Newfield athletics inducts first Hall of Fame class in 14 years

By Ryan Gineo

After a 14-year hiatus, the Newfield Athletics Hall of Fame has some new company.

On December 20, the school held the induction ceremony for the Class of 2024 during halftime of the girls basketball team’s game against Deposit-Hancock. When Hank Neubert took over as Newfield’s athletic director in 2023, one of the big things on his mind was to resurrect the Hall of Fame and honor the many people who have made athletics in the town so strong.

“Athletics here in Newfield is very important,” Neubert said. “With everything going on through the years, the Hall of Fame went away for one at one reason or another. When I got the job, I really wanted to bring it back… We’ve had a lot of distinguished student-athletes, teams and coaches. What we’re doing with this first class is we’re getting in three great former student-athletes, we’re getting an entire team, and then two of our coaches who are still coaching with us but just so vitally important to our entire community, as well as our athletics and the district.”

The two coaches that were recognized have been at Newfield for decades and are still heavily involved. Ricky Stewart has been a pillar of the community for so long, mainly known for being the longtime assistant coach of the boys basketball team and as the head coach of the track and field team. But that doesn’t paint the entire picture of the countless number of hours he’s put in volunteering for the students and the community.

“The first line of Ricky’s plaque reads, ‘A true supporter of the entire Newfield community,’” Neubert said. “When I put this together and wanted that to be the first line, it epitomizes what this gentleman is. We see he’s on the sidelines with our football. He’s there on the sidelines with our basketball and he coaches track and field for us. He is a figure. He is a dominant force in our community. Whether it be with the musicals or the dramas, he is involved in everything, as well as being a great coach.”

The other coach being honored is David Green. Not only has he taught physical education in the district for over three decades, he’s coached multiple sports, including track and field and boys and girls soccer.

“Coach Green taught here for over 30 years, coached here for 35-plus years,” Neubert said. “He started here in 1991 and he’s still coaching our modified track here. His wife was also a great teacher here, so we’re excited to have him here. He also coached our varsity girls and boys track, as well as every single level of our track team. [He’s] just an all-around great guy.”

The 1985-86 boys basketball team is credited for sparking the town’s passion for the sport. Led by head coach Gary Emerson, the Trojans won the Section IV Class D title and made it all the way to the state championship game and the program’s first-ever appearance in the New York State Tournament. 

“[They’re] the team that started the obsession and love of basketball here in Newfield, with that group of young men who have gone on to still give back to our community and be around,” Neubert said. “[They’re a] great group of guys.”

Rounding out the inductees are a trio of standout athletes. Megan Pym (2004 graduate) was a three-sport athlete in soccer, basketball, and softball It was basketball where she really thrived, averaging over 20 points per game in her junior and senior seasons and was named an IAC and Section IV All-Star. She went on to have an illustrious career at Old Dominion University, winning four conference championships and compiling a 102-32 overall record.

Tom Bishop (2004 graduate) was another three-sport athlete in football, basketball, and baseball. He flourished on the gridiron, being named a three-time IAC and Section IV All-Star and continued playing football at the University of New Hampshire. In 2008, he broke a single-game NCAA playoff record by making five field goals.

Dustin (Dusty) Marshall (2006 graduate), played the same sports as Bishop, and basketball was his true calling. He was a two-time IAC and Section IV All-Star with the Trojans, selected to the NYSPHSAA All-Tournament Team, and was the 2003-04 Gatorade New York Player of the Year. He ended up playing at Alfred State and SUNY Cortland.

Not only are those three inductees connected by their outstanding athletic prowess, they’ve also been highlighted for their academic excellence, something that Neubert hopes can inspire the current and future generations of student-athletes in town.

“The bottom line of all of their plaques is that they are members of the National Honor Society,” Neubert said. “That was something that, as a committee, we thought this is important to put on there because yeah, it’s an Athletics Hall of Fame, but to achieve that goal and be an all-around scholar-athlete, that’s important to us, and that’s important for people to see. When kids look at that plaque and they see that bottom line ‘National Honor Society,’ that’s something to shoot for.”