Three area coaches were named to the Tri-Valley league coaches Hall of Fame recently, including 1972 Cooperstown graduate Jim Brophy, a coach and educator at Edmeston for the past 30 years.

Also elected were Ruth Roberts, who coached soccer, basketball and softball at Cherry Valley from 1972-1998, and Ron Tasior, whose Edmeston baseball team made a mythical run to the Section Four Class state title last spring in the final game of his 26-year coaching career.

Brophy played football, basketball and baseball at Cooperstown during his high school days, and he said former Cooperstown varsity boys basketball coach Dick White had a tremendous impact on his life.

"He was just a legend in Cooperstown at the time, and mine wasn't the only life he affected in a positive way," Brophy said. "He had a unique way of folding a group of athletes into a team, and he also taught lessons on the broader game of life. He insisted on good sportsmanship and academics always came first."

After Brophy graduated from Oneonta State in 1976 and was hired at Edmeston as a high school social studies teacher, he started his coaching career as the junior varsity boys basketball coach.

"I started at the right time with a great group of athletes, and we won four J.V. titles in my first five seasons," Brophy said. "I've always been a stickler for good sportsmanship and my players know that academics always come first."

Brophy has been both the boys and girls varsity basketball coach over the past 30 years at Edmeston, but he said what he really enjoys is working with the younger kids.

"I feel like you're more of a teacher at the modified and junior varsity level, and that's what I enjoy," he said. "I've kind of been a behind the scenes type, so to be recognized by my coaching peers with election into the Hall of Fame was special."

Brophy has been the guidance counselor at Edmeston since 1989, and five years ago undertook the task of rebuilding the girls basketball program.

"We only had about 21 girls total between modified, junior varsity and varsity back then," he said. "Now, we have more than 50 and good things are coming for Edmeston girls basketball in the future, I can see it coming."

Now retired from coaching, Brophy said he is eligible to retire from Edmeston in three years, but will probably remain at the school longer than that.

"I really enjoy Edmeston and I enjoy working with the students on a one-on-one basis," Brophy said. "I'm always excited to get up in the morning and get to school, and as long as that continues I don't envision myself retiring."

Tasior had the ending to his coaching career last June that most can only dream about.

On his fifth trip to the state Final Four in his 18 years of coaching varsity baseball at Edmeston, his team completed a perfect 25-0 season with a come-from-behind, 8-6 victory over Solomon Schechter in the state championship game.

The Panthers had defeated the top ranked team in the state semifinal game just an hour before the state title game was played.

"I think this probably will make retirement easier," Tasior said after the state title game. "Man, this puts the icing on the cake. It's just a great way to end."

Tasior has moved to Florida and was unable to be reached by Crier press time, but he was also a successful basketball coach at Edmeston during his tenure with the school.

Tasior began his teaching and coaching career at Cherry Valley, spending 10 years, from 1968 to 1978, at the school.

Current CV-S boys baseball coach Ed Dubben was coached by Tasior at Cherry Valley, and said he has tried to borrow some of mentors coaching philosophies.

"Ron always had his team well prepared and he had great attention to detail," Dubben said. "Edmeston was always the team to beat during his tenure, and he would do anything to prepare his team to win. We talk all the time and I've learned a great deal from him."

Roberts, a fifth grade teacher at Cherry Valley and Cherry Valley-Springfield, had a close relationship with many of her players, said TheriJo Climenhaga, a 1988 graduate and current athletic director at CV-S.

"She was very caring," Climenhaga said. "The highlight of her career was probably the 1984-85 season when the girls basketball team went to the section finals in Binghamton. That same year the boys basketball team went to the finals, so that was a pretty memorable year."

Roberts and former Cherry Valley athletic director Karen Whiteman also helped start the softball program at Cherry Valley.

"She was very committed to the students, I think that's her legacy," Climenhjaga added.

Roberts has also moved to Florida and was unavailable for an interview by the Town Crier press time.

Note: Other coaches elected to the T-V Hall of Fame included Stan Swears of Franklin, Chuck Collier of Gilbertsville-Mt. Upton, Tom DeLaurentis of Laurens, and Frank Johnson of New Berlin.