The Blue Devils have a guardian angel in Fred Fusaro.
At age 83, Huntington’s storied offensive and defensive line coach continues to leave a legacy for Long Island football after more than half a century of mentoring young men on the gridiron.
“The camaraderie you develop with kids is where it’s at,” Fusaro, a former noseguard at Huntington, told The Post.
“If you get involved in coaching, you’ve got to love it … and I love these kids,” added the volunteer, now in Year 2 with his alma mater as a super senior.
The godfather of Long Island football has helped land four athletes in the NFL — most notably Giants Super Bowl champion John “Jumbo” Elliott, when Fusaro was the longtime Sachem head coach — and estimates more than 150 of his players went on to college ball over his 55 years.
Fusaro now enjoys seeing his name atop the Sachem North varsity field as a way to honor his two Rutgers Cups, numerous county titles, and the character development he instilled in the young men of the Flaming Arrows over 34 years, until 2002.
“He’s a humble man,” said former Sachem running back Dave Shanahan, who helped lead the school to a 1986 Rutgers Trophy.
“Since I was a young man, he was always behind me and my decisions he thought were good for me.”
Sure, Fusaro and Shanahan admitted it wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows, as many of the most impactful moments came through tough love that the players took in stride.
“If they know you care about them,” Fusaro said, “you can pretty much do whatever you want.”
Winning isn’t everything
Beyond wins and losses — Fusaro said he has more than 200 victories — the most humbling honor is seeing how many of his former players he inspired to become coaches.
“I would say there’s a minimum of 50,” Fusaro added. “You like to think that you’re doing something right.”
When Fusaro stepped away from Sachem — he was ready to stop dealing with parents but certainly not the kids — his next career opportunity was a full-circle moment thanks to Shanahan, who became head coach at Elwood’s John Glenn High School in 1995. He happily brought Fusaro on as an assistant in 2004.
“I figured I’d be with him for a couple of years — I was with him for 19 years,” Fusaro said.
The pair won back-to-back Long Island championships in 2010 and 2011, which Shanahan said Fusaro was “instrumental in” while running the Knights defense.
“He had excellent schemes — he’s a true technician,” Shanahan added.
Glenn’s 2010 team enjoyed Long Island’s only undefeated season, with a Rutgers Trophy to show for it.
“The kids loved him because he was such a hard worker,” Shanahan added, as Fusaro called him “one of my best players.”
Calling the right plays
The Fusaro way made X’s and O’s a secondary objective toward a bigger picture for the teenagers — whether they were slated to play after high school or not.
“By pushing you hard, by holding you accountable, he prepared you not only for the game of football, but for the great game of life,” added Shanahan.
“The kids really bonded to him.”
When John Glenn boys soccer coach Lou Hanner overheard Shanahan talking about Fusaro, he interjected to call him “first class.”
Fusaro was inducted into the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame over the summer — and had an entire first string of those he mentored right there with him for the honor.
“I had 25 players come up to Buffalo for the induction,” Fusaro said.
When Shanahan retired from coaching in 2025, Fusaro said he knew it was time to go back to where it all began for him: the Blue Devils, who are 2-1.
Fusaro found his love for coaching from the staff he enjoyed as a varsity lineman in the 1960s. It led him to play for Ithaca and later coach at the college level with St. Lawrence and Hofstra.
“It brought back a lot of memories being here,” Fusaro said. “I’ve been blessed, truly blessed, to have the kids that I had and the dedicated coaches that I had over the years.”
