2 New Rochelle Athletes Inducted To Westchester Hall Of Fame

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Two of the five Westchester County sports heroes inducted into the Westchester Sports Hall of Fame class of 2021 hail from New Rochelle.

From the Westchester Sports Hall of Fame

Joan Spedafino of Rye Neck, Ray Rice and Kent Washington of New Rochelle, Lou DeMello of Mount Vernon, and Dave Sollazzo of Harrison were chosen by the selection committee for induction into the Westchester Sports Hall of Fame.

The induction dinner will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 17, at the Glen Island Harbor Club. To receive information about the event contact Kevin Cook at kdc2@westchestergov.com.

Spedafino has a 532-191 record as Westchester's most successful softball coach. Her teams have won 16 league titles, along with Section 1 titles in classes B, C, and D. She also has more than 150 wins in 11 years as basketball coach. And, as a player, she held the boys/girls basketball scoring record at Mamaroneck for 18 years. She has also received 17 coach of the year awards.

Rice was selected for starring on the football field as a running back in high school (New Rochelle), college (Rutgers) and the pros (Baltimore Ravens), including a Super Bowl XLVII win in 2013.

Washington, a point guard from New Rochelle HS, scored more than 1,000 points in college (Southhampton, now absorbed by Stony Brook), then became the first African-American to play behind the Iron Curtain in Poland's professional league, where he was a crowd favorite for many years, winning league MVP once and runner up twice. Then he played for Sweden in the Scandanavian league, where he also claimed MVP honors. He coached women's basketball overseas before returning to New Rochelle to coach Mercy and Iona women's basketball.

DeMello was honored as a soccer player, basketball coach, and founder of youth programs. He was an all-county player in high school, leading the county in scoring, including a record six goals in one game. He went on to be an ECAC All-Star at Manhattan. Then began a basketball coaching career, first as an assistant at Manhattan, then as head coach and athletic director at Rice, before becoming head coach at Concordia. He is also the founder of the Westchester County Slam Dunk tournament and the Westchester County Slam Dunk summer basketball camp.

Sollazzo was an all-state lineman at Harrison High School and started 33 consecutive games at The Citadel. He went on to a more than 30-year career as an assistant coach at many of the top college programs in the nation, including The Citadel, Georgia Tech, and Maryland, among others.

The Westchester Sports Hall of Fame is sponsored by Westchester County Parks, Recreation & Conservation. The plaques are on display in the lobby of the County Center in White Plains.