Former New York Giants quarterback and CBS football studio analyst Phil Simms spoke at the third annual Greater Binghamton Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony Monday night. Simms was the keynote speaker at the event, which recognized 10 individual inductees, including the Maine-Endwell Little League baseball team.
At the dinner, which was attended by over 100 paying guests at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Downtown Binghamton, Simms talked about the accomplishment of the inductees.
“It’s really cool,” Simms said. “Any time a team from New York does something like that, especially something like win the Little League World Series, it’s a really big accomplishment. They’re competing against not only the entire world, but all of the baseball states like California or Texas where they can practice all year-round.”
Simms, a two-time Super Bowl champion, spent 14 seasons as a quarterback for the Giants. In that time, he threw 199 touchdowns and 33,262 yards in 159 career starts. The 1987 Super Bowl MVP recently moved from his job as a color analyst for CBS to a new position in the studio, where he will begin working in the fall.
The Maine-Endwell Little League team defeated South Korea last summer to win the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. All 11 members of the team were present at the ceremony.
Steve Chomyszak, another inductee, played seven seasons for AFL and NFL teams following a football and track and field career at Syracuse. Chomyszak was drafted in the 12th round of the 1966 AFL draft by the New York Jets, but spent just one season with the team. After playing for the Jets in 1966, Chomyszak joined the Cincinnati Bengals for six seasons.
Along with the Maine-Endwell Little League team and Chomyszak, nine other individuals were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Among the other members was Kelsey Green, who spent 12 seasons as the head coach of the Chenango Forks High School football team. While there, he led Chenango Forks to two class-B state championships and six championship game appearances.
The Greater Binghamton Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 2014 in order to honor local athletes who have made a national impact. The hall is currently trying to find a new home for its plaques, which are currently housed in the Oakdale Mall.
“Our ‘Vision’ for the Greater Binghamton Sports Hall of Fame is to expand or Hall of Fame … into a Sports Museum, detailing the History of Sports in our Community, and finding a central location to house it,” Anthony Quagliata, founder of the Greater Binghamton Sports Hall of Fame, wrote in a statement.
In addition to the induction, the Hall of Fame announced that it has donated $2,400 to two Boys & Girls Clubs in the Binghamton area.
At the end of a press conference before the dinner, Simms hesitantly revealed his Super Bowl picks for next season.
“I think it’s going to be the Giants and the Patriots,” he said.