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WALT HAMELINE ’70Football • BasketballThe Roots of a ChampionLong before Walt Hameline raised a national championship tr...
09/21/2026

WALT HAMELINE ’70
Football • Basketball

The Roots of a Champion

Long before Walt Hameline raised a national championship trophy, the roots of a champion had already taken hold at New Hartford.

A two-sport standout, Hameline quarterbacked the Spartans in football and became the floor general for Hall of Fame coach Ed Taylor in basketball. During New Hartford’s 1969 Section III championship run, Hameline sank two free throws with five seconds remaining to force overtime against Whitesboro — a game the Spartans won 48–47 on their way to a 20–2 season.

Taylor remembers something even more important.

“Walt was a true point guard,” Taylor recalled. “He acted like a coach.” Hameline understood what Taylor wanted, directed his teammates and made those around him better. Years later, Hameline told Taylor, “I learned more about fundamentals than you can imagine.”

After New Hartford, Hameline became a standout defensive back at SUNY Brockport before beginning a coaching journey that led to Wagner College.

Named Wagner’s head coach in 1981 at just 29, Hameline spent 34 seasons leading the Seahawks and compiled a 223–139–2 record. In 1987, Wagner finished 13–1 and defeated heavily favored Dayton to capture the NCAA Division III National Championship, with Hameline earning National Coach of the Year honors. He later guided Wagner into Division I, won Northeast Conference championships and led the program to its first FCS playoff victory. Wagner eventually named its football field Hameline Field in his honor.

Across decades and hundreds of victories, the principles remained remarkably familiar: fundamentals, discipline, accountability, toughness and team-first play.

It was the Spartan Way — carried from New Hartford to Wagner, from player to coach, and ultimately to a national championship. The lessons Walt Hameline first learned as a Spartan became the lessons he spent a lifetime teaching.

Congratulations, Coach — and thank you for carrying the Spartan Way with you.

THOMAS “BUTCH” RANDALL ’54Football • Basketball • BaseballThe Thread That Binds UsWhen New Hartford opened its new campu...
09/18/2026

THOMAS “BUTCH” RANDALL ’54
Football • Basketball • Baseball

The Thread That Binds Us

When New Hartford opened its new campus on Oxford Road in 1952, a new era of Spartan athletics was born. Thomas “Butch” Randall ’54 was there from the very first whistle.

Growing up next to the school grounds, Butch became a cornerstone of Hall of Fame coach Ray Benjamin’s teams — built on pride, individual commitment and team unity. Butch embodied all three.

As the new facilities opened, he made his mark:

- Gridiron: Scored the first three touchdowns on what is now Don Edick Field in a 34–0 win over VVS.
- Diamond: Struck out 12 in a complete-game victory to open today’s Joe Corr Field.
- Hardwood: Led the Spartans to victory on December 4, 1952, the night New Hartford dedicated its new basketball court.

By his senior year, Butch had helped New Hartford’s three teams to a remarkable 39–1 combined record.

His Spartan pride lasted a lifetime. Butch married Patti, and they raised their family on Graham Avenue — steps from the fields where he played and where they remained fixtures for decades.

Their son, John Randall ’86, carried that tradition into coaching, leading Spartan basketball to 250+ wins, three Section III titles and two State Final Fours. Today, grandson Cal Randall ’27 carries it forward as a Spartan athlete, while daughter Kathi and grandaughter Amanda will now carry on the Graham Avenue tradition.

And now it comes full circle.

Ray Benjamin coached the first game on New Hartford’s original 1952 hardwood. Butch played in it. Cal played in its final game in 2025. Our inaugural Hall of Fame awards are crafted from that very floor.

On September 25, John and Kathi will reopen their childhood home to honor Butch and Patti and welcome the inaugural Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

Benjamin. Butch and Patti. John, Karen, Kathi. Amanda. Cal. Generations of Spartans.

Pride passed down. Togetherness carried forward.

That is the thread that binds us.

09/11/2026

Next Man Up....

9/18 NH @ ITC Syracuse 6:30pm

09/03/2026

🏈 CARRYING THE TRADITION FORWARD
Tomorrow night, the lights come back on at Don Edick Field. 6:00PM vs NOTRE DAME

A new season. A new era. And the defending Section III champions take the field once again.

