Just like the annual Basketball Old-Timers of America dinner, the CHSAA’s Hall of Fame golf outing and induction ceremony on Ascension Thursday is a local spring sports tradition.
However, as was the case with the Old-Timers, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the postponement of not one but two Hall of Fame inductions. This spring though marked the return of celebrating our city’s high school sports association – often dubbed one of the top high school sports organizations in the country.
Seven new inductees took their rightful place in the CHSAA Hall of Fame on May 26 at the Inwood Country Club on the Rockaway Peninsula. These lifers were honored for their dedication to the New York City Catholic League as either a student-athlete, coach, administrator, official, or contributor.
Tom Konchalski
The late Tom Konchalski was inducted posthumously. The longtime high school basketball scout went to Archbishop Molloy H.S., Briarwood, and took over the production of the High School Basketball Illustrated newsletter in 1984.
Over the years, the newsletter was a valuable resource to more than 200 college basketball coaches nationwide — given its detailed analysis of high school student-athletes up and down the East Coast. Konchalski passed away in February 2021 after a two-year battle with cancer.
Richard Potter
Richard Potter was a member of the first varsity basketball and baseball teams at Msgr. Farrell H.S., Staten Island. He went on to coach freshmen, junior varsity, and varsity basketball at Moore Catholic H.S., Staten Island.
From 1982-2008, he coached basketball and served as athletic director at Curtis H.S., Staten Island. He’s now back at Msgr. Farrell as assistant athletic director.
Dan Anderson
Dan Anderson started officiating high school basketball games in 1982. In his career as a referee, he worked the CHSAA ‘AA’ finals three times, the ‘A’ and ‘B’ final twice each, and the ‘AA’ federation championship game once.
Anderson moved on to the collegiate ranks as a basketball official – rising as high as the Division I level. During the height of his career, he refereed games for six different Division I conferences.
Ed Blackburn
Ed Blackburn was a track and field standout at Moore Catholic, where he earned the honor of Staten Island Advance All-Star. He went on to serve 20 years in the NYPD and is a member of the NYPD Emerald Society and the NYPD Honor Legion.
After coaching ice hockey for several local programs on Staten Island, he joined the CHSAA coaching ranks at Moore Catholic and St. Peter’s Boys H.S., Staten Island. He became the school’s varsity head coach in 2009.
Andre Anselme
After graduating Archbishop Molloy and St. Francis College, Brooklyn Heights, Andre Anselme wound up coaching as an assistant on the varsity basketball and baseball teams at Power Memorial Academy, Manhattan. He eventually took over as head varsity baseball coach in 1978.
Anselme also spent time as an assistant varsity baseball coach at St. Raymond’s H.S., the Bronx. While there, he began working for the CHSAA, starting as co-chair of basketball and then becoming secretary for the archdiocesan league.
Frank Gambino
Frank Gambino ran track for Archbishop Molloy from 1970-1974. After a stint coaching track at Msgr. Scanlan H.S., the Bronx, he returned to Molloy as boys’ sophomore track coach and guided his teams to 14 Brooklyn-Queens championships and seven city championships.
He then took over the Stanners’ freshmen while capturing another 23 diocesan championships and four city championships. In 2000, he coached the first-ever Molloy girls’ cross-country team to a city championship title once the school went co-ed. He was also an assistant coach on the boys’ varsity track team, which won 40 Brooklyn-Queens title and two city championships from 2001-2021.
Dan McBride
In 1989, Dan McBride began coaching girls’ swimming and diving teams at St. Anthony’s H.S., South Huntington, L.I., and soon took over the boys’ program too. In 32 years of coaching, he’s amassed a 196-65-2 dual meet record – good enough for a .745 winning percentage.
In total, McBride guided his teams to three CHSAA league championships, six state championships, and four federation titles. He is a nine-time CHSAA Coach of the Year and three-time Long Island Coach of the Year to go along with his inductions into the NY CHSAA and St. Anthony’s Halls of Fame.
Contact Jim Mancari via email at jmmanc@gmail.com.