Educator, coach, American hero, family man, hall of famer and so much more leaves lasting legacy having impacted thousands of students
Beloved Sachem teacher, coach and Hall of Famer Don Woolley has died. He was 89.
Woolley, Sachem’s first soccer coach and the first person to have a field named in their honor in the school district, was an inaugural inductee of the Sachem Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003. His legacy lived far beyond the soccer field, however, and he has been one of the most beloved figures in the history of Sachem Schools for more than 60 years.
Had it not been for Sachem coach and teacher Sam Cario stopping to get gas at a service station where Woolley worked in New Jersey, Woolley’s career in Lake Ronkonkoma may have never happened.
“He asked if I would service his car and I went out of my way to help him,” said Woolley during an interview in 2011. “We got talking and he set me up with an appointment for an interview.”
Still finishing up his senior year at Ithaca College, Woolley went through the interview process and was one of the first physical education teachers hired by Sachem, a small district formed in 1955 that would eventually grow to the biggest in New York State during his career.
Woolley was an all-county football defensive end at Cranford High in New Jersey and a track star who ran a 50-second quarter mile at the Penn Relays in 1950. A natural athlete, Woolley intended on playing football at Ithaca, but the track coaches preferred he play something slightly less physical and go out for soccer instead. He broke his ankle in his first collegiate soccer game playing against Army. It was over the next few seasons he developed a penchant for the tactics of the game.
“I guess I was more of a student of the sport because I didn’t know a whole lot,” he said. “Offensive and defensive set ups didn’t come natural. I had to work at it.”
Once he got to Sachem he helped start the track and field program, launched the boys’ soccer team and assisted Cario with wrestling.
In just a few seasons Woolley built a winner. His 1960 Sachem soccer team was the first to win a Suffolk County championship in any sport in school history. His teams won six league titles, appeared in two county finals and he finished with a career record of 154-73-27, which was one of the winningest prep soccer coaching records of anyone in the nation when he stopped coaching in 1973.
He also started the Sachem girls’ soccer team in 1980 and spent time working in Gatelot and Samoset prior to Sachem High School North being built. Woolley raced cars at Islip Speedway and was a lifeguard at Lake Ronkonkoma when people were actually able to enjoy the water long before it became polluted.
Woolley was a U.S. veteran. During his time in college in the 1950s he served the United States Army in the Korean War.
During one routine patrol, Woolley and his fellow soldiers were near an ammunition plant they found. They heard enemy combatants approach and rather than engage in conflict or get caught, they hid in a muddy, grassy area. The enemy soldiers used bayonets to swipe at the area and one pierced Woolley’s back, yet he did not make a noise.
“It’s like someone putting a torch, a hot flame on you,” Woolley said.
It was this determination and service mentality that he instilled in his players. He preached about the greater good. He showed loyalty to his players and students. He created his own soldiers who would do anything for Coach Woolley, including wanting to be like him in their own lives and careers.
“He taught you how to play the game of life and the game of soccer very well,” said Ray Fell, one of the stars of his early teams at Sachem who would eventually become a Sachem Hall of Famer and the Superintendent of Patchogue-Medford Schools. “He was someone you wanted to emulate. His moral character and ethics were very high. He always seemed to do the right thing all the time. You felt like you wanted to be like him when you grew up and he had a profound influence in my life. He grew to be much more than a teacher and a coach, but a real friend and someone you could count on at any time.”
Tom Sabatelle, a Sachem alum and former soccer standout for Woolley, was inspired to become a physical education teacher and coach and eventually went on to have a Hall of Fame career as Sachem’s athletic director.
“He is the reason I loved every minute of the 43 years I spent in physical education and athletics,” said Sabatelle. “He was a motivator, a great skills teacher, and always fun to be with. He will be missed but his legacy will forever reverberate in the hearts and minds of those he touched. As a coach he had a unique style of motivating athletes. Sometimes he would put his arm around you to encourage you. Other times, if needed, he would kick you on the backside.”
Frank Schmidt became his JV soccer coach in 1969. He eventually succeeded Woolley as the varsity coach and went on to have his own legendary Hall of Fame career, succeeding at levels that would only make Woolley beyond proud for years to come.
“I was as raw as they come,” said Schmidt. “I was a first-year teacher struggling to master a trade that I was not equipped to handle. I was commuting from Queens and just recently married. I was becoming overwhelmed and told Don after a couple of weeks into the season that if they wanted to bring back the previous JV coach, Dr. Fred Kreutzer, it was fine with me. He ‘coached’ me and assured me with a pat on the back that everything will be fine, just stick it out. Grateful for having listened to him.”
He had the ability to connect to his players which motivated every player to give their best.
“The comment I heard most from his former players was that they did not want to let him down,” said Schmidt. “Ask any former player of his what they remember about Don and I guarantee you it all begins with a smile and gleam in their eye. Every student, athlete and colleague can never forget his ever-present smile, sense of humor and positive attitude. On serious issues in life he was as empathetic and as helpful as they come. I learned so much from him. He was a very successful coach who was humble, compassionate and grateful for the opportunity to spend a career working with young people.”
Said Woolley: “I enjoyed my job. Kids can see that. My wife used to say that I was the only one she knew who got up smiling when I had to go to work.”
He is survived by his wife, Kathleen, daughter Cathy Petillo (Anthony), daughter Casey Shaw, brother Richard Woolley (Dottie), sister in law Patricia Dolan (Thomas), six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Graveside services will take place at Calverton National Cemetery on Long Island at a later date.
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro