Elmira Notre Dame honors Mike D'Aloisio with monument, adds 7 to Hall of Fame

ELMIRA — Jayne D'Aloisio said her late husband had to be smiling down Saturday evening as friends and former players joined the turnout for a ceremony to celebrate a monument installed in his honor outside the stadium where he coached Elmira Notre Dame, located a football's throw from a statue of Crusaders three-sport great Joel Stephens.

The celebration at Brewer Memorial Stadium was part of an event-filled Homecoming weekend. Notre Dame honored the newest seven members of its Athletic Hall of Fame before Elmira's 3-1 boys soccer victory over Notre Dame. Halftime featured recognition of the Homecoming court.

The monument resides in what is now Coach's Corner and at the top is engraved "Coach D," nickname for Mike D'Aloisio, who died in May of 2022 at age 71 from complications of ALS.

"I'm touched. My heart is so happy," Jayne said after a ceremony in which the monument was sprinkled with holy water from Ireland as part of a blessing.

Monument pays tribute to D'Aloisio's impact

The impact D'Aloisio had as a coach, mentor, teacher and friend is recognized on the monument in words written by coaching colleague and friend Ron Norman.

D'Aloisio's sterling records as coach in football, boys basketball, girls basketball, golf and tennis are included. No high school football coach in Elmira-Corning history won as many games as D'Aloisio, whose teams posted a 244-103 record.

The monument reads in part, "Mike inspired our love and our devotion with his faith, his friendship, his wit and his ability to bring out the best in everyone."

Said Norman: "Mikey did so much for everybody. Not just his players, but his staff and his colleagues at school. We just wanted people to remember that. We did it for him. I think it’s going to mean a lot to Jayne and all of us."

More: Four decades of excellence: D'Aloisio's coaching career defined by triumph, lasting bonds

More: 10 defining moments in Elmira Notre Dame football history

Proceeds from the last Joel Stephens Golf Tournament, held in the summer of 2021, were used to fund the monument. That event also served as a tribute to D'Aloisio less than a year after he was diagnosed with ALS. Norman was part of the monument committee, with John Maio and Jeff Sobkowski also playing key roles.

"I am so thankful and grateful and feel so blessed that the coaches and the Elmira community have kept his spirit alive," Jayne D'Aloisio said. "I don’t know if people are getting sick of Mike D’Aloisio; I know it helps me. I miss him like you can’t even imagine. I miss him so much."

Mike told his wife he'd be OK with a monument if it included his players' names. The sheer volume of student-athletes impacted by D'Aloisio made that a daunting ask. Jayne said nevertheless he would have been happy with the result.

"I see it and I read it and I think he’s smiling down right now," she said. "He’s happy. He’s in a better place. I just know all these people coming, I can’t believe it. It's sad that there's no more football. I think he would be sad about that, but he would also be happy that a lot of the players being inducted tonight played for him."

The monument is within viewing distance of a mural on the school wall of D'Aloisio and close friend Stephens that was created last year. A bit farther away is the statue of Stephens, who died of colon cancer in 1998 at age 22.

"To have him behind Joel, he would say ‘Yes, you can put a stone up for me if I’m with Joel.’ That’s the ultimate," Jayne said.

END added 7 to Hall of Fame

After the monument ceremony, the celebration shifted into the stadium for recognition of the Hall of Fame Class of 2023.

This year's inductees were the late coach Brian Adams, Chris Bennett, Sydney Dimon Green, Mackenzie Maloney, Megan Weber Thompson, Patrick Waite and Kevin Wilson. Bennett and Waite both played football for D'Aloisio.

Following the ceremonies, the Notre Dame boys soccer team took on Elmira.

Brian Adams: He coached the most dominant boys soccer team in New York history. Under Adams, the Crusaders won the 2015 Class C state title with a 21-0 record while outscoring opponents by a combined 186-5. The Crusaders won three Section 4 titles under Adams and were twice runners-up. Adams, who died in 2020 at age 57, had a career record of 135-44-5.

Chris Bennett: Bennett, a 1999 graduate, earned seven varsity letters. He was a first-team football all-star and helped the Crusaders to two Section 4 Class C titles and an appearance in the 1998 state final. Bennett helped END reach the final four in baseball twice and was part of the Crusaders' 1997 state championship team. He was team Most Valuable Player in baseball as a senior.

Sydney (Dimon) Green: The 2012 graduate earned seven varsity letters in softball and bowling. She was three times chosen all-state first team in softball at catcher and was a two-time all-region pick who earned All-America honors in 2012. She ranks among New York state leaders in multiple batting categories and helped Notre Dame to an unbeaten state championship season in 2011. She played college softball at Division I Iona.

Mackenzie Maloney: Maloney, a 2017 graduate, was an all-state pick in softball four times and twice earned soccer all-star honors. She earned 15 varsity letters at Notre Dame and helped the Crusaders to a state title in 2016. Maloney is among New York state's leaders in career stolen bases (88), single-season batting average (.621 in 2015), career triples (21) and other offensive categories. She also played basketball and was END Female Athlete of the Year as a senior.

Megan (Weber) Thompson: She was an 11-time varsity letter-winner who helped the Crusaders to two Section 4 titles and a state championship in soccer. She had nine goals and eight assists her senior season. She also played on two Section 4 championship teams in softball, posting a career on-base percentage of .408 and a batting average of .330. She was named Notre Dame's Most Improved Athlete as a senior and won the Joel Stephens 5C Award.

Patrick Waite: A 2003 graduate, Waite was recognized twice named Maio Defensive Lineman of the Year for Notre Dame's football team. He had 89 tackles as a senior, earning Section 4 and All-Twin Tiers honors. He ran for 571 yards and eight touchdowns that season to earn the team's Offensive Player of the Year award. Waite was team MVP in lacrosse as senior, earning first-team Section 4 all-star honors. He earned six varsity letters total.

Kevin Wilson: Wilson, a 1995 graduate, won more than 100 matches in wrestling and was Section 4 Class C champion. He helped END to two team sectional titles. He was a three-year starter in baseball and was part of the Crusaders' 1995 sectional championship team. Wilson earned first-team All-Sullivan Trail Conference honors and was named team MVP in both sports.

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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Elmira Notre Dame honors Mike D'Aloisio, adds 7 to Hall of Fame