Fordham's Frank McLaughlin to be Inducted into Westchester Sports Hall of Fame

Frank McLaughlin, a longtime Briarcliff Manor resident and for 27 years the Athletic Director at Fordham University, and Emmy Award-winning NBC Sports commentator Jimmy Roberts, a graduate of White Plains High School, will be among five inductees into the Westchester Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday night, October 19th at the Westchester County Center in White Plains.

Rick O’Keeffe, who hurled five no-hitters and a perfect game for Yorktown High School, while compiling a 27-7 record , 0.40 ERA, and .438 batting average; Paul Natale, who coached baseball and football at Hendrick Hudson High School during a 35 year-career and more than 500 wins in baseball; and Rich Leaf, a Scarsdale High School graduate, known as “The Voice of the County Center,” where he has been the announcer for the Section 1 boys and girls basketball tournaments for 36 years, complete the impressive quintet being enshrined in the “Class of 2017.”

It is the 50th Anniversary of the Hall of Fame

“I congratulate the inductees for the hard work and dedication that has earned them a place in the Hall of Fame,” Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino said. “This year we are celebrating the Hall of Fame’s 50th anniversary of recognizing the talent in Westchester that has had such an important impact in advancing sports.”
McLaughlin, now Fordham’s associate vice president of student affairs for athletic alumni relations and external affairs/athletic director emeritus, was the longtime athletic director at Fordham University, his alma mater. McLaughlin was also a star basketball player for the Rams. He was also head coach at Harvard, and was an assistant coach under Digger Phelps at Fordham and Notre Dame.

Roberts is best known for his work as a sportscaster with NBC and ABC. He has covered the World Series, the Super Bowl, the NBA finals, the Olympics, and the Masters Golf Tournament, and has won 13 Emmy awards during a career which began in 1975.
The Hall of Fame honors outstanding professional and amateur sportsmen and sportswomen, living or deceased, who have gained prominence in their fields and who have made substantial contributions to sports in Westchester County. Since its establishment, the organization has inducted more than 200 individuals. This year’s inductees were selected from a pool of more than 80 applicants.
The event will begin with a reception at 5:30 p.m. The ceremony begins at 7 p.m. Price is $85 per person and reservations are required.