Coach Dennis Wandle devoted himself to Long Island youth sports programs as a
founding father of some of the most successful programs on Long Island. He was a
visionary and community leader who impacted the lives of thousands of Long Island student-
athletes.

When Dennis moved from the Bronx to Long Island, he saw an opportunity to put
unused fields to good use and worked on bringing a dream to life. He worked hard to
advocate for children and connected with different sports minded people in the
community to start multiple youth sports programs in both the Connetquot and Sachem
School Districts. Programs like Central Suffolk Football, Connetquot Little League,
SYSL and the Sachem Athletic Club, which is now known as Sachem Sports Club, are
all a result of that hard work and dedication. He also worked closely with local PAL
officials to get a designated sports complex built on Furrows Road in Holbrook. These
programs have been direct feeders to so many Long Island high school programs, not
just Sachem and Connetquot but many other neighboring high schools. He never limited
the leagues to children only in that specific district and gave any child from any district
the opportunity to play sports. One of his biggest goals was making sports affordable
for families and having all coaches volunteer their time. He wanted kids to have an
outlet and the ability to experience the joy of being on a team. He was a big believer
that many life lessons were learned on the field.
On a high school level, he spent 23 years as a history teacher, Dean of Students,
Varsity Football, Lacrosse, and Girls Basketball Coach at Islip HS. He was a part of
many great, successful teams there, and he never felt like he worked a day in his life
because of how much he loved that district.

Coach Wandle impacted thousands of kids over the years and helped so many through
decisions that changed the course of their lives for the better. Over the last 50+ years,
no matter where he went, he was always running into someone who knew him and had
a story about how he helped shape their life for the better. It gave him great pride to
hear how many of those athletes went on to coach themselves. He was a great example
of the importance of volunteering and giving back to the community and what it meant to
be just an all-around good man. Coach Wandle’s impact on the foundation of Long Island
sports and the countless athletes and students he inspired will live on forever.