Whitmore Execs Champion NYC High School Football Stars

New York City’s outstanding high school football players were honored at the seventh annual "Elite Eleven" Scholar-Athlete Award Banquet on May 1 in Manhattan. The awards were presented by the New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

The Whitmore Group of Garden City and its founder and CEO James C. Metzger sponsored the Mr. Football New York City Player of the Year Award. The event was organized by Marc T. Hudak, a partner and member of the firm's management committee. Hudak also is the chairman of the New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.

The Mr. Football New York City Player of the Year is Adisa Isaac, a defensive end who played for Coach Brian Ellis at Canarsie High School in Brooklyn. Issac completed his high school career with 198 total tackles, 38 sacks, eight forced fumbles, two safeties and one interception. Last season, he was ranked the top college prospect in New York State and the 66th overall prospect in the country. Isaac accepted a full athletic scholarship to play at Penn State.

The Whitmore Group is one of the leading insurance agencies in the New York City area. Metzger is a former star athlete at Half Hollow Hills East High School and Hofstra University, where he is a member of the Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame. He supports many youth athletics and education programs in Nassau and Suffolk counties and in New York City. Hudak graduated from Ithaca College, where he was a two-time All-America selection in football and captain of the 1988 National Championship Team. He is a member of the Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Players And Coaches Honored

The “Elite Eleven” honored athletes representing the city’s public and private high schools – Staten Island Technical, Lincoln High School, Poly Prep Country Day School, St. Peter’s High School, St. Michael High School, Fort Hamilton High School, Franklin K. Lane High School, Jamaica High School, DeWitt Clinton High School, Tottenville High School and Monsignor Farrell High School. The award criteria calculation is 40 percent on GPA and academic achievement, 40 percent on football ability and achievement, and 20 percent on leadership, school and community involvement.

The organization presented its Vincent O'Connor New York City Coach of the Year Award to Danny Landberg, head football coach at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn. The award is named for the coach who finished his career at Saint Francis Preparatory School in Queens with the second most football wins in New York State high school history (341 wins over 61 years).

Dave Gettleman, senior vice present and general manager of the New York Giants, received the Ernie Accorsi Humanitarian Award. The award is presented to a person who has made significant contributions to the game and the community. Accorsi is a retired NFL executive, a founding member of the New York City chapter of the foundation and a current member of the board of directors. Neil Glat, president of the New York Jets and founding board member of the of New York Chapter of the National Football Foundation, received the organization's Founders Award.

The New York City Chapter of the National Football Foundation was founded during 2012. It honors the top high school football players who participate in the five boroughs, recognizing them for their performance on the field, in the classroom and as leaders in the community. The organization also honors outstanding individuals for their contributions to the game.

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Mike Virgintino is the author of Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History, the story about America's theme park located in The Bronx. Published by Theme Park Press, it can be found on Amazon, eBay and Goodreads.