Tuckers Coach Inducted, Again

A current Mattituck coach, former athletic director, and longtime Suffolk County Boys Soccer Coaches Association chairman, was inducted into another hall of fame.

On September 29, Mike Huey was celebrated as a new member of the Center Moriches Athletic Hall of Fame. He said when he first heard the news, the first thing he thought was, “I didn’t deserve it.”

“It’s a great honor,” he said. “I was inducted with a lot of great people.”

Graduating in 1971, Huey was a member of the Red Devils soccer, basketball, and baseball teams. He went on to play four years of baseball, being named captain as a senior at Missouri Valley College, choosing to return to the diamond though his greatest love was out on the field. At the time, Missouri Valley did not have a soccer team.

He was a physical education teacher at Mattituck, coaching soccer and baseball, and remains coaching the boys and girls tennis teams (currently 11-2 and 10-1 overall in the standings). He remained at the helm of the
district’s athletics for 29 years.

“I always knew that high school athletics was going to be a big part of my life, and that put me in a great position to make a difference in kids’ lives,” Huey said. “I knew from fourth grade that I wanted to be a physical education teacher and coach. I knew this was what I was going to do.”

He also did work for Section XI, including serving as Conference IV president, and was on the athletic council and president of the Suffolk County Athletic Directors Association from 2003-05. He is also very involved in the state committee, taking part in the creation of policies, placement of teams, tournament proceedings, seeding, and awards. He was named Athletic Director of the Year in 2009 and was inducted into the New York State Soccer Hall of Fame in 2008. Being the boys soccer chairman for the last 20 years though, has brought him some of his ultimate joys.

“Soccer is a great team sport and it takes a lot of physical conditioning,” Huey said. “I’ve always had an interest boys soccer.”

His father was an athlete, and Huey also pointed to his coaches at Center Moriches, like soccer and baseball Howie Heckman Sr., who was also inducted into Center Moriches’ hall of fame (2012), and Bobby Hoyt, his elementary school physical education teacher.

“He’s a big part of me,” Huey said of Hoyt. “He was a role model to me. They’ve all been big influences and I credit this success to them.”

desiree@indyeastend.com