But before we turn the page, we want to say thank you.

For nine seasons, Coach Jim Kramer and his family gave so much to New Hartford football — helping rebuild a championship program and bringing tremendous pride back to our school and community.

The coaches change. The players grow up.

But the standard, the pride and the tradition get passed on.

And through all of it, there was Nolan — proud of his dad, proud of his team, proud of his role and loving every second of being a Spartan. Now a ninth grader, Nolan gets his turn to play the game — and Coach finally gets to watch from the sidelines as Dad.

Thank you, Coach Kramer. Thank you to the Kramer family.

Once a Spartan, always a Spartan.

JIM KRAMER — NEW HARTFORD HEAD COACH | 2017–2025
• 9 Seasons
• 84 Games
• 62–22 Overall Record
• 41–4 in Class B since 2020
• 4 League Championships
• 3 Consecutive Section III Championship Appearances
• 2025 Section III Class B Champions
• 31–3 Over His Final Three Seasons
• 4 State-Ranked Teams
• New Hartford’s First Section III Championship Since 2008

REMEMBERING COACH BOB JONES ’68 We were saddened to learn of the passing yesterday of longtime New Hartford teacher and ...
08/27/2026

REMEMBERING COACH BOB JONES ’68
We were saddened to learn of the passing yesterday of longtime New Hartford teacher and football coach Bob Jones ’68, a man who dedicated four decades of his life to generations of Spartans.

If you played football at New Hartford, there was a pretty good chance Bob Jones was somewhere nearby.

A 1968 New Hartford graduate, Jones returned to his alma mater and joined the football staff in 1973, beginning a remarkable 40-year run on the Spartan sideline.

For more than two decades, he served alongside legendary head coach Don Edick, helping build and sustain the culture that became synonymous with New Hartford football.

When Edick retired following the 1995 season, Jones was chosen to carry that tradition forward.

And he didn’t do it alone.

Edick’s longtime assistants stayed together, with Jones coaching alongside fellow Edick disciples Ron Mattia, Jerry Pitaressi and offensive coordinator Frank Cristiano —coaches who had spent years learning, teaching and reinforcing the same principles that had defined Spartan football for generations.

“There are a few things that will change, but most things will stay the same,” Jones said when he took over in 1996.

He understood what had been built because he had helped build it.

Over the next 16 seasons, Jones compiled 75 victories and eventually produced the signature run of his head-coaching career.

Led by a remarkable generation of Spartans — including Joey Carcone and Anthony Acevedo — New Hartford captured the 2008 Section III Class A Championship, its first sectional football title in 15 years.

Carcone became New Hartford’s all-time leading rusher with 3,704 career yards, while Acevedo emerged as one of Section III’s most explosive playmakers. Together they helped give Jones one of the finest teams of his career.

Carcone and Acevedo were ultimately named Observer-Dispatch All-Mohawk Valley Co-Players of the Year, while Jones earned Class A National Division Coach of the Year honors.

And they weren’t finished.

In 2009, the Spartans won their first league championship since 1993, climbed to No. 4 in the New York State Class A rankings and started 9-0 before returning to the Carrier Dome for another Section III championship game. A loss to cross-town rival Whitesboro.

It was Bob Jones’s signature era — a championship team built on the tradition he had spent decades helping preserve.

But his legacy extends far beyond Friday nights.
For 35 years, Mr. Jones taught 8th grade US History at Perry Junior High School. Many Spartans knew him first from the classroom — a big, unmistakable presence with a kind demeanor, a genuine ability to connect with kids and his signature long ruler, which he always seemed to have nearby.

Even after retiring as a full-time teacher, he continued substitute teaching because, as he once explained, he enjoyed “the connection with kids.”

That may say more about Bob Jones than any championship ever could.

Coach Jones spent four decades teaching young people — sometimes from a history book, sometimes from a football field. He coached generations of Spartans, from the early years of the Edick era through a new century of New Hartford football, while becoming part of the history he once taught.

When he succeeded Edick, Jones explained why New Hartford football had endured:

“A lot of it is that coaching staff has been together a long time. We know each other very well and we work together very well.”

