Westchester Sports Hall of Fame Inductees Named
Frank McLaughlin, Rick O’Keeffe, Jimmy Roberts, Paul Natale and Rich Leaf were inducted into the Westchester Sports Hall of Fame by the selection committee last week.
The 50th anniversary induction dinner will be held Thursday, Oct. 19, at the County Center – reception at 5:30 p.m., ceremony at 7 p.m.
In addition to the current inductees, all previous inductees are also invited for the golden anniversary celebration.
The Westchester Sports Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Westchester Parks Department. The plaques are on display at the County Center.
McLaughlin was the longtime athletic director at Fordham University, his alma mater, where he was also a star basketball player and a New York Knicks draftee. He was also head coach at Harvard, and coached with Digger Phelps at Fordham and Notre Dame.
O’Keeffe had a 27-7 record with a 0.40 ERA, five no-hitters and a perfect game for Yorktown High School, where he also batted .438. The Milwaukee Brewers drafted him fifth in the nation straight out of high school. He played 209 games in the minor leagues (53-51).
Roberts, a White Plains High School graduate, is best known for his work as a sportscaster with NBC and ABC. He has covered the World Series, the Super Bowl, the NBA finals, the Olympics, and the Masters golf tournament. He has won 13 Emmy awards.
Natale coached baseball and football at Hendrick Hudson High School. He had more than 500 wins in baseball. Now he volunteers as an adaptive physical education coach with challenged veterans at the Montrose Veterans Administration, and is involved with “Play for Freedom,” working with PTSD veterans.
Leaf, a Scarsdale High School graduate, is known as “The Voice of County Center.” He has been the announcer for the Section 1 boys and girls basketball tournaments for 36 consecutive years. He is also the announcer for Iona College men’s and women’s basketball, Scarsdale and Mamaroneck basketball, and numerous tournaments. In addition, he has been officiating soccer since 1981 and is the current president of the Westchester-Putnam Approved Soccer Officials Association.
To attend, contact kdc2@westchestergov.com. Write to the same address if you have current contact information for previous inductees.
