Cortland Standard .net

By TOM VARTANIAN
Staff Writer
While Karen Funk has not left the sidelines yet, prestigious honors still accumulate for the venerable field hockey coach at Marathon Central.
Funk is one of six new inductees in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame Class of 2015.
She will join fellow coaches Dominic Cecere from Eastchester High (Section 1), James Hoover from Walton High (Section 4) and Paula Jones from Minisink Valley (Section 9) in being inducted. Former major league baseball star Craig Biggio (Section 11) is being inducted in the player category and former Homer Central athletic director Alan Mallanda as an administrator.
Mallanda was the athletic director for the Trojans from 1978-83.
The Hall of Fame, launched in 2002, is sponsored by Pupil Benefits Plan, Inc., Jostens and Crown Awards and will honor these six new inductees at the NYSPHSAA’s Annual Hall of Fame Banquet being held July 29 at the Doubletree in Tarrytown.
Each inductee was chosen through a two-level selection process involving a screening committee and a selection committee. Nominations were endorsed by each inductee’s member Section of the Association — a preliminary requirement in the nomination process — before going on to the NYSPHSAA screening committee for consideration. Nominations can be submitted to a section office by anyone.
Funk has a career record of 520-153-44 with nine state championships and 12 Section 4 Championships. Those 520 wins are third all-time in the state and she is tied for first in state titles.
“It’s nice to be recognized after 40 years of success, but I certainly didn’t do this on my own,” Funk said. “I’m been very pleased to have some great student-athletes who are not just good on the field, but very good academically.
“I know you had to be recognized by your section first,” she added. “That happened in 2008. There are a lot of coaches in New York State, but until someone nominates you, you don’t know if you’ll receive an honor like this.”
A graduate of Marathon and SUNY Cortland – where she was inducted into the C-Club Hall of Fame in 2002 — Funk is among the winningest field hockey coaches in the state after completing her 41st varsity season last fall with the Olympians.
She was the founder of the field hockey program in Marathon and since her inaugural season has compiled 520 wins — third all-time — and holds the record for longest win streak in the state at 87 games.
Funk is tied for first for most NYSPHSAA State titles with nine. She has coached 30 National All-Academic Players, eight National All-Americans and 13 Regional All-Americans.
Before a successful coaching career began, Funk was hired as a substitute teacher and coach in 1972 at Marathon. By 1982 she was a full-time physical education teacher and six years later also started a youth field hockey program in the community. Funk, who also coached girls basketball, volleyball and softball at various levels.
She was also inducted into the National Field Hockey Coaches Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Section 4 Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2007, she was named the National High School Field Hockey Coach of the Year.
Funk retired as a physical education teacher in 2006 after more than 30 years of service.
ALAN MALLANDA: A graduate of Red Hook High School and SUNY Cortland, was a teacher, coach, official and athletic administrator for 36 years. He became Executive Director of the New York State Athletic Administrators Association 15 years ago and still holds that position today.
After leaving Homer, Mallanda spent the past 20 years of school administration in the Corning Painted Post Area School District. He received the NIAAA Award of Merit, was inducted into the Section 4 and NIAAA Hall of Fame in 2011, and the NYSAAA Hall of Fame in 2014.
CRAIG BIGGIO: He played at Kings Park High School and Seton Hall en route to the major leagues. He was one of the most prolific baseball and football players on Long Island while competing at Kings Park.
After being a first round draft pick, he spent 20 seasons with the Astros where he was a seven-time NL All-Star, four-time Gold Glove Award winner, five-time NL Silver Slugger Award winner, Branch Rickey Award winner, Hutch Award winner, two-time recipient of the Heart & Hustle Award, and a Roberto Clemente Award winner.
DOMINIC CECERE: One of the greatest baseball coaches in New York State, he was the Eastchester High head coach since 1965 compiling a 712-374-3 career record while leading his teams to 15 league titles and six sectional crowns.
Prior to being hired at Eastchester, Pelham native Cecere was a star outfielder at NYU and was later signed by the New York Yankees where he spent a year in rookie ball.
JAMES HOOVER: A football coaching legend at Walton, over 38 seasons the Vestal native has racked up a 306-80-1 career record and still going. Hoover has led his teams to 14 Section 4 championships, two state championships, five undefeated seasons and only 13 of his teams endured just one loss. The former Marine, who also earned degrees at Ithaca Colleget at St. Rose, began his career in 1976 as a physical education/health teacher and coach at Walton.
PAULA JONES is among the top high school volleyball coaches in the state with a career that spanned 30 years. From 1965-1995, Jones built Minisink Valley High School to become the top volleyball program annually in Section 9 compiling over 600 career wins without ever having a team at any level finish below .500.
Off the court, Jones was also instrumental in establishing equal play for girls in the region under Title IX.