Huntington Booster Club to Fete
Steve Davis

He’s been a familiar face around the Blue Devil athletic community for decades. Teacher, coach, announcer, scoreboard operator and Special Olympics volunteer; Steve Davis has done it all. The Huntington Booster Club will honor the longtime educator at a gala dinner on Friday, October 17 at the Huntington Crescent Club.

Over the course of a 32 year teaching career that stretched from 1973 through June 2005, Mr. Davis taught in every district school at one time or another. He worked with some legendary figures in the district and has many tales to tell. He’s a great storyteller.

A 1968 graduate of Hicksville High School, where he played on the football and baseball teams, Mr. Davis moved on to SUNY Cortland to pursue his interest in teaching. A physical education major, he earned varsity football and lacrosse letters with the Red Dragons and served as vice president of the student section of the New York State Physical Education and Recreation Association.

“It was as Cortland that my passion for teaching was set in motion,” Mr. Davis said. After earning an undergraduate degree he returned to Long Island. In 1972 he was hired by Huntington to work as a substitute teacher and named assistant football coach at Robert K. Toaz Junior High School. The following year he joined the district’s physical education department as a permanent teacher and assigned to J. Taylor Finley Junior High School.

At Finley, Mr. Davis taught alongside Huntington legends Charlotte Coronato and Peter Sansiviero. He went on to serve as the Falcons’ head football coach, a position he would hold until 1978. Adding to his busy schedule, he also served as the high school’s junior varsity lacrosse coach.

Just six years into his burgeoning career, Mr. Davis was named head varsity lacrosse coach at Huntington High School, taking the reins from Aaron Littmann, a highly regarded coach who had led the Blue Devils to county and Long Island titles.

Mr. Davis served as head coach position for 11 successful seasons. “Looking back on my career today, I am extremely proud of the fact that during my tenure as coach I made it my personal responsibility to ensure that every one my players got the opportunity to play college lacrosse, if they wished to do so,” he said.

Besides teaching and coaching, Mr. Davis coordinated the intramural sports programs at both Finley and Huntington High School during their heyday, when they involved hundreds of students and even drew crowds for championship games. He was the scoreboard operator at football and basketball games for many years and continues to be the timekeeper at Blue Devil wrestling meets.

Upon his retirement from teaching, Mr. Davis decided to get involved with the Long Island chapter of the Special Olympics. In 2011 and 2012 he served as lead coordinator of the LI Special Olympics Spring Games at Huntington High School. “The Special Olympics have become a very important part of my life,” he said.

“Throughout the years Steve’s commitment to our kids and to our community has been undeniable,” said Georgia Deren McCarthy, Huntington’s district director of physical education, health and interscholastic athletics.

Mr. Davis has been married to his wife Angela for 42 years. The couple resides in East Northport. Together they have a son and daughter. Bryan Davis is a vice president at Global Elite Securities in Garden City. Jessica Davis McVetty teaches fourth grade at Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School. She has been on the district’s faculty for 13 years.

“I have four beautiful grandchildren,” Mr. Davis said. Christopher is seven years old, Emily is five, Samantha is four and Dylan was born seven months ago.

Tickets for the October 17 dinner will go on sale soon. The Huntington Booster Club with honor Linda Costello Roth along with Mr. Davis. She has been a special education teacher, department chairperson and soccer and lacrosse coach for many years. Ms. Roth has also spent countless hours volunteering with the Special Olympics.

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