Mineola HS Coach Posthumously Enters Athletics Hall Of Fame

MINEOLA, NY — Mineola's late high school coach who helped thousands of students participate in varsity sports has been inducted into the Nassau County High School Athletics Hall of Fame.

J. Kenneth (Dutch) Hafner was posthumously inducted on Wednesday at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. He is part of the 48-member class of 2020. The ceremony was postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here's what the Nassau County High School Athletics Hall of Fame said about Hafner:

A pioneer in the evolution of high school athletics in Nassau and New York State. Hafner coached football, basketball, and baseball at Mineola High School but made his real mark as the school's athletic director. As President of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, he was responsible for the program that enabled thousands of students in grades 7-9 to participate in varsity sports if they met certain standards. Although he is being inducted posthumously, his impact is still being felt throughout the county and the state.