Bulletin News

08/29/2023 

Seven new members will be inducted into the SUNY Cortland C-Club Hall of Fame during its annual ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 2.

Info Page with registration link

The 2023 honorees are:
 
Joseph Bramante ’71, M ’74 - Football, Men’s Lacrosse, Men’s Basketball, Baseball

William “Bill” Plante ’76, M ’82 - Men’s Ice Hockey

Bobby “Bates” Bateson ’83 - Football

Derek Lalonde ’95 - Men’s Ice Hockey

Holli Mulholland Nirsberger ’00 - Women’s Soccer

Stephon “Stef” Sair ’07, M ’11 - Wrestling, Football

Dan Pitcher ’10, M ’11 - Football

In addition to Saturday night’s official ceremony, the inductees will be introduced at halftime of the Cortland football game versus Delaware Valley earlier that afternoon.
  
Established in 1969, the C-Club Hall of Fame recognizes Cortland alumni who competed as athletes at the College and who have since distinguished themselves in their professions and within their communities. Honorary members are recognized for their long and significant contributions to SUNY Cortland athletics. New C-Club members have been added annually and this year’s ceremony will bring the Hall of Fame roster to 289 alumni and 32 honorary members.
 
Nominations for the 2024 C-Club Hall of Fame voting will be accepted until January 15, 2024. The nomination form is available online at: http://www.cortlandreddragons.com/nominations. A person must be nominated to be considered for induction into the Hall of Fame.

HALL OF FAME PAGE
 
A detailed look at this fall’s inductees is below.
 
Joseph Bramante ’71, M ’74
 
Joseph Bramante was a standout football running back at Cortland and a long-time teacher, coach and administrator in the Maine-Endwell (N.Y.) School District.
 
• A native of Newark, N.Y., he earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Cortland in 1971, a master’s degree in physical education from Cortland in 1974 and a Certificate of Advanced Study in School Administration and Supervision from Cortland in 1980
 
• Competed in football at Cortland for four seasons (halfback on freshman team in 1967 and running back, all-purpose back, punt/kick returner and defensive punt team on varsity from 1968-70); also a lacrosse midfielder in 1969 and played freshman baseball and basketball
 
• Set a school record as a junior with 739 rushing yards and scored eight touchdowns, six rushing and two receiving, and was considered for All-East and All-America honors as well as being nominated for Little All-America honors
 
• Finished with a then school-record 1,212 career rushing yards, despite missing the first half of his senior season due to injury; served as team captain as a senior and received NFL Draft consideration from the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers
 
• Cortland Men’s Athletic Association treasurer in 1969 and president in 1970
 
• Teacher, coach and administrator for more than 35 years, including 30-plus years in the Maine-Endwell Central School District
 
• Maine-Endwell football head coach from 1974-79, girls’ track head coach from 1981-86 and director of physical education and athletics from 1997-2005, along with stints coaching modified boys’ basketball, girls’ tennis and boys’ and girls’ track
 
• His football teams at Maine-Endwell had winning records each season and were ranked as high as third in the state
 
• New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Section Four President in 2002-03 and Section Four Athletic Director of the Year in 2005
 
• Started Maine-Endwell’s girls’ lacrosse program while director of athletics in 1998
 
• Inducted into Maine-Endwell Hall of Fame in 2011 and Section Four Hall of Fame in 2021
 
• Assistant varsity football coach at Johnson City High School from 1980-85 and served as a teacher, boys’ lacrosse head coach and assistant football coach at Waterloo High School during the 1971-72 school year; he instituted and taught co-ed classes under Title IX while at Waterloo
 
• Customized the “Four C’s” — Competence, Character, Civility and Citizenship — as an assessment tool for athletics
 
• Integrated curriculum philosophy Athletics as an Extension of the Classroom, highlighting “Fair Play, Honesty, Consideration of Classmates” in K-12 physical education; Maine-Endwell received consecutive NYSPHSAA awards and was designated a model school for sportsmanship
 
• Community service includes work with St. Anthony of Padua Church in Endicott from 1976-2005, the town of Maine from 1976-81, a variety of youth sports work in Endicott from 1989-99, and at the IDEAL Living Center nursing home from 2005-17
 
William “Bill” Plante ’76, M ’82
 
Bill Plante was a member of Cortland’s inaugural varsity men’s hockey team and won a New York State-record five state championships as boys’ ice hockey head coach at Salmon River (N.Y.) Central School.
 
