville gained respect for honesty and fair play, something not all teams and players achieved. Amityville received the Sportsmanship Award from the Handball Coaches Association five times during this period and Jon received the Coach of the Year three times.

Jon values the relationships established with the athletes in the program, some of which remain almost thirty years later. He is proud to have worked with and alongside legendary Amityville coaches such as Lenny Mattera, Fred Williams, Toby Mullin, Vic Neimi, Norm Maisel, Jerry Pollock, Hank Carpenter, Claude Byer, Ralph Forman, Kerry Doran and all the others who have helped form the rich tradition of Amityville Athletics.

Jon graduated from Freeport High where he played football and lacrosse with classmate and Amityville athletic figure Kerry Doran in 1960. He received a BBA from the University of Miami(Fla.) in 1964 and an MS from Hofstra University in 1969 and a JD from Touro College Law Center in 1991. He taught elementary school in Amityville for 30 years and is currently a criminal defense attorney in Wantagh.

Melvin "Mel" Miller - Lifetime Achievement Award

Melvin “Mel” Miller coached middle school sports in the Amityville School District for 38 years. Fred Williams recruited Mel to coach track with him. The Athletic Director was Bill King, who interviewed Mel and hired him.

The following year, Mel coached football with Rob Kretz and remained coaching ‘B'1evel football until 2013. Claude Byer was looking for a dedicated coach to coach the ‘B’ level girls basketball team. Mel told Claude he would be honored, if he showed him exactly what he wanted him to do. From there, attending numerous camps and clinics really helped the girls basketball program. Mel also coached the girls varsity summer league team and ran camps and clinics for Operation Make/f. Dotty Coleman was the Director of Operation Make It, which was designed for the young student athletes in the Amityville /Copiague neighborhoods.

The sports that Mel coached were:

‘B’ level girls—volleyball,basketba11,track, softball
‘B’ level boys —football, basketball and track
J.V. girls —basketball
Assistant girls varsity basketball

Mel would like to thank previous athletic directors who supported and encouraged him to be an Amityville coach: Bill King, William Gray, Kerry Doran, Jonathan Bloom, Ron Forman and Bill Maisel.

The coaches who always motivated Mel were: Fred Williams, Claude Byer, Norm Maisel, Lenny Mattera, Frank Devenuto, Donald Pollock, Reynolds Hawkins, John Gonser, Paul Eastman, Thomas Tolliver, Lee Isabel and Anthony McCabe.

Coach Miller believed in giving the student athletes a solid foundation in all sports that he coached. He always worked cooperatively with the parents, teachers, school administrators and student athletes to represent Amityville and families at large with respect, class and dignity.

Kevin White - Distinguished Athletic Alumnus Award

Kevin M. White was named Duke University's vice president and director of athletics on May 31, 2008. He also serves as an adjunct professor of business administration at the university.

White, 64,joined the Duke family after leading Notre Dame's athletics program to success both on the playing fields and in the classroom from 2000-08. He also has held a number of prominent national leadership roles within intercollegiate athletics, including his service in 2006-07 as president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and in 2005-06 as president of the Division I-A Athletic Directors Association. In 2006, White was named the General Sports TURF Systems Division I-A Central Region Athletic Director of the Year while at Notre Dame. In 2013, White was named one of four NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision recipients of the Under Amour AD of the Year Award presented by NACDA. A testament to the respect he has garnered within college athletics, White earned multiple high profile awards in 2014-15, including the National Football Foundation's John L. Toner award, Sports Business Journal's Athletic Director of the Year award, Bobby Dodd AD of the Year, and the 2015 Carl Maddox Sports Management Award.

Guided by the Strategic Plan that was approved by Duke's Board of Trustees in April of 2008, White made an immediate impact on Duke Athletics. In addition to leading the department to unprecedented success in competition, he reshaped the organization into a more efficient and modern department; strengthened ties to both campus and community constituents though consistent outreach efforts; successfully oversaw Duke's fundraising efforts during an economic downturn; completed partnerships with major corporate entities to enhance revenue streams; commissioned a master facilities plan to position Duke well into the 21st Century; and emphasized a stronger commitment to the university's intramural, club and recreational sports programs.

