Meet The Newest Inductees: Greater Binghamton Sports Hall Fame

The 9th annual Greater Binghamton Sports Hall of Fame celebration dinner is almost here and they are excited to announce this year's Class of 2024.

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These athletes have ties to the Binghamton area and will be recognized at the Greater Binghamton Sports Hall of Fame dinner on Monday, April 29th at the DoubleTree by Hilton.

The event is open to the public and will honor each inductee for their outstanding achievements. The Hall of Fame Class of 2024 is:

Joel Bennett

Joel has been selected for his contributions to baseball as a player, coach, and teacher at Windsor High School. He was a Major League Baseball pitcher for Boston and Philadelphia. In 1993, he led all Professional Minor Leagues in strikeouts with 221 in 181 innings pitched.

He has coached baseball for over 20 years at Windsor and Maine-Endwell High School. He also has been inducted into the NYSHSAA Section IV Hall of Fame and the East Stroudsburg University Hall of Fame.

Cindy Bostelman

Cindy is being inducted because of her remarkable accomplishments in softball. As a coach and athletic director at Afton High School, she had a coaching record of 517 wins and 194 losses from 1989 to 2017. Her teams won six NYSPHSAA softball championships, seven runner-up finishes, and 16 Section IV titles between 1995 and 2010.

Bostelman was the New York State Coach of the Decade (2000-2010) along with multiple New York State Sportswriters Coach of the Year awards. She has been inducted into the NYSPHSAA Section IV Hall of Fame and the New York State High School Softball Hall of Fame.

Mike Doherty

Mike is a three-sport athlete at Vestal High School that includes soccer, basketball, and baseball. He played a big part in leading Vestal HS Soccer to a 48-10-5 record from 1975 to 1977,and winning two NYSPHSAA Section IV titles.

At Binghamton University, Doherty continued his winning ways by leading the soccer team to a combined record of 24-7-3. They won the SUNY-AC title in 1980 and 1982, and topped the scoring chart in all three of his varsity seasons.

He was the head men's soccer coach at Colgate University for 20 seasons, leading to 160 wins. Doherty has been inducted into the Halls of Fame of Vestal High School, NYSPHSAA Section IV, and Binghamton University.

Jim Doherty

Jim is a posthumous inductee, and was also a standout three-sport athlete at Vestal High School. He excelled in soccer, basketball, and baseball, and earned All-STAC accolades in baseball and pitching a no-hitter in the STAC Championship Game.

Doherty went to Ithaca College and was a four-year starter at shortstop. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 6th round in 1975 and played four years in the Minor Leagues. Doherty's outstanding achievements have earned him a place in the Vestal High School Hall of Fame.

Dr. Alfred (Al) Dufty Jr.

Alfred, another posthumous inductee, was a three-time all-star at Vestal High School in soccer, basketball, and baseball. In 1968, he scored 44 points in one game and still holds the Vestal HS single-game basketball scoring record today.

Dufty became the captain for the Princeton University basketball team under Coach Pete Carrill. He helped the Tigers to a nationally-ranked 20-7 record in the 1971-72 season. Dufty has been inducted into the NYSPHSAA Section IV Hall of Fame and the Vestal High School Hall of Fame.

Suzanne Girard Eberle

Suzanne is a three-sport athlete at Maine-Endwell High School in field hockey, cross-country, and track. She has many STAC and NYSPHSAA Section IV running titles with four NYSPHSAA championships. At Georgetown University, she was a five-time NCAA All-American in cross-country, indoor, and outdoor track.

Eberle's achievements include holding the school record in the 3,000-meter run at the Penn Relays (1984) and winning the 5,000-meter Outdoor Track Championship at the Athletics Congress (now USATF) in 1985. She also was part of the US team in three international competitions in track and cross-country.

"Old Bones"

Known as the Exterminator, "Old Bones" is being posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame. This American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame Racehorse won the Kentucky Derby in 1918 and was honored as the Horse of the Year in 1922.

