Paul Fardy
Paul Fardy graduated in 1959 from Oceanside High School and lettered in soccer, wrestling and baseball. Fardy was a starter on the 1958 Nassau County Championship Soccer Team, and was co-captain of the county championship team the following year. He made All-County in baseball after his senior year.
Fardy experienced much success during his career, both as a player and coach. As a player, he participated in five intercollegiate sports at Cortland State University, and was a starter in soccer and indoor track. As the captain he led the soccer and track teams to NCAA Division I All-American honors for his soccer team. Fardy was invited to the United States Soccer Olympic trials. As a track and field athlete he held school records in 220, 440, 660 sprints, the mile, and sprint medley teams. In the 1962 New York State championship meet he finished first in the mile relay and second in the 440 and the javelin. The next year he was named the Cortland State Athlete of the year, and Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Athlete Scholar of the Year.
Fardy was an assistant coach at the University of Illinois from 1963 to 1966. He coached at California State University at Fullerton from 1967-1973. His teams qualified for the NCAA playoff in 1969, 70, 71 and 72, and he was named Southern California Intercollegiate Soccer Coach of the Year in 1971. Paul coached the Southwestern United States All-Star Team in the United States Olympic Trials.
Kathy Gallagher
A graduate of the class of 1988, Kathy Gallagher, now Kathy Cerasi, received the Scholastic Achievement Award for graduating third in her class. In addition, she received the Spanish Award, the Howard Groveman School and Community Service Award, and the Ruth Lewis Trophy for the best female athlete. Gallagher was also the first student in Oceanside to receive the Pride of Oceanside award two times - once for soccer and once for basketball.
Gallagher's sophomore year was the beginning of her varsity career. She ran spring track competing in the 400 meters, the 4x400 meter relay, and the high jump. As a soccer player she was named team captain, most valuable player, All-County and a member of the Exceptional Seniors Team. Her senior year she led her team to the second round of the Nassau County Playoffs. By the time she graduated, Gallagher led with numerous Sailor records including most career goals and most assists in a season.
On the basketball court, Kathy was the team captain for two years, All-League, Exceptional Senior Team member, and was named the Most Valuable Player for three consecutive seasons. She led the Sailors to the Final Four in her senior year, averaging 16 points and 16 rebounds per game. In 1988, Kathy was picked as the best female basketball player in OHS history.
Kathy started her teaching career in Oceanside School 2, and currently teaches Spanish at South Side High School. While there, she was the assistant varsity soccer coach and her team won the New York State Championship. Kathy is married with two sons and a daughter.
Ken Hendler
Coach Ken Hendler graduate from Lafayette High School in Brooklyn in 1958. At Lafayette, Ken was the 220-yard track champion. In New York City championships that year, Hendler placed second in winter and spring track. Hendler was awarded a track scholarship to New York University. At the Penn Relays he was the Spring Medley Champion. In 1964, his 20.9 second run in the 200 meter qualified him for the Olympic trials. Hendler represented the US in Puerto Rico, coming in first place in the 400 meter and second place in the 100 meter. In 1965, Hendler represented the US at the Maccabian Games, again taking the gold in the 400 meter.
In 1963, Hendler arrived at Oceanside High School to coach track and cross country. During his tenure as track coach his record was an impressive 349-34. He has coached four All-Americans, nine New York State Champions, seven Nassau County team champions, 22 Division Champions, and 9 Conference Championships. As the cross country coach, Hendler compiled a 215-22 record. He has won the county title twice and 14 division championships. In winter track, Hendler won 8 county titles and 17 conference championships.
Roy Kessenich
Roy Kessenich coached four different sports over 64 seasons during his career in Oceanside which ended upon his untimely death in December of 1985 at age 53. Kessenich began his coaching career as the JV wrestling coach under Jack Hay in 1959. He remained in that position for twenty years, helping Oceanside become one of the more respected wrestling programs in Nassau County. In 1961, he was responsible for introducing Oceanside to lacrosse. Though the fledgling program consistently struggled, "Kess" was an innovator and found ways to make the kids stronger and tougher, finally passing it on to Frank Dapolito in 1967. Kessenich had established a program that would attract many kids to play, eventually leading the community to become one of the county's powerhouses in the sport. Staring in the spring of 1969, Kessenich became the JV baseball coach and over 15 years helped Oceanside become one of the most powerful programs in the county. For 14 of their 15 seasons, Oceanside had winning records, including a 21-2 showing in 1978, a year before his first heart attack. However, as his players would tell you, it was not about winning but about focus, discipline and fun.
