- John “Digger” Noonan
- Adam Erno
- Rick McBride
- Laura Morcone
- Chuck DeVito
- Sal “Hooker” Forino
- Rich “Sweets” Sparano
- Tom Salvadore
- 1976 Bowling Team
- Jim Canonica
Richard Sparano
Richard Sparano to be Inducted into MHS Hall of Fame Richard “Sweets” Sparano will be inducted into the Mechanicville High School Athletic Hall of Fame in a ceremony to be held at the Mechanicville/Stillwater BPOE Lodge on October 22 based on his achievements as an outstanding three-sport athlete. A 1964 graduate of Mechanicville High School, Richard set a record for shot put and discus as a member of the school’s track and field team. Both those records stood for several decades. As a football player, Richard was a starting tackle in his sophomore, junior and senior years, playing both offense and defense. He was also a member of the Red Raider basketball team, the leading scorer in his junior and senior years, averaging nearly 20 points per game. He was also an outstanding rebounder. Rich would follow his school athletic career by giving back to his community as a coach of both youth football and youth basketball teams for many years. He was also an active member of the local sports booster clubs. Rich married his high school sweetheart, Johnel Roy, and today they have three children and five grandchildren.
John “Digger” Noonan
John “Digger” Noonan, an esteemed teacher and coach in the Mechanicville Public Schools for five decades, will be inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in a ceremony to be held on October 22 at the Mechanicville/Stillwater Elks Lodge. A true hometown boy, John grew up on Park Avenue in Mechanicville and graduated from MHS in 1966, where he had played varsity basketball for two seasons. He then went on to St. Bonaventure University and graduated in 1971. He returned to his hometown to become an elementary school physical education teacher, a career that with one brief interruption due to district-wide teacher position cuts, would span 32.5 years. Along with teaching, John became a coach. He mentored the school’s varsity boys and girls Cross-Country teams from 1971-1980, earning two league championships on the boys’ side. From 1986 -1991, he coached boys’ modified football. In 1992, he began coaching the varsity boys’ golf team for fifteen seasons, earning a 2006 Section 2 title, and his teams were three times Section 2 runners-up and took second place in the colonial Council three times. The school had no swim team at the time, but from 1971-73, John took on the school’s club swimming, a venture which saw three of his swimmers qualify for sectional berths. From 1973-78, he coached boys’ freshman basketball before moving up to the junior varsity team in 1978-79. He took on the varsity team in 1979-80, finishing that season as the Section 2 runner-up. With district-wide teacher staffing cuts from 1980 to 1983, John was no longer teaching or coaching in Mechanicville during that time, but he got a position as varsity boys’ assistant basketball coach at South Glens Falls where he remained until 1985. He took that team to the Section 2 finals once, finishing second. Back in his hometown school when his teaching position was restored, John returned to coaching here in 1986. He began a seven year stint as coach of the boys’ freshman basketball team, and in 1996 he became the coach of the varsity girls’ team, coaching them for three seasons. Then in 2003, he began coaching the school’s bowling team for four seasons, and took a Section 2 championship title in 2006. He retired later that year. John and his wife Martha, parents of a son John, currently live in Saratoga Springs. With a teaching and coaching career that spanned five decades, John “Digger” Noonan most certainly had a positive impact on hundreds of student-athletes, and also had a positive impact on this community that he called home.
Sal “Hooker” Forino
Sal “Hooker” Forino to MHS Hall of Fame Sal “Hooker” Fiorino, a 1971 graduate of Mechanicville High School, will be inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame on October 22 at the Mechanicville/Stillwater Elks Lodge. Sadly, Sal passed away in 2003, but his legacy as an athlete/coach/sports supporter lives on. Sal’s passion for sports began at an early age as he was an All-Star Little Leaguer. Progressing to high school, he played basketball, and as a guard under Coach John Legasse, he earned a spot on the Colonial Council All-Star team after being praised by the press for his 100 percent effort in every game. He was noted as a “top thief” for his ability to steal the ball from the opposing team. But as a high school athlete, Sal’s greatest achievements came in track and cross country where he was coached by Hall of Fame Coach Dick Stipano. He won hundreds of races and still holds the MHS record in the mile and two mile runs. In his junior year, he placed first in every meet but one in which he finished third. In 1970, Sal won seven of eight Colonial Council races while breaking four course records. In that year’s fall season, he would compete at the Cobleskill Class B Invitational and place third, which qualified him for the NYSPHSAA meet in Albany. In 1971, his senior year, he broke the two-mile record with a time of 10:08, earning him the nickname “two-miler king”. He ran the mile in 4:08, another MHS record. He also broke the Colonial Council’s cross-country record, doing a 2.5 run in 12:54, and in that year he won the iconic Grout Run. Sal went on to Cobleskill Ag and Tech College where he was a star athlete, standing out in basketball, baseball and cross country. Sal and his wife Judy and their three children settled in Stillwater, but his commitment and devotion to sports were not over. He coached Little League, including All-Star teams. He also coached modified and junior varsity football and junior varsity baseball at LaSalle Institute before moving up to coach varsity baseball for ten years. He founded the Brother James Tournament at that school. Five months after his passing, Hooker was inducted into the LaSalle Hall of Fame. In the summer of 2002, he was the official scorer for the Tri-City Valleycats. Sal would go on to coach varsity girls’ basketball at Stillwater High School as well as varsity girls and freshman boys at Mechanicville. He was the scorekeeper at high school sectional tournaments at both Hudson Valley Community College and Glens Falls Civic Center. Sal was well-known for his sense of humor and ability to talk sports.
