TROY, NY -- Two members of the Union College Athletics Hall of Fame joined another hall of fame on Sunday. Sig Makofski and Jim Tedisco were inducted as charter members into the Capital District Basketball Hall of Fame. The inaugural class was announced on June 28 at the Terrace Restaurant.
Makofski was one of seven coaches selected, while Tedisco joined 66 other players who excelled in the region. A total of 76 individuals were inducted, including two referees. The Times Union Center in Albany will feature a permanent display with descriptions of each hall of famer in the near future.
A 1926 graduate of Union who died in 1994, Makofski was Union’s first basketball player to achieve first-team All-American status and was also recognized for his abilities on the football field by being named as an honorable mention All-American. He played professional basketball with Kingston and Utica in the New York State League, and with the Patterson (NJ) team in the old ABL, which evoved into the NBA. Makofski was also a championship-caliber golfer, setting numerous records at local courses. Makofski taught and coached at his alma mater, Schenectady High School, and then at Mont Pleasant High School, compiling a 26-year career basketball record of 461-35 (a winning percentage of .929). His high school teams produced six undefeated seasons and had winning streaks of 46, 42, 39, and 36 games. During one multi-year stretch, his teams won 98 of 100 games.
Makofski also coached Mont Pleasant’s football team to four undefeated seasons, finishing with a .700 winning percentage, and guided the Red Raiders’ golf team to a pair of New York State championships while compiling an .820 winning percentage. A former Schenectady City Councilman, Makofski had a plaque honoring his coaching accomplishments in the “High School” section of the old National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Makofski was also among the five inductees to the Schenectady City School District Athletic Hall of Fame at their inaugural in September of 1998. He is a charter member of the Union Athletics Hall of Fame, and was inducted in 2002.
A 1972 graduate, Tedisco is also a charter member of the Union Athletics Hall of Fame, inducted in 2002. He led the '71-72 basketball squad in points, assists, and scoring average, and finished his three-year career holding 15 scoring and assist record during his 65-game tenure at Union (the NCAA did not allow freshmen to participate on the varsity teams during Tedisco’s career). He graduated as Union's all-time leading scorer with 1,632 points. Tedisco’s career scoring average of 25.0 and his single-game point total of 49 (against Utica in 1970) still stand. His No. 14 jersey was retired before an estimated crowd of 3,500 after his last game in Memorial Field House (a 110-79 victory over Hamilton).
A New York State Assemblyman since 1982, Tedisco was awarded the prestigious NCAA Silver Anniversary Award in 1997. Tedisco earned numerous honors during his career at Union, including: First Team Academic All-American (1969-70); Second Team UPI “Small” (for players under 5’10) All-American (1969-70); ECAC Division III Player of the Year (1970-71); First Team UPI “Small” All-American; First Team New York State College Division Team (1970-71); Third Team AP Player of the Year (1971-72); ECAC Division III Player of the Year (1971-72); New York State Co-Player of the Year (1971-72); First Team New York State College Division Team (1971-72), and First Team UPI “Small” All-American (1971-72). He was also a member of the 1997 NABC Silver Anniversary team. The Dutchmen won 44 games in his career and his senior season saw Union set what was then a college record 19-win season (19-3), which included a Union record-tying 15-game win streak.
In 2007, Tedisco joined his Dutchmen teammates from the 1971-72 season when they were honored as the first Team of Distinction in the Union Athletics Hall of Fame.