Russ Cellan, the Freeport High
School Head Football Coach who led the Red Devils to 131 victories
in his more than 10 years with the team, was honored by the Urban
League of Long Island as one of Long Island’s
five “Most Outstanding High School Coaches.”
Cellan and his wife Sharon attended the
33rd Annual Long Island Equal Opportunity Day Luncheon at the Crest
Hollow Country Club in November, at which five coaches from Nassau
and Suffolk high schools were honored in connection with the Urban
League’s program focusing on “Athletes
and Sports Figures: Leading By Example.”
Cellan, whose many achievements over the course of his career at Freeport
include a 20-game winning streak and receipt of the Conference I Coach
Of The year title six times since 1994, was selected by the Urban League
after it received nominating letters from Freeport School Superintendent
Dr. Eric Eversley, FHS Athletic Director Robert Zifchock, former and
current players and parents of players. |
Freeport Athletic Director Bob Zifchock
(left) and School Superintendent Dr. Eric Eversley (right) congratulate
FHS Head Football Coach Russ
Cellan on being named one of only five "Most Outstanding High School
Coaches" in Nassau and Suffolk Counties by the Urban League
of Long
Island. |
Sharon Cellan, wife of Freeport Head Football
Coach Russ Cellan, joined her husband as he was honored by the Urban
League of Long Island at the
Crest Hollow Country Club as one of five of Long Island's "Most
Outstanding High School Coaches." The coaches were lauded by the urban
League for "providing guidance and life skills instruction that extends
beyond the playing field."
|
“Russ deserves this honor not only because of his
impressive record,” wrote Dr. Eversley, “but because of his
work with families to secure scholarship opportunities for his student-athletes.
His stress on academic and responsible personal behavior is also noteworthy
and significant…His work rises to an extraordinary level of accomplishment.”
In comments on the role
of coaches in student character development, the Urban League’s Keisha Walker said, “Coaches
work with our children day-to-day, providing guidance and life skills
instruction that extends beyond the playing field. They motivate, encourage
and direct the paths of countless student-athletes. The success stories
among us must be told.”
Attending the luncheon along with Cellan and his
wife were Dr. Eversley, Zifchock, Toby Elmore (line coach), and Kenneth
Bagatelle, founder and sponsor of community support groups for the Freeport
athletic program.
Keynote
speaker at the luncheon was Tom “Satch” Sanders, who
recently retired as the NBA’s Vice president of Player Programs.
In his remarks, Sanders spoke of the motivation that led him to graduate
from NYU and to become a star player with the Boston Celtics. |