Chuck DeVito
Chuck DeVito, who is currently a member of ATI Physical Therapy Sports Medicine Team providing athletic training services for National Grid, and who acts as an athletic trainer for Bryant and Stratton College in Albany, will be inducted into the Mechanicville High School Athletic Hall of Fame in a ceremony to be held on October 22 at the Mechanicville/Stillwater Elks Lodge. Chuck had an outstanding athletic career in his hometown, beginning as the winner of a 4 th grade PE cross country race and then going on to a Little League championship in 1981. But that was just the beginning, a hint of just what was to come. As an 8 th grader in 1983, he played junior varsity football and baseball, and was also on the school wrestling team, compiling a 2-3 record, and taking 6 th place in the sectionals while his team notched a second place finish. As a freshman, he was a running back, linebacker and special teams player on a football team that beat Whitehall 30-6 in the Super Bowl and took the Section 2 Class C championship with an 8-6 win over Draper. In that season, Chuck had the most assisted tackles in a game with 8; most fumble recoveries with 3; third most unassisted tackles with 17; 38 assisted tackles; was second in interceptions with 5; was the top punt blocker with 2; and averaged 5.8 yards per carry on offense and scored two touchdowns. He was also the starting catcher on the varsity baseball team as a freshman, sophomore, junior and senior, with a Colonial Council championship in 1988. As a sophomore, he was chosen as a team captain of the football team, a position he would hold for three years. He earned an Athlete of the Week honor for a game against Granville with the Red Raiders winning 26-16. For his prowess on the gridiron, he was named a Northern Adirondack League All-star; an All-Area Small Schools All-star; a Saratogian Tri-County All-star and a Greenwich Journal Press All-star. In his junior year, he was named Athlete of the Week when his team beat Cobleskill 20-0. He was a Northern Adirondack League All-star; Greenwich Journal Press All-star and Co-Player of the Year; Daily Gazette All-Area team; Times union All-star; Saratogian All-star; Times Record All-star and Player of the Year and was chosen as a NYSPHSAA All State player. He set the MHS and Section 2 single season rushing record with 1398 yards! And Chuck branched out when in his junior year he earned a varsity letter on the school’s bowling team. In his senior year of football, Chuck once again earned honors as a Northern Aidrondack League All-star; Greenwich Journal Press All-star and Player of the Year; Times Union All-star; Daily Gazette All-Area team; Saratogian Dream Team; Times Record All-Area team and was again named to the NYSPHSAA All-State team. And he again set a Section 2 record for rushing with a total of 3164 yards. Much more than an honored athlete, Chuck was also a four year member of the school’s band and choir and had numerous pieces of his artwork displayed in the school hallways. He graduated in the top twenty percent of his class in 1988. Chuck went on to Central Connecticut State University where he played running back and special teams on that school’s football team while earning a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education/athletic training in 1993. He earned a Master of Science degree in health education from Russell Sage College in 1999. Beginning his athletic training career in 1995, Chuck has worked for area professional baseball and soccer teams as well as for the Center for Sports Medicine, which is now known as OrthoNY. He began teaching phys ed and health in 1999 and has worked for numerous high schools. Now, while working for ATI, he continues to support Section 2 schools during sectional and regional championships. Chuck is the son of Chuck DeVito, Sr. and the late Linda Aalto. He has three brothers, Mike, Jeff and Paul. All of his family members are graduates of MHS. Chuck is married to Tanya Boylan DeVito. With this outstanding record of accomplishments in sports, Chuck will be inducted as an athlete into the Mechanicville High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
Laura Morcone
