Hills East Retires Football Jersey Of Outstanding 1970's Athlete

This year’s Homecoming Game for Half Hollow Hills East High School in Dix Hills (a 49-27 victory over North Babylon High School) featured the first retirement of a football jersey in the school’s long history. At halftime, coaches and players from the mid-1970s, several traveling significant distances, participated in the ceremony that retired the #21 jersey of three-sport scholar-athlete James C. Metzger.

A 1977 graduate, Metzger starred in football, lacrosse and basketball and then became a lacrosse All-American at Hofstra University, where he is a member of the Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame. Metzger also is a member of the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame. He was acknowledged by the Adelphi University Athletic Hall of Fame with the 2016 Woodruff Lifetime Achievement Award and by the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum with the 2013 George Young Award.

On the Hills gridiron, Metzger graduated as the school's all-time leading scorer and rusher. He was a Suffolk County All-Star Running Back, known for starting 25 consecutive games and rushing for 2,155 yards, scoring 27 touchdowns and totaling 170 points. Metzger's career total offense, including receptions and returns, was 2,777 yards. He led the team in scoring for 1974, 1975 and 1976, and rushing for 1975 and 1976.

Metzger was the only high school athlete to be selected and participate in both the 1977 Suffolk County North – South All-Star Football Game and the 1977 North – South All-Star Lacrosse Game. Metzger started at running back on the North Football Team and started at attack for the North Lacrosse Team. For the same year, he was the Suffolk County lacrosse scoring champion (public schools), named an All-American lacrosse player and received the Lt. Ray Enners Award as Outstanding Lacrosse Player in Suffolk County.

The school officially retired the Hills East lacrosse jerseys worn by Lt. Enners (#26) and Metzger (#21) during the 2019 season. These jerseys, and now the football jersey worn by Metzger, are the only numbers to have been retired by the school.

Championing Future Stars

Metzger is the founder and CEO of Whitmore –The Agency, a leading New York City area insurance brokerage and financial services company headquartered in Garden City. He champions countless youth athletic and education programs on Long Island and in New York City. Metzger also supports lacrosse programs on Long Island that include his outstanding player award for boys’ lacrosse at his high school, leadership and most valuable player awards for Long Island high school championships, Hempstead PAL Lacrosse, and men’s and women’s lacrosse programs at Hofstra University.