Riverhead legend Ed Danowski headed for NY high school sports Hall of Fame
Former Riverhead High School athlete and New York Giants football player Ed Danowski is among the six inductees for the New York State Public High Schools Athletic Association Hall of Fame class for 2017.
Ed Danowski, a graduate of Fordham University, was one of the most successful three-sport athletes in Long Island high school sports history. From 1927-30 he earned all-county honors while competing in football, basketball and baseball at Riverhead — a rare honor during that era. He continued a football career at Fordham, where he was team captain his senior year in 1933 and selected as an NCAA All-American in 1932 and 1933.
After graduation, Danowski was drafted by the Giants as a quarterback and halfback with his career in the NFL lasting seven seasons. In fact, he was the first Giants quarterback to win two NFL championships and from 1935-38, he was in the top five in nearly all NFL passing categories for four straight seasons. He led the NFL in passing yards, passing touchdowns and total offense in 1935. After retirement from the NFL, Danowski enlisted in the U.S. Navy, eventually becoming a lieutenant commander.
Following his service, he returned to his alma mater as the head football coach at Fordham for nine seasons. Danowski garnered numerous honors to recognize his outstanding athletic career. He was inducted into the Fordham Athletic Hall of Fame, Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame and was inducted into the inaugural class of the Long Island Sports Hall of Fame in 1984. In 2007, he was selected to Newsday’s “Elite 11,” which recognizes the best football players in Long Island history. In 2011, he was recognized by the Riverhead News-Review as the all-time greatest athlete in its coverage area.
The other inductees are Northport girls basketball coach Richard Castellano and four administrator/coaches — Lloyd Mott, Pat Pizzarelli, Hank Roth and Mark Ward.