Laura Morcone to be Inducted into MHS Hall of Fame Laura Morcone is a 2002 graduate of Mechanicville High School whose achievements in soccer have earned her a place in the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. In high school, she played four years of varsity soccer, three years of varsity basketball and three years of varsity track and field, where she competed in the 4 X 400, 800 meter and shotput events. She was a two-year captain of the soccer team, which saw much success during her varsity years, competing in the Colonial Council. Her team took the sectional and regional championships in her senior year, but fell just short of a NYSPHSAA championship, losing in the state finals by a score of 2-1. After graduating from MHS, Laura played four years of soccer at SUNY Oneonta, winning every conference game in all four years of her career. Being at the top of the conference annually, SUNY Oneonta was given automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament, and in her freshman year, they made it to the Sweet 16. In her junior and senior years they made it to the Elite Eight. Her sophomore year was highlighted when her team took a National Championship, beating the University of Chicago 2-1 in sudden death overtime. . Laura was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team as the first team goalkeeper. Laura is a two-time National All-Region player, a four-time All-State player, a four-time All-Conference player and a first-team All-Conference goalkeeper. Laura still holds the SUNY Oneonta record for most saves, most wins with 78, most minutes played and goals against (.46) After graduating from college, Laura played semi-professional soccer for the Adirondack Lynx and served as assistant coach for the SUNY Oneonta women’s soccer team. Laura currently resides in Port Ewen, NY and works at SUNY New Paltz as the Director of Technology and CRM and is the assistant women’s soccer coach
Richard Mcbride
Football Standout Rick McBride to MHS Hall of Fame Rick McBride, a 1976 graduate of Mechanicville High School, will be inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame on October 22 in recognition of his stellar career as a football player. In addition to his success on the football field, Rick also played three years of basketball. Rick earned a starting position on the varsity football team as a sophomore, playing tight end, linebacker, and punter, averaging over 40 yards per punt. In his senior year, Rick made the switch to quarterback, when his coach the late Dick Stipano, also a member of the MHS Athletic Hall of Fame, rated Rick’s throwing arm “Equal with a senior in college”. Coach Stipano went on to say, “The only problem we may have is finding receivers that can hold on to his passes. He can really throw bullets.” In 3 years of Varsity Football, Rick led the team in tackles on defense and made the Colonial Council first team all-stars as a linebacker, punter and tight end. He was a Times Union All Area honoree as both a linebacker and punter. After graduating from high school, Rick went on to play football at Syracuse University and Florida State University.. Rick has had a long coaching career as well, teaching hundreds of young athletes over the years. Utilizing his talents in all sports, he coached CYO basketball, flag football, Pop Warner football, Little League baseball and Stillwater Battle youth football. He then went on to coach high school and college teams. From 2005 to 2014, he coached linebackers and special teams for Vince Barber, Stillwater’s varsity football coach. Rick’s career came full circle when he also coached linebackers and special teams at Hudson Valley Community College under Coach Stipano in 1986-1987. Rick and his wife Katie currently live in Naples, Florida and Saratoga Springs. Their son Rick and his wife Morgan also reside in Florida. Rick has had a long coaching career as well, teaching hundreds of young athletes over the years. Utilizing his talents in all sports, he coached CYO basketball, flag football, Pop Warner football, Little League baseball and Stillwater Battle youth football. He then went on to coach high school and college teams. From 2005 to 2014, he coached linebackers and special teams for Vince Barber, Stillwater’s varsity football coach. Rick’s career came full circle when he also coached linebackers and special teams at Hudson Valley Community College under Coach Stipano in 1986-1987. Rick and his wife Katie currently live in Naples, Florida and Saratoga Springs. Their son Rick and his wife Morgan also reside in Florida.