• A native of Utica and New Hartford, N.Y., he earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Cortland in 1976, a master’s degree in physical education from Cortland in 1982, and an associate degree from Herkimer County Community College in 1971
 
• Men’s hockey goalie at Cortland from 1974-76, including the Red Dragons’ first varsity season in 1975-76; recorded a 2.17 goals-against average in 1974-75
 
• Physical education teacher and multi-sport coach for more than 40 years in the Utica area and Moriah and Salmon River Central Schools, and served as mentor to new teachers, activities supervisor, and National Honor Society advisor
 
• New York State leader with five state hockey titles at Salmon River in 1980 (won first-ever state title game), 1981, 1989, 2001 and 2002, and runner-up finishes in 1983, 2004 and 2005; his teams won many Section Ten league and playoff titles and his 2001 team ranked fourth nationally (all high school levels)
 
• Five-time New York State Boys’ Hockey Coach of the Year; won numerous Section Ten Coach of the Year awards and was a National Coach of the Year finalist
 
• With Aboriginal hockey, Team Eastern Door and the North (Team Quebec) he scouted, recruited and coached Native American men, ages 16-21, to many gold, silver and bronze medals in the National Canadian Championships
 
• Led Salmon River girls’ volleyball to league, sectional and regional titles, the state “final four” in 2006, and a 2007 league championship
 
• Coached Salmon River baseball to sectional and league titles and the boys’ JV lacrosse to two consecutive undefeated seasons
 
• Led town of Holland Patent women’s softball team to a state title in 1977
 
• Founding member of Salmon River’s Athletics Hall of Fame (individual/teams) and the New York State High School Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame (individual/teams); also inducted into the Greater Utica Hall of Fame, the Herkimer County Community College Alumni Wall of Honor and the SUNYIT Wildcats Hall of Fame, and was cited by NYSPHSAA for inclusion in the Century Athletic Club
 
• Started hockey programs at Herkimer County and Clinton Community Colleges, served as Head American Scout for the Cornwall Royals Major Junior Hockey Team of the Ontario Hockey League in the 1980s, and was coach and general manager of junior teams The Massena Americans of the Central Canada Hockey League (late 1980s; now the Cornwall Colts) and the Northern New York Gamblers of the International Junior Hockey League (2010-12)
 
• Professional baseball scout for the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1970s and director of operations for the Blue Jays’ New York-Penn League team in Utica
 
Bobby “Bates” Bateson ’83
 
Bobby Bateson was an All-ECAC football linebacker at Cortland who went on to play professionally in the mid 1980s. He is the founder and long-time owner of Body Blocks Fitness in Buffalo.
 
• A native of Chicago, Ill., Columbus, Ohio and Eden, N.Y., he earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education with a concentration in athletic training from Cortland in 1983
 
• Football four-year starting linebacker at Cortland from 1979-82
 
• Finished with career totals of 384 tackles, which was a school record when he graduated and still ranks third at Cortland; he also registered five forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, 11 pass breakups and two interceptions
 
• His 140 tackles in 1982 are still a school single-season record; he finished with 109 tackles in 1981, 73 tackles in 1980 and 62 tackles in 1979
 
• During his senior season in 1982, he was elected as a team captain, earned All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) recognition, and was a nominee for Kodak All-America honors
 
• Registered a school single-game record 23 tackles versus Canisius and 18 tackles in Cortland’s Cortaca Jug win versus Ithaca during the 1982 season
 
• Linebacker with NFL’s Buffalo Bills in 1985 before being released due to a knee injury
 
• Played professionally in Italy from 1986-88 with the Belusco Seahawks of the Associazione Italiana Football Americano (AIFA); also a member of the Canadian Football League’s (CFL) Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1984) and Mid-East Football Conference’s New Jersey Rams (1984) and Brooklyn Mariners (1985)
• Owner of Body Blocks Fitness in Buffalo, which he founded in 1988
 
• Strength and conditioning coach and athletic trainer with the Buffalo franchise of the American Basketball Association from 2005-07 (known as the Rapids in 2005-06 and the Silverbacks in 2006-07), and strength and conditioning coach for the Nigerian national basketball team at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China as the team qualified for the 2020 Olympics
 
• Personal strength, conditioning and rehabilitation coach for professional and collegiate teams, including Major League Baseball, the NFL and the NHL
 
• Basketball associate head coach and head strength coach at The Park School of Buffalo from 2017-21; the Pioneers won the 2018 New York State Federation Class A title and won New York State Catholic High School Athletic Association and Monsignor Martin High School Athletic Association titles in both 2018 and 2019
 
• Author of The Essentials of Fitness and Sports Performance, which was implemented into a curriculum for the Buffalo City Schools and for the Human Performance Course at Medaille College
 
• Developed and implemented fitness program for Teens Living with Cancer, which worked with post-cancer treatments in conjunction with the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
 
Derek Lalonde ’95
 
Derek Lalonde was a men’s ice hockey goalie at Cortland in the early-mid 1990s and is currently the head coach of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings in the latest step of his nearly 30-year coaching career.
 
