Bryan Stanavich to join Amsterdam Athletic Hall of Fame | Amsterdam

Having grown up watching and hearing stories of his uncle and older brother — both of whom were inducted into the Amsterdam Hall of Fame — Bryan Stanavich idolized the Amsterdam football program with an almost religious reverence. Even when he tore his meniscus during his senior year, forcing him off his feet throughout most of the week, Stanavich didn’t let it stop him from sharing the field with his teammates on game day.

On September 19, Stanavich will join his childhood icons and other esteemed greats as he’ll be inducted into the Greater Amsterdam School District’s Hall of Fame, part of the Class of 2026.

“When I was going to those games, those guys were like NFL players to me. It was like they were gods,” Stanavich said. “Having that opportunity to be a great player for Amsterdam was an honor. It was a privilege to put on that purple and gold helmet.”

Graduating in 2016, Stanavich established several new records for the Rams, such as the highest career rushing total, 4,255 yards, and the most points scored for a career, with 428.

Stanavich made the varsity team as a sophomore, and just three games into the 2013 season, he got the starting nod at running back. His older brother, Brett, had starred for head coach Doug Edick as a senior in 2012, and Brett was ready to keep their family’s legacy burning brightly.

He remained the starting running back for the rest of the 2013 season and held the position for the next two years, until another Stanavich took over in 2016, that being Bryan’s younger brother, Dale.

In 2014, Bryan set his new single-season high for rushing yards, amassing 1,540 on the ground over a 6-3 season that ended with a 30-13 loss against BH-BL in the Section 2 Class A semifinals. He toppled that benchmark the following year, rushing for 1,627 yards — even with a torn meniscus.

The 2015 season was one Bryan Stanavich didn’t want to miss out on. After the Rams started 0-3, including a pair of close losses to Queensbury and Troy, they won each of their next seven games, culminating with a 49-35 victory over Troy in the Section 2 Class A Super Bowl.

The season ended with a crushing 47-27 loss to Our Lady of Lourdes in the NYSPHSAA semifinals, as Amsterdam fell short of winning the program’s first state title since 2005.

“I would trade all my records,” Bryan said, “just to win two more games.”

In addition to football, Bryan also played basketball and baseball for Amsterdam. He said he wasn’t highly recruited out of high school, but he eventually landed at nearby Hudson Valley Community College. His college career didn’t go much further than that.

“I didn’t really want to go to college,” Bryan said. “I tried going to Hudson Valley a week into practice, I quit.

“I loved playing for Amsterdam,” he continued, “but playing for some other college, I was, like, ‘What am I doing here?’”

Instead of college, Bryan enlisted in the United States Army, where he served for four years as a cavalry scout, including assignments in Poland and Kansas.

“When the drill sergeants were yelling at me, I was, like, ‘This is nothing,’” he recalled with a laugh. “I was used to getting screamed at by football coaches.”

After leaving the military in 2022, Bryan took up a job as a mailman before deciding he might as well put some of his hard-earned benefits to use, enrolling at UAlbany, where he’s now four semesters away from completing his degree.

About a month ago, he got a phone call and was pleased to hear two familiar voices on the other end: Edick and former head coach Pat Liverio.

“They said, ‘You’re being inducted,’” Bryan said. “That was great for them to call me. Coach Edick, he was my coach, and I grew up watching Coach Liverio, and he was like Bear Bryant to me.”

Bryan is one of five Class of 2026 inductees in the Athletic Wing of Amsterdam’s Hall of Fame, joined by Timothy Czeski ‘75, James “Jimbo” Phelps ‘85, Salvatore Solleciton ‘79 and Robert “Bobby Stewart ‘70.

Phelps was a three-year star for the boys’ basketball team, with one of his many career highlights being a 47-point outburst against Catholic Central. He’s considered one of the most accomplished players of the mid-1980s era.

Sollecito was a force on both the gridiron and the wrestling mats. His accolades include a Gazette Defensive Player of the Year award, Amsterdam High School’s “Old Timers Award,” and a Section 2 Class A championship in wrestling as a senior. He went on to play football at SUNY Brockport and was later inducted into the Capital Region’s Football Hall of Fame.

A legendary figure in American boxing, Stewart played just about everything during his formative years in Amsterdam, from football, basketball, golf, swimming and even weight training. He captured multiple Adirondack AAU Golden Glove titles beginning in 1969, and by 1974, he had reached the pinnacle of his career, winning the U.S. National Golden Gloves Light Heavyweight Championship. That victory placed him among an elite group of boxers, including Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, and Evander Holyfield as former holders of the same prestigious title.

In 1978, after his fighting career ended, Stewart began working at the Tryon School for Boys in Johnstown, helping guide and mentor troubled youth, most notably a young Mike Tyson. Stewart became Tyson’s first trainer and mentor, before connecting him with legendary trainer Cus D’Amato. His contributions to boxing and youth development have earned him widespread recognition, including induction into the Fulton County Baseball and Sports Hall of Fame in 2022 and honors as one of the all-time great Golden Gloves light heavyweights.

The last of the individual athletic inductees, and certainly not the least, Czeski was not only an outstanding student-athlete, but also went on to become a respected community leader, serving 30 years with the Amsterdam Fire Department.

Czeski graduated from Wilbur Lynch High School, but earned varsity letters at Amsterdam in football, baseball, and track and field. Even though he would sometimes have to leave the ballfield when it was his turn for an event up on the track, Czeski was a valued part of head coach Brian Mee’s baseball squads that won 53 consecutive games from April 1973 to May 1975.

“It was a long time ago, so not a lot of people now know about that winning streak,” Czeski said. “We thought about it every game because you didn’t want to be the guy to blow it. It was quite a run, and at one point, I think our pictures were all in the Hall of Fame down in Cooperstown.”

The Amsterdam Hall of Fame will also be honoring the 1994-95 boys’ basketball team as its 2026 Legacy Team. Led by senior standout Jason Mathias and junior star Todd Cetnar, the Rams won that year’s Section 2 Class B Championship and made it all the way to the state final. While they are one of only three teams to have played in a state championship game in the program’s history, they’re also remembered for their must-see home games, during which gymnasium lights were dimmed for introductions, while spotlights were the only things illuminating the court for a packed crowd that couldn’t stand to miss another installment of their fast-paced, electrifying style.

Amsterdam will also be presenting its Butch Miller Award to its basketball pit-crew of Bob Malicki (P.A. Announcer), Charlie Brown (scoreboard operator), Mike DelSanto (shot-clock operator), and Mike Bilicki (scorebook keeper), many of whom spent close to 40 years working at the table.

“It was a well-oiled machine,” said Bob’s wife, Betty. “They were all very, very conscientious about their jobs.”

All of the athletic honorees, as well as the six inductees of Amsterdam’s Academic Wing, will be formally recognized during a ceremony on Saturday, September 19, at Meg’s Above Par Dining at the Amsterdam Municipal Golf Course. Reservations are open to the public.