NYC “Elite Eleven” Dinner set for March 6th

NEW YORK (February 10, 2025) – The New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation (NYC/NFF) announced today that it will hold its 10th annual “Elite Eleven” Scholar-Athlete Award Dinner on Thursday, March 6th honoring the finest student-athletes from the NYC high school gridiron. The event will begin with a red-carpet reception at 6:00pm followed by dinner at 7:00pm at the historic New York Athletic Club, 180 Central Park South in Manhattan.

Don McPherson, Long Island native and celebrated Syracuse quarterback will emcee the event. A unanimous All-America selection for the Orange, McPherson won the Maxwell Award and Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award in 1988 and earned induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008. An entrepreneur and accomplished football analyst, McPherson continues to use his success as a platform to advocate for women’s rights and address other complex social issues. McPherson is also a founding member of the NYC Chapter of the National Football Foundation.

Richard Belin, A quarterback from Cardinal Hayes High School will receive the chapters Riska Memorial Award recognizing him as the best high school football player in the five boroughs of New York City. As a junior, the 6’0” 195lb dual-threat quarterback was the New York State Gatorade Player of the Year and led Cardinal Hayes to the 2023 New York State Championship. During his junior campaign, he passed for 3,112 yards and 30 touchdowns, while adding 1,351 yards and 19 scores on the ground. As a senior, Belin passed for 1,866 yards and 18 touchdowns while adding 790 yards and 15 touchdowns. On the ground. Last summer, Belin accepted a full athletic scholarship to attend Syracuse University where he is currently enrolled.

The Riska Memorial Award is awarded annually by the New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation to the Most Outstanding High School Football Player in New York City. This award is given in loving memory of Rudy J Riska (1936-2021) Executive Director Emeritus of the Heisman Memorial Trophy. Mr. Riska was the Athletic Director at the Downtown Athletic Club and the heart and soul of the Heisman Trophy for almost 50 years. Mr. Riska passed away in 2021 but through this award, we are able to tell his story and honor his legacy. This award is sponsored by the Heisman Memorial Trust, with special thanks to Robert Whalen, Executive Director of the Heisman Memorial Trust and a founding board member of the NYC Chapter of the National Football Foundation.

The chapter will also present Tressor Baptiste, Head Football Coach at St. Joseph by the Sea with its Vincent O’Connor New York City Coach of the Year Award. This past season, Baptiste led St. Joseph by the Season to an 11-2 record and the Catholic League AA Championship in his second year at the school. Baptiste was named Head Football Coach at the school on January 25, 2022 The team went 4-7 in Baptiste’s first year before bouncing back and taking the title last season. He was a standout running back and linebacker for Curtis High School. Upon graduation he attended Lackawanna Junior College, before spending time at Hofstra and Texas A&M Kingsville. He then had stints in the NFL with the Chicago Bears, New Orleans Sants and Seattle Seahawks. Returning home to Staten Island, he spent four years on the staff at Susan Wagner before landing the job at St. Joseph by the Sea.

Coach Vincent O’Connor finished his career at Saint Francis Preparatory School as the second-winningest football coach in New York State high school history with 341 wins in 61 years as Head Football Coach. In 2015 Coach O’Connor passed away at the age of 85. He guided St. Francis to 14 CHSFL AAA Championships and undefeated seasons in 1957, 1964, 1966, 1972, 1973 and 1983. Coach O’Connor was named New York High School Coach of the Year twenty times and National Coach of the
Year in 1992.

The chapter’s awards committee, which includes local coaches and business leaders, selected 11 exceptional scholar-athletes for a spot on this year’s 2024-2025 New York City Elite Eleven Football Team. Each honoree will receive a $1,000 college
scholarship and a commemorative plaque. The committee judged the candidates based on their combined achievements on the field, in the classroom and for their leadership contributions in their respective communities. To qualify, recipients must have been a senior playing for a public or private high school located in one of the five boroughs of New York City this past fall.

The 2024 New York City Elite Eleven Scholar Athlete Football Team:

• Rich Belin, QB, Cardinal Hayes High School, Coach C.J. O’Neil (enrolled at Syracuse U.)
• Jaiden Cadotte, DE, Xaverian High School, Coach Kevin Fountaine
• Tyler Clarke DT/OL, Benjamin Cardozo High School, Coach Sean O’Connor
• Nichlas Cyrus, QB, South Shore High School, Coach Rucard Benjamin
• Cosmo D’Amello, LB, Saint Peter’s Boys High School, Coach Mark DeCristoforo
• Carter Dumas, RB/DB, Long Island City High School, Coach Joe Giardina
• Ducci Janvier, LB/RB, Jamaica Campus High School, Coach Calvin Whitfield
• Reid Jones, WR, Cardinal Hayes High School, Coach C.J. O’Neil
• Hassan Osman, LB, Brooklyn Tech High School, Coach Brian Pugh
• Nick Pica, OL/DL, Monsignor Farrell High School, Coach Rocco DelPriore
• Nikko Sanchez, LB, Franklin Lane High School, Coach Ryan McCalary

The Board of Directors for the NYC Chapter of the National Football Foundation:
 

• Marc T. Hudak, Chair, NYC Chapter, President & CEO, Barclay Insurance Brokers, Ltd.
• Brian Lysiak, President, NYC Chapter, Managing Director, JP Morgan Asset Management
• Robert A. Boland, Vice President, NYC Chapter, Attorney at Law, Shumaker
• Jonathan Taylor, Treasurer, NYC Chapter, President, Outset Solutions, LLC
• Jim Bradley, Secretary, NYC Chapter, Monsignor Farrell High School
• Ernie Accorsi, NFL Executive (Retired)
• Nicholas Garone, Senior Vice President, Rosemar Construction, Inc.
• Christopher Hardart, President, NYC Catholic High School Football Coaches Association
• Mark Holtzman, Executive Director, Non-Baseball Revenue, New York Yankees
• Jessie Linder, Vice President, Community Relations, New York Jets
• Don McPherson, President & CEO, Don McPherson Enterprises
• Arthur Newcome, HFC Susan Wagner High School, President NYC PSAL Coaches Association
• J. Ethan Medley, Director of Community Relations, New York Giants
• Shawn O’Connor, Head Football Coach, Abraham Lincoln High School, Brooklyn, NY
• CJ O’Neil, Head Football Coach, Cardinal Hayes High School for Boys, Bronx, NY
• Wayne Powless, Managing Director, Credit Suisse
• Nga Warren, Assistant Principal, Athletic Director, Head Football Coach, Transit Tech HS, Brooklyn, NY
• Mike Welch, Head Football Coach, Ithaca College (Retired), American Football Coaches Association
• Robert B. Whalen, Executive Director, Heisman Memorial Trophy

About

Founded in 2012, the NYC Chapter of the National Football Foundation exists to honor the top high school football players who participate in the five boroughs of New York City, recognizing them for their performance on the field, in the classroom and as leaders in their community. The chapter also honors outstanding individuals for their contributions to the game of football. For more information on the chapter and its activities, please visit www.nffnyc.org or for information about the national organization visit www.footballfoundation.org