In 1964, Kessenich took control of the football program and guided the team for 22 seasons. His organizational skills and focus on toughness and discipline made Oceanside one of the most respected programs in the county. In 1977, his career hit a milestone for Oceanside when the Sailors beat New Hyde Park, 3-0, to capture the county championships. Together with Andy Screbo and Bob Moltisanit, the Sailors consider its football program the best in Nassau.
Nicholos Polanco
Nicholas Polanco graduated Oceanside High School in 1997 as one of the most accomplished and decorated Athletes in the school's illustrious history. Polanco received national recognition in lacrosse helping to lead Oceanside to its first county championship in 1996 and along the way was named an Honorable Mention All-American in his junior year and First Team All-American in his senior year of lacrosse. In football, Nick was named to Newsday's All Long Island Team and was also honored as an All-Conference basketball section.
At Nassau Community College, Polanco not only led his college to National Championships in 1998 and 1999, but in both years he was named to the First Team Junior College All American Team. In both of these championship years at Nassau, Polanco was selected as the Junior College Player of the Year. At Hofstra, Polanco continued his dominance on the defensive end of the field, being named Honorable Mention All-American in 2000 and First Team All-American in his 2001. He represented his country in the World Games as a member of the United States National Team in 2002, and will do so again 2006.
Polanco was the first player drafted by Philadelphia Barrage of the Major Lacrosse League in 2001, and in 2004 he helped lead the Barrage to their first Major League Lacrosse Championship. In this campaign, Polanco was named as the outstanding defenseman in professional lacrosse. He currently plays for the MLL's Long Island Lizards.
Lisa Shafran
Lisa Shafran, who graduated from Oceanside High School in 1991, made the varsity tennis team as a seventh grader, giving her a very impressive six varsity seasons. Lisa went undefeated as the top singles player for five seasons. She led the team as captain from her freshman to senior years.
In her sophomore year (1988-89), Shafran was the county singles champion. As a senior, she was the New York High School Tennis Champion and was awarded the prestigious honor of being a National High School Tennis All American (1990-91). She was also given the Nathan and Muriel Glanz Tennis and Scholarship award. Shafran also participated on the OHS softball and basketball teams.
She continued her athletic achievements at George Washington University, where she was awarded a full athletic scholarship. Once again Shafran was the number one singles and doubles player for four years, captain of GW Women's tennis team for four years and was the most valuable player for those years. In the 1991-92 season, she was awarded the Atlantic 10 Freshman of the Year. Her team won back-to-back first place Atlantic 10 team championships in 1991-92 and 1992-93. Her team twice took second place in the Atlantic 10.
Richard Speckmann
Richard Speckmann graduated from Oceanside High School in 1963, lettering in football, basketball and lacrosse. Speckmann's leadership qualities were forged at Oceanside High School where he was elected captain of all three sports in his senior year. His fondest high school recollection is a 1963 football win over Baldwin. This game pitted two of Long Island's legendary coaches, Joe Scanella and Steve Delligatti, in a battle of epic proportions. After coach Angelo Plaia's legendary "eagle and the clam" speech, Speckmann went on to quarterback Oceanside to a 27-0 upset of undefeated Baldwin. This game will live forever in Oceanside sports history.
Speckmann went on to letter in football and lacrosse at Cortland State in an era that produced many of the nation's legendary lacrosse coaches. Cortland State, based on the legacy of the graduates from Speckmann's era, became known as the "Cradle of American Lacrosse Coaches." The accomplishments of these men went on to change the face of college lacrosse.
No one has impacted and changed the game of lacrosse more than Speckmann, who has set standards of excellence in the coaching. Speckmann, the winningest coach in the history of college lacrosse, went on to win more than 400 games and a record 19 National Championships at Nassau Community College. He has been five times selected as National Junior College Coach of the Year and has been selected to the Cortland and LI Metro Hall of Fame. In addition to his excellence on the lacrosse field, Speckmann has helped lead Nassau Community College to national prominence in football as the offensive coordinator for more than 30 years. Richard Speckmann's greatest accomplishment is not the unparalleled record of wins and losses that he has amassed, rather it is the number of lives his coaching and teaching has touched and changed forever.