Adam Erno
Adam Erno to be Inducted Into MHS Hall of Fame Adam Erno, an accomplished student wrestler who is currently a coach with the Mechanicville/Stillwater Red Warriors scholastic wrestling program, will be inducted into the Mechanicville High School Athletic Hall of Fame in a ceremony to be held at the Mechanicville/Stillwater Elks Lodge on October 22. Adam graduated from MHS in 1982 after notching a stellar scholastic career on the mats at Mechanicville, wrestling in the 91-98 pound weight classes throughout high school. His overall record over three years of varsity competition stood at 70 wins, 8 losses and one tie. He began competitive high school wrestling in his sophomore season with ten matches where he went 10 and 0 and won the Colonial Council tournament. He went on to wrestle two complete varsity seasons as a junior and senior. In his junior year, wrestling at 91 pounds, he was the Colonial Council runner-up in his weight class, took the Class C Section 2 championship and went on to take fifth place in the NYSPHSAA tournament. Adam in his senior year was the Colonial Council champion and the Section 2 Class C champion at 98 pounds, becoming the first MHS wrestler to ever take two Section 2 titles. He then went on with the Section 2 team to take the NYSPHSAA title, the first time a Section 2 team achieved that honor. After graduating from high school, Adam attended SUNY Delhi where he was a member of the champion 1983-84 Regional Team. One of his crowning achievements as a wrestler was being a member of the Adirondack Region Freestyle Wrestling Team, competing in the Empire State Games in 1980, 1981, 1991 and 1997. In 1999, Adam became an assistant wrestling coach at Mechanicville, and continues today with the combined Mechanicville/Stillwater Red Warriors program, along with MHS Hall of Famer Fred DeCelle and O. C. West of Stillwater. These men have coached five Section 2 champions. Adam’s abilities as a coach were honored in 2019 when he was named Section 2 Class CC Coach of the Year.
1976 Bowling Team
1975-76 MHS Bowling Team to Hall of Fame Mechanicville High School’s 1976 Bowling team will be inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame at a ceremony to be held at the Mechanicville/Stillwater Elks Lodge on October 22. The team was coached by Hall of Famer Mike Martone. “They’re knocking the labels off the pins,” is what then 50-year-old kegler veteran John DePaul, who started many of these young kids off in the junior program at the Bowlero Lanes a number years before, had to say about these talented bowlers. When they reached high school, they became the dominant team in the Capital District for three consecutive years. The team had achieved Colonial Council championships and Section 2 titles in 1973-74 and 1974-75. Then in the 1975-76 season, they were Colonial Council champions with a record of 54 wins against only four losses; they were Colonial Council Match Champions; Section 2 Class C champions and Section 2 champions and went on to the NYSPHSAA tournament where they finished second in the state. During that year, C. J. DeCrescente, Anthony DeVito and Sal Costanzo were named to the first team Colonial Council all-stars. Sal Costanzo was named Bowler of the Year. Coach Mike Martone was named Colonial Council Coach of the Year. Other members of the 1976 team include, Darlene Fossett, Rick Funaro, Mike Gaetano, Lauren Hagadorn, Joe Helnarski, Tim Higgins, Robert Laurenzo, Joe LeBarron, Scott Leonard and Mary Jo Mone.
Tom Salvadore
Tom Salvadore, Community Contributor, to MHS Hall of Fame Esteemed local businessman Tom Salvadore will be inducted into Mechanicville High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame as a Community Contributor in recognition of his longstanding and ongoing support of the sports programs here in Mechanicville at a ceremony to be held at the Elks Lodge on October 22. A lifelong resident of Mechanicville, graduate of Mechanicville High School’s Class of 1964, Tom was a Red Raider athlete from his sophomore year on. He received varsity letters in football, baseball and bowling, and was coached by Mike Martone, Chuck Brady and the late coaches Ted Weigle, Sam Izzo and Karl Hickey. Back in those years, Red Raiders played in the former Western B League, against all schools bigger than MHS, and thereby had some lean years in many sports, but was a Class B finalist in baseball in 1963 and 1964. A veteran of the US Navy’s Seabees, Tom served two tours of duty in the Republic of Viet Nam during 1967-69, earning a Presidential Unit Citation among other medals. Upon returning to his hometown, Tom worked for several years with the Delaware and Hudson Railroad before accepting a position with the Mechanicville Police Department. In 1976, after the October 30 barricade shooting at Joyce’s Log Cabin which resulted in the death of Patrolman Paul Luther and local resident Jim Marsh, Tom became associated with Dwight Dunn, owner of Dunn Funeral Homes, who encouraged Tom to go to college and aim to become a licensed funeral director. With the help of the G. I. Bill, Tom worked the police department’s midnight shift while also attending Hudson Valley Community College where he earned a Mortuary Science degree. He apprenticed at Dunn Funeral Homes and became a New York State Licensed Funeral Director in 1981. In 1982, Tom and his family bought the former DeVito Funeral Home on South Main Street and he began a career- long endeavor of service to his community while still working the night shift at Mechanicville Police Department until he retired as department sergeant in 1992. In 1994, he was elected Saratoga County Coroner and served twenty years in that position. Throughout those years Tom was involved with Mechanicville-Stillwater Little League, Pop Warner Football and was a longtime officer and former president of the MHS Football Booster Club. All small communities such as ours depend on the local businesses to help raise funds for many extra-curricular activities, and the Salvadore family was always on board with other family businesses to support our athletes, students and community non-profits. Our city and school district have been fortunate to be able to depend on these local businesses. Tom and his wife, Donna, also a 1964 graduate of MHS, have been married for 55 years. They raised three sons who are all entrepreneurs in their own right. They have eight grandchildren whom they dote on, and friends throughout the community. Their son Matthew bought the DeVito-Salvadore Funeral Home in 2020, and Tom is now what he calls “semi-retired”, although one never truly leaves a family business. Tom notes that as a true lifetime Red Raider, he appreciates the Hall of Fame honor which will be bestowed upon him this year, and he thanks all those people that he “coerced into buying raffle and 50-50 tickets for years”! Says Tom, “My family and I truly give thanks for this honor and recognition.”
