Riverhead seeks sports memorabilia from alumni athletes for display showcase outside the gym

Sports memorabilia sought: Riverhead Central School District athletic director Brian Sacks found inspiration to pay tribute to Riverhead’s talented alumni athletes.

Now, he’s looking to Riverhead High School graduates who played sports and continued to play sports after college in an amateur or professional capacity, hoping they will donate personal sports memorabilia for an exhibit to be displayed outside the gym at Riverhead High School. 

“We’re looking for any type of memorabilia, preferably a jersey, that can be donated to the school that we can then put in our showcases and have one showcase that’s dedicated to our [former] students, our athletes who have gotten to the highest level of a sport,” said Mr. Sacks.

Other items — game balls, trading cards and more — are also welcome, he added, noting that he hopes to have the display set up by the start of the next school year in September.

“I think this is also going to be an ongoing project where hopefully I can get enough to start it and open it and then, as people see it or as people are interested and donate more, I can always add to the showcase,” he said.

Mr. Sacks launched the initiative, which has been advertised through the Riverhead Athletics Instagram (@gobluewaves), several weeks ago.

“I was thinking about this early winter, and we just started to advertise it,” he said.

Though the athletics department hasn’t yet received any donations, there is a lot of excitement about the project.

“When I talk to the staff — especially those who grew up here — they’ve been bringing up multiple people’s names and I think they’re going to try to reach [out] to some of the people they know and they’re all very interested in this concept,”

Mr. Sacks said, adding that he hopes the showcase will inspire the district’s current students.

“I really want our students now to understand that athletics is certainly a path to college and can be a path beyond, and to recognize our students that have come to Riverhead that have achieved this kind of level.”

Anyone who has memorabilia to donate or wants more information can email Mr. Sacks at  [email protected] or call his office at 631-369-6817.