Bob Jones was one of those constants.
He helped learn the tradition. He helped build the tradition.
And when his time came, he carried it forward.
Player. Teacher. Assistant coach. Head coach. Champion. Spartan.
Thank you, Coach Jones. Rest in Peace

JENNIFER CARBONE ZUCCARO ’89 — GYMNASTICSBefore Jennifer Carbone Zuccaro became an NCAA champion at Georgia, she was hel...
08/26/2026

JENNIFER CARBONE ZUCCARO ’89 — GYMNASTICS

Before Jennifer Carbone Zuccaro became an NCAA champion at Georgia, she was helping establish New Hartford as one of New York State’s premier gymnastics programs.

Carbone began gymnastics at age five under longtime Valley Gymnastics and New Hartford coach Jill Henderson. She became one of Section III’s finest all-around gymnasts alongside teammate Andria Longeretta, an elite gymnast and future New Hartford Hall of Famer.

As a sophomore, Carbone won the Section III Class B all-around championship and led New Hartford to the team title. In 1987, she captured the New York State all-around championship with a meet-record 37.70.

At Valley Gymnastics, Carbone became the first gymnast to win back-to-back USGF Class I Advanced New York State all-around titles. As a senior, she was named Section III Gymnast of the Year and helped New Hartford win another sectional championship.

Carbone earned a full athletic scholarship to powerhouse Georgia, becoming a four-year key contributor to one of college gymnastics’ great dynasties. The Bulldogs finished third nationally in 1990 and 1991 and second in 1992.

Then came 1993.

Georgia went a perfect 32-0, and Carbone finished her career as an NCAA National Champion. The Bulldogs scored a historic 198.00 — the first team in NCAA Championship history to reach 198 — with Carbone contributing a 9.75 on floor.

Her academic career was equally remarkable. A Biology/Pre-Med major with nearly a 3.9 GPA, Carbone was a three-time Academic All-American and Georgia gymnastics’ four-time Scholar-Athlete. She received the Marilyn Vincent Award as Georgia’s graduating female athlete with the highest GPA.

Carbone graduated Magna Cum Laude and was selected from roughly 500 nominees as one of 10 national finalists for the 1993 NCAA Woman of the Year before attending Emory University School of Medicine.

New York State Champion. Section III Gymnast of the Year. NCAA National Champion. Three-time Academic All-American. NCAA Woman of the Year finalist. Congratulations, Jenn. Well deserved

RON VITULLO ’89 — FOOTBALL / WRESTLINGA 6-foot, 210-pound powerhouse, Ron Vitullo starred at running back, kicker and li...
08/25/2026

RON VITULLO ’89 — FOOTBALL / WRESTLING

A 6-foot, 210-pound powerhouse, Ron Vitullo starred at running back, kicker and linebacker for Coach Don Edick while becoming an elite wrestler for Coach Tom Pauley.

Vitullo helped lead New Hartford to back-to-back undefeated Section III Class A championships in 1987 and 1988. He kicked the decisive extra point in the 1987 title game, then helped the Spartan defense shut out Nottingham, 20-0, in the 1988 final, containing a rushing attack led by future Green Bay Packers star Dorsey Levens.

As a senior, Vitullo rushed for 421 yards and five touchdowns, converted 28 straight extra points and led New Hartford in tackles and interceptions. He earned First Team Class A-1 honors on offense and defense and First Team All-State honors.

On the mat, Vitullo won the 1988 Section III title and placed sixth in New York State. A year later, he went 27-0 and won the 1989 NYS championship at 215 pounds, pinning Earl Gardner at 2:57 in the final. He finished 117-22-1 and earned Wrestling USA All-America honors.

At Cornell, Vitullo was a 1990 Ivy League champion, earned All-Ivy honors in 1992 and was selected for the Epson Ivy Bowl in Tokyo.

Brothers John and Tony later followed Ron from New Hartford to Cornell, beginning a football tradition that continues today — in 2025, Ron’s nephew Johnny Vitullo quarterbacked New Hartford to another sectional championship.

State champion. All-American wrestler. First Team All-State linebacker. Ivy League champion.

Ron Vitullo built a Hall of Fame legacy all his own — and helped establish a Vitullo family tradition that continues at New Hartford today.

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