SPORTS HALL of FAME ATHLETE
Anthony "Tonsee" Smith '63'

For all Hall of Fame inductees the journey on the playing fields has many high points and also a few low points. But for sure, the journey could not be made without a number of supporting teammates, coaches and parents. Tonsee's journey had many highs in those high school days of the early 1960s.

He was honored to be named captain of both the baseball and football teams. He was also honored to be chosen MVP of the football team twice and the Binghamton Press All-League fullback in his senior year. Somewhere between track, baseball, basketball and 820 yards rushing during his senior football season, he received 10 Sidney varsity letters. All those honors and abilities contributed to Tonsee's acceptance the Ralph Pyle Memorial Award as Sidney's Outstanding Senior Male Athlete.

When you're 16 years old, you feel that you can do almost anything. As was the case in Sidney's first football game on the new football field. In that game, Tonsee scored two touchdowns and ran for 150 yards. We all have our favorite game and our favorite professional ball player. Y A. Tittle was Tonsee's hero. In the Chenango Forks game, he did his best Y A. Tittle impression, going 4 for 4 passing with scoring tosses to Bill Price and fellow Hall of Famer Mike Gallup..

When you're 17 years old and have two great pitchers you can do anything. You can win the League Crown two years running and have an undefeated baseball team in your senior year. It was an honor for Tonsee to be the catcher for Bill Cable and Butch Roelle and to be a part of the 1963 Susquenango League championship baseball team.

But like all journeys there are things that happen, that you wish never happened and your life is changed. With the death of my father the direction of my journey changed forever. Three years in the Army allowed me to do and see things, that at that time of my life, I did not even know existed. It was not hard duty to spend a year in Naples, Italy on civilian status. My time in Chu Lai Vietnam allowed me to mature as a person. When it was time to come home it was also a time to get an education.

With the help of Patricia, my wife of 38 years, I graduated from SUNY Binghamton, with honors. We have had a great life together with our two daughters and we are both retired now. Family, friends, golf, fishing,taking long walks with our grand daughter and talking "baby talk" with our grand son are the best part of the journey. But the memories of my journey on the playing fields in Sidney in the early 1960's, are my best memories.