Staten Island, NY – Wagner College Athletic Director Walt Hameline has announced that five former student-athletes will comprise the 2013 Seahawk Hall of Fame class: John Chiofalo (Class of 1987, Football), Tim Kelley (Class of 1984, Football), Bob Mackisey (Class of 1983, Football), Susan Moffat, (Class of 1998, Women's Basketball), and John White (Class of 1994, Baseball).
These five former Seahawk greats were selected on the merit of their athletic prowess and will be inducted on September 28, 2013 when the Green & White host Bryant on Homecoming Day 1:00 pm. The Class of 2013 will be formally inducted at a 10:00 am ceremony in the VIP Room on the Spiro Center's second floor, before being publicly recognized at halftime.
John Chiofalo, in a career that spanned from 1983-1986, was one of the most versatile and productive players in the Wagner's long gridiron history. A muscle-bound, aggressive and fearless 5-8, 205-pound fullback/return specialist, Chiofalo helped propel the Seahawks to 32-10-1 record during his career. In his freshman season of 1983, the Seahawks went 8-2-1 and claimed the ECAC Championship. After helping Wagner to a 6-4 mark in 1984, Chifalo's efforts helped lead the Green & White to consecutive 9-2 records and ECAC titles in 1985 and 1986. The North Massapequa, NY native totaled 1,852 career rushing yards which ranked fourth on the Seahawk all-time list at the time of his graduation, on 337 carries (5.5-yard average) and 11 touchdowns. A four-year starter at fullback, and team captain in 1985 and 1986, he added another 645 receiving yards on 64 receptions with four touchdowns. One of the top special teams performers in Wagner history, the sure-handed Chiofalo accounted for 1,066 yards on 121 punt returns, an 8.8-yard average, while tallying 246 yards on 11 career kickoff returns. His punt return attempts, punt return yardage and yards per punt return remain No. 1 in the Seahawk all-time record book.
Tim Kelley ran the Wagner offense for the majority of three seasons, compiling a 19-3-2 record (83.3%) as a starting quarterback, while leading the Seahawks to both an NCAA Tournament appearance, and the inaugural ECAC New York-New Jersey Metro Championship in his final collegiate game. Kelley guided the Green & White to victory in his first 12 games as a collegiate starter. During his four seasons, Kelley helped produce a sparkling 33-6-2 record (82.9%). All four of the teams he played on won eight or more games. His 10-touchdown, 1,404-yard senior season catapulted him into second place on Wagner's all-time yardage list at the time of his graduation. His 103 completions in 1983, at the time, placed him second in the Green & White career record book. Kelley earned Pizza Hut Division III All-American Honorable Mention accolades for his play in the 1983 campaign, which was capped by a 48-7 trouncing of nationally-ranked and previously-undefeated St. John's in the ECAC Metro Championship. Kelley led Wagner to a series of one-sided victories as a senior in the 1983 season, highlighted statistically by a 56-7 rout at Fordham. In that game, Kelley threw for 254 yards and three touchdowns. The 6-1, 190-pound Kelley led the team to two more 400-yard offensive performances, against New York Tech and Kean. The Constantia, NY native passed for 1,143 yards as a junior while leading the Wagner to an NCAA tournament appearance. In the 1982 season, Wagner was undefeated in the regular season with a 8-0-1 mark behind Kelley's leadership.
Bob Mackisey was a consummate, all-around linebacker during his four years playing for the Green & White, patrolling the middle of the Seahawk defense from 1979 to 1982. Cerebral, instinctive and athletic, Mackisey helped spearhead the Seahawks to a 25-4-2 (.839) record during his three seasons as a starter and two postseason appearances. After going 5-5 in his freshman season, the Seahawks improved to 8-2 in coach Bill Russo's final season in 1980. With Mackisey firmly entrenched as the leader of the defense, Wagner went 9-1 under first-year coach Walt Hameline in 1981, followed by an 8-1-1 record in 1982. Mackisey teamed with 1995 Hall of Fame inductee Sal D'Alessio to form one of the most productive linebacker tandems in Wagner history. The 6-0, 215-pound Warwick, RI native recorded 350 tackles during his extraordinarily productive career, which remains cemented in fifth place, more than three decades later, on the all-time Seahawk list. An Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American as a senior in 1981, Mackisey recorded 126 tackles that year, which ranks fifth in the Wagner single-season record book. In addition, Mackisey is ranked No. 1 all-time in career assisted tackles (255), single-season assisted tackles (116) and single-game assisted tackles (22 vs. New Haven – 10/23/82). A team captain in his senior season, Mackisey went on to serve as an assistant coach for the Seahawks from 1984-1986.
Susan Moffat was one of the most prolific scorers in Wagner College women's basketball history, and her name can be found throughout the Seahawk record book. At the time of her graduation, in 1998, the 5-10 shooting guard was Wagner's all-time leader in made three-pointers, fourth in points and fifth in scoring average. Through the end of the 2012-2013 season, Moffat ranks second in made three-pointers, is tied for fifth in scoring average, and sixth in the all-time scoring with 1,481 points. The Somerville, NJ native averaged 13.8 ppg during her time on Grymes Hill, and 59 three-pointers per season. Her 68 made three-pointers in both her junior and seasons rank third for a Seahawk in a single season. As a senior, Moffat helped lead the Seahawks to new heights, as the Green & White posted a 12-4 mark in Northeast Conference play, winning nine out of 10 contests to close out regular season play. Wagner finished tied for second in the NEC and advanced to the 1998 NEC Championship game. Moffat was named to the NEC All-Tournament team in her final year with the Green & White. As was the case in her senior year, Moffat was Wagner's leading scorer as a junior, averaging a career-high 16.6 ppg and posting a career-best in rebounds while leading the Seahawks to the NEC semifinals. Wagner appeared in the NEC tournament in all four of Moffat's years as a member of the Seahawk program.
John White enjoyed a spectacular three-year career on the diamond for the Seahawks from 1989 to 1991 before leaving school following his junior season of 1991 to pursue a professional career. A 21st-round draft pick of the Montreal Expos (555th pick overall) in the 1991 Major League Baseball Draft, White played minor league ball in 1991 and 1992 for the Expos organization before returning to Grymes Hill to finish his English degree, which he earned in 1994. Owner of a robust .343 career batting average, which is tied for seventh on the Wagner all-time charts, White hit the ground running as a freshman in 1989, copping both Northeast Conference (NEC) Rookie of the Year and NEC Tournament honors, following a season where he batted .351. The Nyack, NY native backed up his outstanding freshman campaign with another great season as a sophomore, batting .333. As a junior in 1991, he batted .346 and earned First-Team All-NEC honors. For his career, White hit 11 home runs with 59 RBI in 92 games, with 77 runs scored, 28 doubles, six triples, and 13 stolen bases. White's stellar defensive play in centerfield is another asset that caught the attention of professional scouts as the fleet-footed White went on to play for the Jamestown Expos of the New York-Penn League and the Albany Polecats of the South Atlantic League.
