LYNN — Jeff Newhall will be the first to tell you he would never have expected to hear his name mentioned in the same breath as Tony Conigliaro.
Newhall wasn’t born until nine years after Conigliaro became the youngest American League player ever to hit 100 home runs in 1967, but as a die-hard Red Sox fan and St. Mary’s lifer, he is well aware of the exploits of the legendary Tony C.
Now the basketball court at St. Mary’s has been officially named for Newhall, a dedication ceremony taking place Friday night in between the girls and boys games vs. Andover in the Mosakowski Tipoff Classic: Jeff Newhall Court in the Tony Conigliaro Gym.
That’s pretty heady stuff.
“This is a humbling moment, and embarrassing to a certain degree,” Newhall said. “I’ve been around St. Mary’s my entire life and I feel privileged to have worked with so many outstanding student-athletes. I sincerely appreciate this honor.”
The dedication ceremony was hosted by Head of School Dr. John F. Dolan and included remarks from Massachusetts Secretary of Education Dr. Patrick Tutwiler; former St. Mary’s Athletic Director Tom Newhall, Jeff’s father; St. Mary’s alumna Marge Callahan, Newhall’s elementary school teacher; Sharell Sanders, former St. Mary’s player; and Board Chair William Mosakowski.
“We have the best athletic director in the state, who is also an invaluable member of our leadership team. We are proud to honor Jeff’s legacy as the driving force behind unparalleled success in St. Mary’s athletics,” said Dolan.
Tutwiler, the former superintendent of schools in Lynn, said he is “deeply familiar with all Jeff has done to elevate the athletic program at St. Mary’s for two decades. That name on that floor is a symbol of a set of core values – a commitment to youth, hard work and a commitment to community.”
“Thank you to every young lady who has run this court for that guy,” Tom Newhall said. “As a family that has been involved with St. Mary’s since 1948, we are obviously very proud of Jeff’s accomplishments and contributions to the school and we thank St Mary’s for honoring him.”
Callahan, a 1952 St. Mary’s graduate, said if she had her way, “they’d name a whole building for Jeff, not just a court.”
Sanders, who was a scholarship player at Caldwell University and serves as an assistant under Newhall, said “his accomplishments deserve to be celebrated. He has the rare ability to see greatness in people before they see it themselves.”
Mosakowski said St. Mary’s was honoring Newhall “not just for the wins and championships, and not just for the many great players who have gone on to play at the next level, but we are calling out his dedication to give each player the opportunity to learn about themselves and others.”
Rev. Brian Flynn, pastor of Saint Mary of the Sacred Heart Parish, blessed the court and offered a closing prayer. In a show of sportsmanship and class, Coach Alan Hibino and the Andover girls team, which had just lost by 36 points, remained on their bench for the entire ceremony.
A 1994 St. Mary’s graduate, Newhall has been teaching at the school for 24 years, has served as girls basketball coach since 2005 and athletic director since 2007. He is also director of campus operations. As a coach, he has a career record of 395-149 with five state championships and five sectional titles. He coached the golf team to a state championship in 2006.
With Newhall as athletic director, St. Mary’s teams have won at least one state championship 17 straight years and 23 state titles overall. He is the MIAA soccer tournament director, chair of the MIAA Basketball Committee, and a member of the Tournament Management Committee. He is also the assistant director of the Agganis All-Star Games.
In the 19 years Newhall has coached the girls basketball team, 100 percent of the graduating seniors have gone on to 4-year colleges, with 16 receiving full scholarships to Division 1 or 2 schools.
Prior to St. Mary’s, Newhall was the varsity girls basketball coach at Marblehead High School for three years. His first coaching job was as an assistant to Julie Halloran at Swampscott High in 1999.
Newhall lives in Lynn with his wife, Chrissy, and their three children: 11-year-old Alex and 9-year-old twins Andrew and Eva, all of whom attend St. Mary’s, a pre-K-12 school.