Jim Canonica
A True Legend, Jim Canonica to MHS Hall of Fame This year’s inductee as a Legend in the Mechanicville High School Athletic Hall of Fame is Jim Canonica, a 1960 graduate of MHS who has had a truly legendary career as an athlete, teacher and coach. In high school, Jim earned ten varsity letters, with four for baseball, three for basketball and three for football. He was also the drummer in the high school band for four years. In baseball, Jim played for Prof Karl Hickey in his freshman year, and then for Coach Sam Izzo for three years. As a junior, his team was the 1959 Section 2 Class B champions, defeating Saratoga, Cohoes and Guilderland. His team was also the champion of the Western B Conference. In 1959, his batting average was .593, which included key hits in the Class B semi-final game against Cohoes. In the championship game, his team defeated Guilderland, where Jim’s two hits backed up teammate Joe Izzo’s no-hitter. In basketball, Jim played for Coach Mike Martone as a small forward for three varsity seasons. The 1960 Red Raiders were the Section 2 Class B champion, defeating Hudson for the title. Unfortunately, Jim missed that championship game because he had suffered a concussion in a prior game. Coach Sam Izzo was his mentor for three years of football where Jim played split end and slot back on offense and safety on defense. During those years, the team played in the very talented Western B Conference. After graduating from MHS, Jim attended the University of Southern Mississippi on a baseball scholarship, competing for two years until a knee injury hampered his playing time. He graduated in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education and Health. He then went on to achieve a Master of Science degree from SUNY Albany in 1971. Jim’s first teaching job was at Belleville High School near Watertown from 1964 until 1966 where he was a physical education teacher and coached eight-man football, one year of varsity baseball and one year of varsity track. In 1966 Jim began his teaching and coaching career in the Schodack Central School District at Maple Hill High School teaching physical education and driver education. He became the Athletic Director at Maple Hill, serving from 1991 to 1997. He retired from teaching in 1997, but returned to his position of Athletic Director from 1999 to 2004. During his career at Maple Hill, Jim was the varsity baseball coach with a record of 243 wins and 144 losses. In 1997, he became the assistant varsity baseball coach under head coach Rico Freese, a position he held from 1997 until 2021, compiling a record of 271 wins and 158 losses. Jim had a fifty- five year baseball coaching career at Maple Hill! In that time, as head coach, Maple Hill captured the Central Hudson Valley League championship in 1970 and 1977, and in 1975 took the Section 2 Class C championship. During his tenure as assistant coach, Maple Hill won the Patroon Conference title in 2000 and the Section 2 Class C championships in 2000, 2009 and 2018. To top it off, Maple Hill was a regional champion in 2009 and took the NYSPHAA title in Class C in 2009. To honor Jim’s amazing career, in 2007 Maple Hill started the Canonica Classic Wood Bat Baseball Tournament, which is now going into its fifteenth year, and in 2011 they named their baseball field Canonica Field. In 2016, Maple Hill retired Jim’s baseball uniform, Number 18. They also hold a summer baseball camp each year for students from grades 4 through 7 called Camp Canonica. In 2019, the American Baseball Coaches Association and Baseball America named Jim the Division 3 National Assistant Coach of the Year at the ABCA National Convention held in Nashville, Tennessee. Jim is also a member of the ABCA and a member of the Schenectady Ole Timers Baseball Club. The club has members from all over the Capital District. Jim resides in Colonie with his wife Linda, to whom he has been married for 27 years. Jim’s first wife, Thelma, passed away in 1993. He has four children . . . Kimberly, Christopher, Laura and Todd, and also has several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Jim Canonica has had a truly legendary career, impacting many young athletes, and his legacy goes on.