JUNE 13, 2023
The Greater Amsterdam School District has announced its Hall of Fame Class of 2023. The induction ceremony and dinner will take place on Friday, September 15 at the Perthshire on Route 30 in north Amsterdam. There will be a reception hour at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m., followed by the induction ceremony.
The cost for the event is $50 per person, and $40 for current Hall of Fame members and members of this year’s Legacy Teams. For more information email halloffame@gasd.org or call or text Rich Allen at (518) 878-6374
Class of 2023 Academic Wing inductees
Phillip Bozek – Class of 1960
Phillip Bozek spent 20 years in the United States Air Force as a Radio Tech in charge of communications. He was assigned to the “Flying Tigers” during the Cuban Missile Crisis and spent 22 years working for NASA’s Space Shuttle program as communications supervisor. He was the recipient of the Silver Snoopy Award – the highest honor given by NASA to civilian personnel.
Dr. Nellie Bush – Class of 1960
Dr. Nellie Bush has truly devoted her life to the Greater Amsterdam School District, spanning 42 years. She worked as an elementary school teacher, Principal of Tecler Elementary School and preschool diagnostic center, Director of Pupil Services, Director of Special Education, and Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction. Today she is President of the GASD Board of Education. Dr. Bush continues to be an unwavering advocate for the children of Amsterdam.
Paul Cisek – Class of 1979
Paul Cisek was a tremendous three-sport athlete in high school, excelling in football, basketball, and baseball. However, it was his ability as a college basketball coach where he truly excelled. Everywhere he coached he made the basketball team a winner. At Paul Smith’s College he took a constant losing team and finished his career there with a 62-24 record. Cisek moved on to Brookdale Community College in New Jersey and guided them to three national junior college championships. He accumulated 600 wins in his career and was named Regional Coach of the Year six times. In 2013 he was named National Coach of the Year.
Class of 2023 Athletic Wing inductees
Jaime Julia – Class of 2003
Jaime Julia is considered the best long-distance runner in Amsterdam High School history. He was a member of the cross-country team beginning in 7th grade. As an 8th grader he became the team’s No. 1 runner and remained No. 1 through 12th grade. During that time, he went undefeated in the Big Ten League competition. He qualified for the NYS Cross Country Championships four times, placing as high as 10th. Julia continued his running after high school for both SUNY Cobleskill Junior College and Adelphi University. He has competed in many major marathons placing high in each including finishing 69th out of some 30,000 runners in the Boston Marathon. Today, Julia is a teacher and coach in Glen Cove, New York.
Andrew Rouse – Class of 2014
Andrew Rouse excelled in baseball and basketball. As a baseball player, he spent three years as a varsity starter, leading the team in batting with a .436 average as a junior. In 2014 he was selected to the Amsterdam Recorder All Area First Team. Rouse went on to play at Marist College and was a three-year starter. He captained the Marist team in 2017 and 2018. He was the recipient of 2017 Coached Award which is given to the person who exemplifies all that is right in a Marist student-athlete on and off the field. He led the team in hitting during the MAAC championship and playing in the NCAA tournament. Today, Rouse is finishing his Optometry residency in Ocular Disease at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami.
Matt Vicinanzo – Class of 1988
Matt Vicinanzo excelled on the Amsterdam High School swim team. He was a two-time New York state champion and a member of the High School All American Team. He was a five-time Section 2 champion and a three-time record holder of the Section 2 100-yard breaststroke. By the time he graduated, Vicinanzo was the holder of seven individual school swimming records. In 1988, as a member of the USA High School All- American Team, he posted the 11th fastest time in the country for the 100-yard breaststroke. He went on to Harvard University and graduated with honors in 1992. Today, Vicinanzo is an Assistant Professor of oculoplastic, orbit, and facial reconstructive surgery at the University of Alabama Medical Center in Birmingham.
Kevin Billington – Class of 1987
Kevin Billington led the Amsterdam Football Rams to an undefeated and sectional winning season in 1986. That year he rushed for more than 1,000 yards and scored 19 touchdowns, leading his team and all other Section 2 players. His ability to run, catch, and throw made him a three-way threat and difficult to defend. As a senior, Billington earned All-Big Ten honors and All-Area acclaim from every local and regional newspaper. The Schenectady Gazette’s named his Offensive Player of the Year. According to Coach Frank Derrico, “Kevin Billington was one of the best running backs in Amsterdam history. His refusal to not go down in the 1986 Superbowl victory over Saratoga is something I will never forget.” Billington now teaches in the Cobleskill-Richmondville Central School District and is an assistant football coach at Union College.
Antonio Lanzi – Class of 2012
Antonio Lanzi is the most decorated swimmer in Amsterdam High School history. As a sophomore he won the boys 500-yard freestyle event at the Section 2 championships and captured second place in the 50-yard freestyle. During his senior year Lanzi won both the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard butterfly in Section 2. He was a state qualifier in all his swimming events that year. He was the NYSPHSAA champion in the 200-yard freestyle event earning him National All-American status that year. He still holds the school record for the 50-yard, 100-yard, and 500-yard freestyle, 100-yard Butterfly, and 200-yard individual medley. Lanzi went on to excel in swimming at the University at Buffalo.
Bob Cantine – Class of 1959
Bob Cantine was a four-sport athlete while attending William H. Lynch Senior High School. He played on the basketball, cross country, baseball and golf teams. He was the starting center on the two most successful basketball teams of the 1950’s. Cantine started at first base on the baseball team and was also a very successful pitcher. His baseball accomplishments earned him a position on Amsterdam’s semi-pro baseball team the Textiles. The Textiles went on to become National Baseball Congress of America National Champions. But Cantine is best known for his accomplishments as a golfer where he is a seven-time city champion and held the single round scoring record for 46 years. As Amsterdam High School’s golf coach, he earned seven league championships. Several of his players have gone on to become golf professionals throughout the country. Cantine spent 32 years as a teacher and guidance counselor in the GASD.
Legacy Teams
This year we will be adding two teams to the Hall of Fame.
1940-45 Baseball Teams
The 1940-45 baseball teams were coached by GASD Hall of Fame Coach Jack Tracy. The team had four undefeated seasons during this time and a 44-game winning streak. Playing for these Amsterdam teams was future Major League Baseball pitcher Roger Bowman as well as Coach Tracy Bowman and Costa Lazarou who are both GASD Hall of Fame inductees. Since there was no sectional or state tournament play during these years no one will ever know what these teams may have accomplished beyond regular season baseball play.
1991 Football Team
The 1991 football season was a display of perfection for the City of Amsterdam. The team completed the season with an unblemished 11-0 record and a Metroland Division II title. The 1991 team defeated a strong and outstanding Saratoga Springs squad in the Section II Class A Superbowl (35-20). This team would go on to defeat Roosevelt High School winning the Regional Championship (33-19). The 1991 team averaged 37 points per game on offense in the regular season and 34 points per game in post season play. This team currently has seven members inducted into the GASD Hall of Fame. They are Justice Smith, Brian Bonanno, Mike Angelotti, Billy Markes, Coach Frank Derrico, and assistant coaches Gary Cudmore and Bob Noto.