Greenport legends to be inducted into Hall of Fame

Three former coaches — Dorrie Jackson, Dude Manwaring and Al Edwards — are among the five people who will be inducted as the inaugural class in the Greenport High School Hall of Fame. Bill Fuccillo and Ryan Creighton will join them.

Jackson built up a 148-43-7 record as Greenport’s football coach from 1951-78, including a Rutgers Trophy-winning team in 1958. He was the New York State Coach of the Year in 1974 and 1978 as well as the Suffolk County Coach of the Year in 1956 and 1959. Jackson has already been inducted into the Suffolk County, Ithaca College and Westerly, R.I., halls of fame. Greenport’s football field is named after him.

Manwaring (Greenport Class of 1944) played semipro football for the Greenport Rams and coached Greenport boys basketball (1966-78) and baseball (1957-65) teams to multiple championships. He also coached the football Porters from 1979-83. Greenport’s gym is named in his honor.

Edwards was an All-American high school basketball player for Greenport who went on to play for East Carolina University. He was Suffolk’s leading scorer his senior season in 1972 with 2,117 points. Edwards went on to coach the Porters from 1979-2013. In that time, his teams won 383 games, 12 league championships, 10 county titles and three trips to the state final four, reaching a state Class D final in 2009. He is a member of the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame.

Fuccillo (Greenport Class of 1974) was an All-American football player and a league champion/state qualifier in golf. The Syracuse graduate also played basketball for the Porters.

Creighton (Greenport Class of 2009) was a five-time All-State basketball player and Long Island’s all-time leading scorer with 2,799 points (that ranked him third in the state). He played football for the Porters for three seasons.

The selections will be recognized and inducted Jan. 23 between the varsity and junior varsity boys basketball games against Southold at about 5:30 p.m.

“The Greenport Hall of Fame is an important step to honor the dedication and commitment for our student athletes over the years,” Greenport Superintendent David Gamberg said in a statement. “The accomplishments of the inaugural inductees reflects the best of our storied history in Greenport Athletics.

Photo caption: Ryan Creighton was presented a framed No. 34 Greenport jersey by varsity coach Al Edwards (left) and former Superintendent Michael Comanda in 2013. (Credit: Garret Meade/file)