Since White's arrival, Duke has captured seven NCAA Championships — women's tennis in 2009, men's basketball in 2010 and 2015, men's lacrosse in 2010, 2013 and 2014, and women's golf in 2014 —and 17 ACC titles. On the strength of 20 teams participating in postseason competition and robust finishes in several sports, Duke ranked 20th in the 2015 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings, which determine an institution's all-around strength in intercollegiate athletics. The 20th-place showing marked the 12th consecutive year that Duke has ended among the nation's top 20 programs. In 2011, Duke placed fifth, matching the school's best finish in the rankings and its 1171.50 points earned were the most in program history. In White's seven years at Duke, the Blue Devils placed 17th (2009), 10th (2010), fifth (2011), 16th (2012), 12th (2013), ninth (2014) and 20th (2015) in the Directors' Cup standings.

Sixty-eight Blue Devil teams ranked among the nation's top 10 teams during the past seven seasons with 11 —men's basketball(2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015), men's lacrosse (2010, 2013, 2014) and women tennis (2009, 2010, 2014) — reaching No. 1. In all, 118 Blue Devil teams advanced to NCAA postseason competition during White's Duke tenure. In 2014-15, Duke captured its fifth NCAA Championship in men basketball, while the women's golf and lacrosse teams both advanced to the NCAA semifinals.

Academically, Duke teams continued strong performances under White. In the 2014-15 academic year, 25 of 26 Blue Devil varsity teams earned grade point averages of 3.0 or better, while 123 student- athletes earned Dean's List honors in the fall semester, and 94 did so in the spring. Overall, 479 Blue Devil student-athletes made the latest All-ACC Honor Roll and continued an amazing stretch wherein Duke led the conference for the 27th time in the past 28 years.

In two key elements in tracking a department's academic success, Duke ranked among the nation's best again. Duke posted a 98% Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and 16 teams achieved a 100% GSR. Also, an ACC-best 15 Blue Devil teams were ranked in the top 10% of their respective sports in the most recent Academic Performance Rate (APR) Report, including the men's basketball and football teams. In the 2015 report, Duke (992) ranked second among all FBS schools, behind only Wisconsin (998). In all, Duke totaled the highest APR scores among ACC institutions in 12 of the league's 25 sports: baseball (996), women's fencing (1000), football (992), women's golf (1000), men's lacrosse (1000), women's lacrosse (1000), rowing (1000), men's swimming and diving (1000), men's tennis (1000) and volleyball(1000).

Under White, Duke has continued its focus on outreach to the local community. Modeling the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills program's commitment to service, learning projects and outreach, over 500 Duke student-athletes across all sports participated in a combined effort of more than 2,000 community service hours during the 2014-15 academic year.

White, who holds a Ph.D. in education, has taught graduate-level classes since 1982 and currently teaches a sports business course in Duke's Fuqua School of Business as part of Duke's MBA program. In August 2003, SI.com (the Sports Illustrated web site) listed White, then at Notre Dame, third in its rankings of the most powerful people in college football. In January 2004, The Sporting News listed him in its Power 100 as third among five names in the “front office” category (and the lone college athletics director among the 100).

Prior to joining Notre Dame in 2000, White served as athletic director at Arizona State University, Tulane University, the University of Maine and Loras College in Iowa, where he originated the National Catholic Basketball Tournament.

Before becoming an administrator, White served as head track and field coach at Southeast Missouri State and assistant cross country and track and field coach at Central Michigan. He began his coaching career at Gulf High School in New Port Richey, Fla., coaching cross country and track and assisting in football and wrestling.

White earned his Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University in 1983 with an emphasis on higher education administration. In 1985, he completed postdoctoral work at Harvard University's Institute for Educational Management. He earned his master's degree in athletics administration from Central Michigan University in 1976 and his bachelor's degree in business administration in 1972 from St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Ind., where he also competed as a sprinter. Additionally, White was recognized with honorary degrees from Loras College (2012), the United States Sports Academy (2007) and St. Joseph's College (2001).

As a student at Amityville Memorial High School, White ran track and cross country and he also played volleyball.

White and his wife, Jane, a former college track and field coach, have five children and 12 grandchildren.