Scott Coppola, legendary Connetquot High School three-sport athlete, dies at 49
Scott Coppola starred in football, basketball and baseball and was inducted into the Connetquot High School Hall of Fame in 2006. Credit: Coppola family
Scott Albert Coppola was widely celebrated as the greatest three-sport athlete in Connetquot High School history, starring as an impact player in football, basketball and baseball.
But those who competed alongside him said it was also his character as a humble, respectful, quiet leader that truly left its mark in every sport he played.
Coppola died in the early morning hours Tuesday after suffering a cardiac event while playing in an adult recreation ice hockey game at the Eisenhower Park rink. He was 49.
His father, Albert Coppola, of Medford, said efforts to revive his son at the rink failed before he was rushed to the Nassau University Medical Center, where he died.
"At the conclusion of the second period he collapsed on the bench," Albert Coppola said. "Police and firemen in attendance performed CPR and utilized an AED. He was not responsive. ... It’s beyond shocking."
Coppola was born Jan. 16, 1977, at St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson. He grew up in Oakdale and, after becoming a high school standout in three sports, earned a spot in the Connetquot High School Hall of Fame in 2006.
"We played on the same travel baseball team since we were 13 years old and into our high school years," said longtime friend Anthony Carbonaro, of Holbrook. "We won the New York State Class A baseball championship our senior year in 1995. He was our everything. A great captain, leader, ace pitcher, big-time hitter, you name it. He was a guy every player looked up to for his leadership. He was the absolute best athlete I ever had the privilege of playing with. And he was an even better person. Just a genuine guy."
Coppola quarterbacked the T-Birds to the Suffolk County Division I football championship in 1992 and 1994. They earned the Long Island Class I football title in 1992 with a 27-7 win over Farmingdale. In the 1994 Class I final, he would drive them down the field and throw a touchdown pass to take the late lead at 21-20. Massapequa would kick a last-second field goal for the 23-21 win. Coppola was named a Newsday All-Long Island first-team selection.
"Of all of the students in my career, he was No. 1," retired Connetquot High School director of athletics Mary Lou Jenney Assante said. "He combined skill and character as an athlete. He was a true leader, a prominent player on both of our championship teams in football and baseball."
Assante said Coppola was a student in her physical education class at Bosti Elementary School in Bohemia.
"He received the outstanding PE student award at our sixth grade graduation," she said. "That award has since been named after him in his honor. I have had hundreds of student-athletes in my career, and I cannot think of one who was better than Scotty."
Coppola earned Suffolk All-League in basketball for two straight years. And then his right arm helped Connetquot land a New York State Class A baseball championship in 1995. He put together a 26-2 career pitching record, including a 12-0 season as a senior where he was named the New York State MVP.
Coppola accepted a full scholarship to play baseball at Hofstra University. He was a four-year letter winner and two-year captain from 1995-99. He earned his business degree in marketing.
"My brother lived life with an unmistakable energy, magnetic presence and generous spirit that drew people to him wherever he went," said Jim Coppola, of Harrison. "He was a naturally gifted athlete with a lifelong love of sports. He excelled on the baseball diamond and football field from an early age and remained passionate about athletics throughout his life as a player, coach, mentor, teammate and fan."
"He was fiercely competitive yet always fair. He believed sports were about far more than the final score. He felt they were about character, camaraderie, perseverance and bringing people together," he said.
His sister, Kristin Fletcher, of Stamford, Connecticut, said, above all, he treasured his family.
"My brother’s greatest joy and proudest accomplishment was being a father," she said. His children, Kasey and Kyle, "were the center of his world. He was their biggest fan, trusted coach, steady mentor, and constant source of encouragement, taking immense pride not only in their accomplishments but in the remarkable young adults they were becoming."
"Whether talking through a game, playing catch, bumping volleys, hitting baseballs, enjoying backyard competitions, or simply spending time together, Scott cherished every moment with his children," she said.
Coppola worked as a longtime trainer at Baseball Plus in Hicksville and was a customer service representative for Auto Rim Shop in Farmingdale.
Besides his father, brother and sister, he is survived by his wife, Tara Coppola, and children, Kasey and Kyle; mother, Joanne Coppola, of Medford; sister-in-law, Randi Coppola, of Harrison; and brother-in-law, Tom Fletcher, of Stamford.
The family will receive visitors on Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Raynor & D'Andrea Funeral Home in West Sayville. A service will take place at 8 a.m. on Saturday at St. John's Lutheran Church in Sayville. Interment will follow immediately at Pinelawn Memorial Park.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
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