Candor New York native to be inducted into Hall of Fame, posthumously

A former Candor, N.Y. native, Fred Ahart, will be honored and remembered at the 2022 N.Y.S. Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Hall of Fame induction ceremony to be held in Lake Placid, N.Y. on July 27. Ahart passed away in July of 2020. He was 73.

Ahart was a 1965 Candor High School graduate, and then went on to Ithaca College where he earned a bachelor’s degree followed by a Master’s in physical education. A well-respected coach, Ahart was the Athletic Director at Roscoe Central School District in Roscoe, N.Y. from 1969-2020, and is remembered as a significant contributor to Section IX athletics.

Fred was an assistant football coach at Newfield Central School and junior varsity basketball coach at Candor prior to the move to Roscoe. 

Ahart’s wife, Becky, remarked, “We (the family) are very proud that he is getting this award,” adding that the prestigious award is a goal that Fred had strived to accomplishment during his career. Becky and her family had been working on the requirements for the award since 2019, and prior to Fred’s passing from prostate cancer, and are thankful for the tremendous support from many individuals. 

In March of 2022, Becky accepted the NYSAAA Wall of Honor award on Coach Ahart’s behalf for his contributions to the N.Y.S. Athletic Administrators Association.

Taking a step back in time, Becky shared that Fred, who played football, basketball and baseball in high school, as well as participated in track, knew early on that he wanted to pursue coaching and a career as an athletic director.  High school sweethearts, the couple married in August of 1969.

Fred’s brother, Jerry, remarked, “From an early age, Fred’s love for sports was obvious, and basketball seemed to be his favorite.”

Fred and Jerry grew up on the corner of Humiston Street and Delray Avenue in the Village of Candor, and where they played for hours outside. Their home, Jerry said, was located next to an empty lot. It was there that Fred organized baseball games for the neighborhood youth, and then did the same at a basketball court on Main Street behind the former Robinson’s Grocery Store.

Jerry commented that Fred was influenced to pursue a career in teaching and coaching by two of his Candor High School coaches, one being Ed Heslop, Fred’s basketball coach, along with Larry Hynes, his football coach.

Becky noted that it was the summer of 1969 that Fred officially started the career at Roscoe, and remarked, “At the interview the Principal had said he was looking for a basketball coach and Fred replied, ‘I’m your man!’”

Jerry added that Roscoe gave Fred the opportunity to be their varsity basketball coach immediately and also mentioned that Roscoe, a small village with a hometown feel similar to Candor, seemed like the perfect fit for Fred and his family.

Ahart’s legacy spans at least two generations, and Jerry remarked that Fred not only encouraged his players to excel to the best of their abilities, but to also be good citizens in their community.

Coach Fred was known to have many favorite sayings, too, such as “knowledge is power,” and “respect all, fear none.”

Becky noted a special quality of Fred’s character, too, and that being his fantastic memory for recalling clear rosters of players and specific game details, as well as stats going back decades.  

Jerry shared, “An example of Fred’s legacy, at his funeral I met many of those who played for Fred, and who ranged in ages from their sixties to as young as fifteen.”  

Ahart’s five-decade career is admirable. At Roscoe Central School District, Fred was the athletic director and varsity basketball and football coach. He served the NYSPHSAA Boys Basketball Committee as the Section IX Coordinator for several years, was the Section IX President, as well as Chairman of the Elibility Committee and served on the Athletic Council. He also received the N.Y.S. Athletic Administrator of the Year award twice, and the Dr. William Moran Service Award from Section IX, to name a few.

In football, Fred had 142 wins and won four Section IX championships. For basketball, Coach Ahart led Roscoe to 484 wins, four Section titles, five League titles, and one Orange County Division championship, among others.

Ahart was named the Section IX Coach of the Year by the Basketball Coaches Association of New York, and was inducted into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.  

In 2014, the Roscoe High School gym was named the Coach Fred Ahart Gymnasium. In December 2018, Ahart posted his 1,000th basketball game at Roscoe, and in the gym named for him.

Fred Ahart is survived by his wife, Becky, five children, 16 grandchildren and two great grandchildren, his brother, Jerry, and extended family and friends.

Sports were woven into the fabric of the entire Ahart family, too. One grandson is following in Fred’s footsteps and pursuing a degree in physical education with a goal of becoming an athletic director, and a daughter is a teacher in Roscoe.

In Fred’s memory, the Coach Fred Ahart Foundation was formed. Started by his family, the charity organization carries on Fred’s lifelong mission of supporting student athletes and anyone in need.  

You can learn more about the foundation by visiting them on Facebook @coachfredahartfoundation.