Please see below as we recognize all of our past honorees that we’ve had at our “Battle of Ronkonkoma” event. We thank them for their support of our event as an honoree as well as their continued support.
Please see below as we recognize all of our past honorees that we’ve had at our “Battle of Ronkonkoma” event. We thank them for their support of our event as an honoree as well as their continued support.
Two of six boys, Michael and Kenneth Huggins were intelligent and talented with great artistic abilities and an affinity for all things sports. They followed in their brother’s footsteps playing baseball for the Sachem Flaming Arrows. Kenny had all the ability one could ask for – power, speed, fielding and a Howitzer for an arm. What Michael lacked in ability he made up for with a competitive edge like no other.
Later in life Michael would become known as somewhat of a historian with an immense appreciation of and love for history as well as being an avid movie buff. Kenny would eventually find a career as a painter, keeping up with his artistic interests spending his free time constructing and painting action figure models and various other medium. Both were great uncles, caring deeply for their nephews and niece.
Although no longer here with us, Michael and Kenny Huggins will be remembered for all our time.
The Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame was saddened to learn about the sudden passing of Hall of Famer Rob Grable on Friday, July 19, 2019. The Class of 2015 inductee was 49.
Grable, who played professional baseball and starred at Connetquot High School and St. John’s University, was the principal at Mount Sinai High School at the time of his death.
A three-sport athlete at Connetquot, he was All-County in football, basketball and baseball.
It was on the baseball diamond where Grable excelled the most. A runner-up for the Yaztrzemski Award as the top player in Suffolk County as a senior, he later went on to be a three-year starter with the Red Storm and was eventually selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 23rd round of the 1991 MLB Draft.
A trade pushed Grable to the Phillies where he spent three seasons and reached as high as the Triple-A level. He retired from professional baseball in 1995 to focus on his career in education.
He is also a member of the Connetquot Hall of Fame and St. John’s University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Michael O’Brien was born on December 15, 1967, to parents Roslyn and John. The youngest of two children, he had an older sister, Kelly. He and his family lived in Central Islip until moving to Ronkonkoma in 1973, at the age of 6.
Michael was very tall and physically gifted, which allowed him to quickly make friends through his participation in the Central Suffolk Football League and later playing for Connetquot High School. He was also an avid handball player who was rarely in a close game due to his ability to put the ball anywhere he wanted. But what really separated him from the crowd was his ability to ride, race, or drive anything with wheels. At an age in which most children were just trying to learn how to ride a bike, Mike was able to ride a wheely for blocks. If he was at the helm of anything with a motor, you best get out of the way, because he was going to go around/over/or through you. Especially if he was on his beloved Honda CR 125 dirt bike. Back in the 70’s and 80’s, there were plenty of places to ride and he performed jumps and stunts that gave him a legendary status among his peers. Every day we got to watch “OUR” version of Evel Knievel for free.
Michael graduated from high school in 1986 and one year later on July 19, 1987 he suffered a devastating injury while attempting to retrieve a handball that went on a school roof. He was paralyzed from the neck down, with limited use of his arms. Many people, when faced with an injury such as this, would have shut down and felt sorry for themselves. But not Mike. We were amazed at his positive outlook and desire to make the most out of the hand he was dealt.
Thanks to modern technology, Mike was able to move around in a wheelchair that he could control, play video games, build show cars that won trophies with the help of kids from the neighborhood, and even become a father. On May 25, 2004, Mike and his wife Victoria welcomed their “miracle baby,” Brenna, into the world. She graduated from Sachem High School last year, and is currently attending R.I.T.
On August 31, 2004, more than 18 years after his accident, Michael died peacefully while surrounded by his family. He may be gone, but he is not forgotten. His positivity, despite his condition, left an indelible legacy that will live on through us all.
Michael Davis was born on September 2, 1969, to parents Dale and Jim Sr. He was the youngest of four children. He had two sisters, Dawn, and Maria and a brother Jim Jr.
Mike quickly learned how to stand out in a crowd. Even as a small child, it was plain to see that all the girls loved him, he could have you cracking up laughing at any moment, and he was extremely competitive and athletic.
As a youth, Michael played baseball in the local CYA organization, primarily as a pitcher and 1st basemen. He threw lefty but batted right. His pitching was dominant enough for him to be recruited to the travel team as well. When he wasn’t playing baseball, Mike participated in numerous BMX tournaments, taking home more trophies than his shelves could handle. He also loved to play handball. Some of the best players from neighboring towns would go to the courts at Lake Ronkonkoma to compete. Mike always won more than he lost; even beating former welterweight boxing champion Buddy McGirt. Mike was also a fan favorite in basketball while attending Peconic Jr. High School. One of the drawbacks, however, of being so competitive was the fact that Mike almost always had stiches and/or a body part in a cast. That was just par for the course when he began performing stunts. Such as insisting he could ride his bicycle off a school roof. And then successfully pulling it off! Albeit it took him about a week before he could walk upright again. He often told his friends that he wanted to be a stuntman like Colt Seavers, from the popular television program, “The Fall Guy.”
Michael graduated from Connetquot High School in 1988. Despite having a “larger than life” personality, Mike never let his popularity go to his head. If you were lucky enough to know him, you would immediately see that he was a trusted, loyal friend you could count on and he was never boring. It was almost as if he felt it was his duty to ensure that there was a smile on everyone’s faces at all times. On many occasions, people would hang out solely because Mike was going.
Over the next few years, Mike and his friends were mainstays at many of Long Island’s famous jaunts. Whether it was the Salty Dog, Boardy Barn, Savoy, Neptunes, Exchange, Metro 700, Summers, or CPI, Michael lived for the nightlife. The bigger the crowd, the more he shined.
On July 21, 1993, Michael was riding his motorcycle around a blind turn and crashed as he attempted to avoid a car coming out of a school parking lot. His life was snatched away in an instant right next to the fields where he grew up throwing a baseball. He was taken away from us way too soon. He was only on this earth for 23 years, but the impact he had on everyone who knew him will keep him alive in all our memories until we are reunited with him, once again.
Shortly after his funeral, we played the very first memorial softball game in his honor. 30 years later, we still gather one day each summer to remember those we have lost but will never forget.