Health & Fitness
Booster Club to Honor Paci & Paar at Dinner
The Huntington Booster Club will honor longtime Blue Devil football coach John Paci, Jr. and Huntington girls’ lacrosse program founding coach, Mary Paar at a dinner on Friday, October 18 at the Huntington Crescent Club.
There will be an extensive all-you-can-eat hot buffet, music, dancing, raffles and plenty of fun when the Huntington athletic community comes together to recognize two of the district’s coaching legends. The dinner will take the place of the Booster Club’s annual golf outing.
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The event will mark the organization’s seventh annual fall fundraiser, which benefits the Booster Club’s grant program and other initiatives.
“We are planning a very special night,” Booster Club President Tim Pillion said. “This will be a wonderful celebration of the Huntington athletic program, its coaches and student-athletes, past, present and future. We are looking forward to a great evening.”
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Tickets will be on sale soon for $125. For more information or to join the growing list of sponsors for the event contact Mr. Pillion at (631) 275-3264 or tpillion@optonline.net.
Mr. Paci’s association with the Huntington football program began in 1973 as a volunteer coach. The following year he was named co-coach of the JV squad. He was promoted to the varsity coaching staff in 1983 and became head coach in 1988 when longtime Blue Devil gridiron mentor Joe Lucey retired. He remained as varsity coach through 1995, coaching some of the greatest Huntington football players ever. The recipient of several Coach of the Year Awards, Mr. Paci also served as president of the Suffolk County Football Coaches Association.
Mrs. Paar coached volleyball, softball and cheerleading at Robert K. Toaz and J. Taylor Finley Junior High Schools in 1979/80 and boys’ lacrosse at the two schools from 1980 to 1986. She also coached Huntington’s junior varsity field hockey team from 1979 through 1989. But, she really left her mark in developing the Blue Devil girls’ lacrosse program. She served as Huntington’s head coach from 1988 through 2002, developing the team into a state power and sending countless athletes to NCAA Division I schools.
Full profiles of both Mr. Paci and Mrs. Paar will be featured on the Huntington School District’s website at a later date.