Exterminator had 50 first-place finishes in 99 races and was one of the top 100 US Thoroughbred Champions of the 20th Century, Exterminator is buried at the Whispering Pines Pet Cemetery in Binghamton and has been inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs.

Lou Ferraro

Lou was a three-sport athlete at Union-Endicott High School in football, basketball, and baseball, and is being honored for his exceptional coaching career. He had coached baseball at Binghamton High School for over 23 years. Ferraro had 316 wins with his teams reaching two NYSPHSAA Final Fours, winning three Section IV titles, and two Southern Tier Athletic Conference (STAC) Metro Division titles.

Ferraro played a big part in bringing the NYSPHSAA Baseball Championships to the Greater Binghamton area and served as the tournament director from 2003 to 2015. He has been inducted into the NYSPHSAA Section IV Hall of Fame and the Broome County Legion Baseball Hall of Fame.

Matt Gallagher

Matt, a football and wrestling coach at Maine-Endwell High School, is being honored for his many accomplishments. As the varsity football coach, Gallagher led the team to six NYSPHSAA championships with a career record of 151-25. His teams also won 62 games in a row, the longest in New York State history (2011-2015).

Gallagher had nine NYSPHSAA Section IV championship teams and received multiple Coach of the Year awards. He was honored with the National Football League Don Shula High School Coach of the Year award and the New York Giants/Gatorade High School Coach of the Year award in 2022.

Daquan Steven Jones

Daquan was a three-sport athlete at Johnson City High School in football, basketball, and track. Jones earned numerous accolades in football, including NYSPHSAA Section IV All-Division, All-Conference, and First Team All-State honors. His football career continued at Penn State University, and won the Most Valuable Senior award.

He also was named to the Big Ten Conference First Team, and led the conference in tackles by a lineman. Jones enjoyed a successful career in the National Football League (NFL), playing for the Tennessee, Carolina, and Buffalo teams in 139 career games. He was named the Press & Sun-Bulletin Athlete of the Year in 2009.

Joe Matisi

Joe, also known as "Joltin Joe," is being posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame. He was an amateur and professional heavyweight boxer who went to Union-Endicott High School. He had an impressive record of 38-3 in amateur boxing and 29-9-3 in professional boxing.

Matisi won the 1937 Amateur National Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championship in Chicago. In a professional bout he fought Ezzard Charles, who would later become the Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World. Matisi has been inducted into the Buffalo Boxing Hall of Fame.

Fred Seymour Jr.

Fred is a former baseball player at Binghamton High School, and achieved recognition during his high school career. This includes the Southern Tier Athletic Conference (STAC) First Team All-Division and First Team All-League honors.

His team won the NYSPHSAA Section IV Championship in 1987. His baseball journey continued at Rollins College, where he was part of the Sunshine State Regional Championship and the Division-II College World Series in 1989.

He has worked with many MLB organizations and currently serves in the MLB Office of the Commissioner. He helps minor league clubs with stadium structural and field renovations.

Gary W. Vail

Gary is being recognized for his coaching, teaching, and administrative career at Windsor Central School.. He was the varsity baseball coach for 27 years, leading his teams to 383 wins with two Susquenango League Championships, and one NYSPHSAA Section IV Championship.

As the varsity basketball coach at Windsor, he had 423 wins, three Section IV Championships, and many Division or Susquenango Association Championships.

Greater Binghamton Sports Hall Of Fame Scholarship Awards Recipients

The Greater Binghamton Sports Hall of Fame also announced the 2024 Scholarship Awards recipients:

The John W. Fox Award winner is Aleciyah Brodley from Maine Endwell High School. The John B. Caveny Award winner is Jaylon Yearwood from Union-Endicott High School.

The featured speaker for this year's Greater Binghamton Sports Hall of Fame dinner hasn't been announced yet but we'll find out soon. The celebration dinner is on Monday, April 29th at the DoubleTree by Hilton. Last year's event sold-out, so don't miss out and get your tickets now. Go here for ticket information and to see the previous inductees.