• The Brasher Falls, N.Y., native earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Cortland in 1995 and a master’s degree in education with a concentration in administration from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in 1998
 
• Men’s ice hockey goalie at Cortland from 1991-95, recording 988 saves in 41 games played
 
• Cortland’s starting goalie as a senior in 1994-95, finishing with 614 saves in 22 games and earning the team’s Red Letter Award
 
• His junior season included two victories over perennial SUNYAC power Oswego, and he also defeated Oswego on the road in his senior year
 
• Named the head coach of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings in 2022 and is believed to be the first Cortland graduate to serve as the head coach of a team among North America’s four “major” sports leagues (NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB)
 
• Served four seasons as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning from 2018-22, including Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021
 
• Spent two seasons as head coach of the Toledo Walleye, the Detroit Red Wings’ farm club in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), from 2014-16, and two years as head coach of the Iowa Wild, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, from 2016-18
 
• Head coach of the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) from 2011-14 and led the Gamblers to the league title in his first season
 
• Held Division I assistant positions at Ferris State University from 2002-06 and the University of Denver from 2007-11
 
• Assistant coach at Hamilton College from 2000-02 and Lebanon Valley College from 1998-2000, and a graduate assistant coach at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts from 1995-98; he worked at Lebanon Valley under his former Cortland head coach, Al MacCormack
 
• Involved with numerous charity events throughout his hockey coaching career, including: the Toledo Walleye Feed the Hungry event (serving Thanksgiving meals to people in need); Salvation Army Kettle drives in Green Bay and Toledo; a Ronald McDonald House fundraiser in Green Bay; the Wild About Reading program in Des Moines (promoting importance of literacy and stimulating reading interest among elementary and middle school students); and the Detroit Red Wings’ Street Hockey in the D at Home program, which gives Detroit youth an opportunity to learn basics of hockey along with fundamental life skills
 
Holli Mulholland Nirsberger ’00
 
Holli Mulholland Nirsberger was an all-region women’s soccer forward at Cortland in the late 1990s and has been the highly decorated head coach of the Shenendehowa High (N.Y.) girls’ soccer team since 2004.
 
• The Plattsburgh, N.Y., native earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education and sports medicine/athletic training from Cortland in 2000 and a master’s degree in kinesiology from the University of Northern Colorado in 2004
 
• Four-year women’s soccer starting forward at Cortland in 1995-96 and 1998-99, including two years as a team captain (1998 and 1999)
 
• Registered career totals of 26 goals and 10 assists for 62 points in 77 games, including team highs of nine goals during her senior year and six goals in her sophomore season
 
• Scored eight goals in 1998 to help lead the Red Dragons to the NCAA Division III playoffs (14-5-2 overall record)
 
• Currently ranks 15th at Cortland women’s soccer history in career goals and ranks 18th in points
 
• Earned third team all-region, first team All-SUNYAC and All-New York State Women’s Collegiate Athletic Association (NYSWCAA) honors and was Cortland’s women’s soccer Red Letter Award winner during her senior season in 1999
 
• Three-time All-SUNYAC selection (first team in 1998 and 1999 and second team in 1996) and named to the NYSWCAA all-tournament team in 1995
 
• SUNYAC Commissioner’s List and All-Academic Team honoree in both 1998 and 1999 and named to National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Academic Team in 1999
 
• Earned Cortland’s Dorothy Arnsdorff Award, presented annually to a senior woman in the physical education teacher certification program, and Cortland’s Excellence in Leadership and “Prof” Holloway awards in 2000
 
• Earned the John L. Sciera ‘52 Scholarship for athletic training from Cortland in 1998 and the Lorraine M. Khouri Scholarship for physical education from Cortland in 1999
 
• Inducted into the Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) Honor Society in Education in 1998
 
• Physical education teacher, athletic trainer and coach in the Shenendehowa School District since 2000
 
• Shenendehowa High School girls’ soccer head coach since 2004 and girls’ lacrosse head coach from 2000-14; also has served as an instructor of intramurals in soccer, gymnastics, spinning, and track and field
 
• Overall girls’ soccer coaching record at Shenendehowa (through end of 2022 season) of 267-63-16 (.795)
 
• 2004 New York State Class AA Girls’ Soccer Coach of the Year after leading Shenendehowa to a state title; also guided the Plainswomen to a state runner-up finish in 2021
 
• 2009 NSCAA state and regional Girls’ Soccer Coach of the Year and 2009 and 2017 Suburban Council league Coach of the Year
 
• Served four years as a coach and a coordinator with the Special Olympics program
 
Stephon “Stef” Sair ’07, M ’11
 
Stephon Sair was a national champion wrestler and All-America football safety and punt returner at Cortland in the mid-2000s and is currently the successful wrestling head coach at Manhasset (N.Y.) High School.
 
• A Huntington, N.Y., native, he earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Cortland in 2007 and a master’s degree in physical education from Cortland in 2011
 
• Competed four years on Cortland’s wrestling team (174 pounds and 184 pounds), two as a team captain, and four years as a safety and punt returner on Cortland’s football team
 
• Three-time NCAA Division III wrestling All-American with a national championship at 174 pounds in 2006, runner-up finish at 184 pounds in 2007 and fourth-place finish at 174 pounds in 2005
 
• Three-time Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference (ECWC) champion (two-time Wrestler of the Year) and three-time all-state honoree at all-divisions New York State Championships (third place in 2007, fourth in 2004 and 2006)
 
• Wrestling career record of 80-14 with 12 pins and helped Cortland place in the top 10 nationally three times, including a sixth-place finish in 2006
 
• Cortland’s wrestling Red Letter Award winner as a senior
 
• 2017 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III Hall of Fame inductee
 
• Earned Football Gazette honorable mention All-America honors as a safety in 2005 and a punt returner in 2006 and garnered six All-East honors (Football Gazette safety in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and punt returner in 2006; D3football.com safety in 2005 and 2006)
 
• Three-time first team All-ECAC Southeast safety from 2004-06 and six-time All-New Jersey Athletic Conference, including first team safety three years from 2004-06 and first team punt returner in 2006
 
• Football career totals of 213 tackles, 13 interceptions, 35 pass breakups and four forced fumbles, along with 53 punt returns for 675 yards (12.7 yards per return) in 39 games; graduated as school’s career leader in interceptions and still ranks third
 
• Scored five touchdowns - one punt return, two rushing, and two interception returns (including 70-yarder at Ithaca in 2005)
 
• Helped football team qualify for NCAA Division III playoffs in 2005 (7-3 record) and qualify for ECAC bowl games in 2006 (9-2 record) and 2003
 
• 2006-07 Cortland C-Club Senior Male Athlete of the Year
 
• Physical education teacher and coach in the Manhasset school district since 2010 and teacher in the Huntington school district from 2008-10
 
• Wrestling head coach at Manhasset High School since 2010, where he has earned six conference Coach of the Year honors and has led the program to five top-10 Nassau County finishes
 
• Started an ALS (“Lou Gehrig’s Disease”) Research fundraiser with the wrestling program at Manhasset High, and has volunteered as a football coach with the Huntington Police Athletic League (PAL)
 
Dan Pitcher ’10, M ’11
 
Dan Pitcher was an All-America football quarterback at Cortland in the late 2000s/early 2010s and is presently the quarterbacks coach for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals.
 
• The Cortland, N.Y., native earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Cortland in 2010 and a master’s degree in sport management from Cortland in 2011
 
• Four-year football quarterback at Cortland from 2008-11, including three seasons as a team captain (2009-11); won the team’s Red Letter Award in 2011
 
• 2011 finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy (Division III National Player of the Year)
 
• 2011 D3football.com Hon. Mention All-American and First Team All-East Region
 
• 2011 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Offensive Player of the Year and 2010 First Team All-NJAC
 
• First Team CoSIDA Academic All-American as a senior and two-time Academic All-District; also SUNYAC Chancellor’s Scholar-Athlete Award winner for 2010-11 school year
 
• 2011 ECAC Division III Southeast Bowl Most Outstanding Player
 
• Career stats (30 games): 402-of-674 passing (.596), 5,033 yards, 54 touchdowns along with five rushing touchdowns; set school record for career TD passes (currently is third) and consecutive games with a TD pass (13 spanning the 2010 and 2011 seasons), and is currently seventh in passing yardage and completions despite playing only two games in 2009 due to injury
 
• During senior year in 2011 he completed 197-of-317 passes (.621) for 2,712 yards and 31 touchdowns with just five interceptions and ran for 239 yards and three scores; his 31 TD passes are still tied for the school single-season record and his five TD passes at Brockport are still tied for the school single-game record
 
• Member of teams that won NJAC titles in 2008 and 2010; the 2008 squad was 11-2 and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals and the 2010 team went 10-2 and advanced to the NCAA second round
 
• Entering his eighth season on the coaching staff of the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals in 2023; has served as the Bengals’ quarterbacks coach since 2020, was assistant quarterbacks coach from 2018-19 and assistant wide receivers coach from 2016-17
 
• During his tenure with the Bengals, the team advanced to the Super Bowl in February 2022 and to the AFC Championship Game in January 2023
 
• Pro scout for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts from 2014-15 and scouting assistant for the Colts from 2012-13
 
• Wide receivers coach at Cortland in spring of 2012
 
• Youth camp volunteer for the Marvin Lewis Community Fund, which empowered, educated and inspired individuals in the Greater Cincinnati region through outreach programs
 
• Guest speaker at numerous events, including at the College Football Hall of Fame banquet, the Cortland Youth Bureau and SUNY Cortland Convocation and Admissions Recruitment