Skip to Content
  • facebook
  • X
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • flickr
  • WAGNER.EDU
  • A-Z
    A
    • Academic Advising & Accessibility
    • Academic and Cultural Enrichment
    • Admissions
    • Alumni & Friends
    • Anthropology Department
    • Arts Administration
    • Athletics
    B
    • Biological Sciences Department
    • Bookstore
    • Business, Nicolais School
    • Business Office
    C
    • Calendar
    • Campus Life
    • Campus Safety
    • Campus Services
    • Career Planning & Development
    • Center for Intercultural Advancement
    • Center for Leadership & Community Engagement
    • Center for Spirituality
    • Children & Teens Programs
    • Commencement
    • Communications & Marketing
    • Conference Services
    • Continuing Education
    D
    • Dance Program
    • Dining Services
    E
    • Early Childhood Center
    • Education Department
    • English Department
    • Expanding Your Horizons
    F
    • Film & Media
    • Film & Photo Shoots
    • Financial Aid
    G
    • Gender Studies
    • Government & Politics Department
    • Give to Wagner
    H
    • HawkTalk Blog
    • Health & Wellness
    • History Department
    • Holocaust Center
    • Honors Program
    • Human Resources
    I
    • Information Technology
    • Institutional Advancement
    L
    • Library
    • Lifelong Learning Department
    M
    • Math & Computer Science
    • Modern Languages, Literatures & Cultures
    • Music Department
    N
    • Newsroom
    • New Students Hub
    • Nursing, Evelyn L. Spiro School
    P
    • Performing Arts
    • Philosophy & Religious Studies Department
    • Physical Sciences Department
    • Physician Assistant
    • Planetarium
    • Pre-Health Science Program
    • Pre-Law Program
    • President’s Office
    • Provost’s Office
    • Psychology Department
    R
    • Registrar
    • Residential Education
    S
    • Sociology Department
    • Student Engagement and Activities
    • Student Government Association
    • Study Abroad
    T
    • Theatre
    • Theatre Season
    • Title IX
    V
    • Veteran’s Resources
    • Visual Arts Department
    W
    • Wagner Fund
    • Wagner Magazine
    • WCBG Student Radio
    • Writing Center
  • QuickLinks
    ONLINE
    • Directory
    • Follett Discover Access
    • Handshake
    • Mailport
    • Moodle
    • myWagner
    • OneLogin
    ON CAMPUS
    • Events Calendar
    • Job Opportunities
    • Library
    • Registrar’s Office
    • Theatre Season
    • Visit Us
    • Webcam
    MORE RESOURCES
    • For Employees
    • For Faculty
    • For Current Students
    • For New Students
    • For Community
    • For Alumni
    • For Parents
Wagner College Newsroom
  • Wagner In the News
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Newsroom MENU
    • WAGNER.EDU
    - Prev Article Coach Hameline is Advance Sportsman of the Year - Next Article
    December 15, 2014 Share
    Share on facebook
    Facebook
    Share on twitter
    Twitter
    Share on google
    Google
    Share on linkedin
    Linkedin
    Share on pinterest
    Pinterest
    Share on email
    Email
    Text Size

    Staten Island Advance logo

    2014 ADVANCE SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR:
    WALT HAMELINE DID IT BY THE BOOK AT WAGNER COLLEGE
    by JIM WAGGONER
    Sunday, December 14, 2014

    Walt HamelineWalt Hameline admits that he was a better football player than student at SUNY-Brockport back in the 1970s.

    “I wasn’t on the dean’s list,” said the 63-year-old Hameline, an outstanding defensive back who earned a degree in physical education in 1975 and then a master’s degree in education from SUNY-Albany in 1977, “but I was OK.”

    Judging by the consistently high graduation rate of student-athletes at Wagner College, Hameline seemed to have learned his lessons well while evolving into a coach and administrator who places a high value on college education.

    From the day he arrived at Grymes Hill as a raw, young assistant coach in 1978, Hameline hasn’t wavered in emphasizing the importance of education to thousands of young men and women during his long tenure as athletic director and head football coach.

    “I think that’s been the bottom line forever. I’ve always said that kids need to graduate and hopefully they will look back and be able to say that football or whatever sport they participated in was a great part of their education,” said Hameline. “That’s one thing we’ve done a real good job of at Wagner — having our kids set high goals and standards and then achieving them.”

    RETIRED AS FOOTBALL COACH

    Hameline recently stepped down after 34 seasons as head coach and will concentrate full-time on the athletic director job he has held for 33 years. He had a 223-139-2 career record that included winning the 1987 NCAA Division III national championship and two of the last three Northeast Conference regular-season titles.

    Hameline has been named the Staten Island Advance’s 2014 Sportsman of the Year after rallying the Seahawks to a 7-4 season that was capped with a 23-20 road win against nationally-ranked Bryant. Wagner shared the NEC title with Sacred Heart, which earned the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs by virtue of a win at Wagner.

    “It’s a great honor and something that I’ll obviously cherish,” said Hameline of being named Sportsman of the Year. “I’ve been very fortunate to be at one place for so long and Wagner College and Staten Island are really home to me.”

    Wagner has claimed the NEC’s Institutional Academic Award three times in the eight-year existence of the honor, which goes to the league member attaining the highest overall grade-point-average combining all sports. The Seahawks took top honors in 2012-13 and 237 student-athletes earned spots on the 2013-14 NEC Academic Honor Roll.

    Wagner has also emphasized community service, with football players Steve Ciocci and Phil Faccone being named to the prestigious American Football Coaches Association’s Good Works Team in the past three seasons. The Seahawks were active in Hurricane Sandy relief work during and after their 2012 football championship season.

    MAKING THE GRADES

    Hameline pointed to the football program’s cumulative GPA above 3.0 for an unprecedented second straight season as a source of personal pride. He has long been known for keeping track of individual players and their academic progress.

    “He’ll come into the meetings with his legal pad and want academic updates,” said Jason Houghtaling, the Seahawks’ new head coach and former assistant. “He’ll say, ‘What about this kid or that kid? How are they doing?’ So the whole staff has to know what’s going on and be prepared at the next meeting with answers. If you don’t have those answers, it won’t be good.”

    Hameline said he feels a responsibility to keep pushing his football players toward graduation.

    “The longer you coach, the more you appreciate when they come back and you realize how they’ve been successful and done the right things in life,” said Hameline. “One of the most gratifying things you hear is, ‘Hey, coach, part of that was the discipline and what I took away from the football field from a standpoint of my learning experience.’ They’ve told me how they carried those principles over to the real world.”

     


    141214 Advance, Hameline did it by the books (125 dpi)


     

      • Athletics News
      • Wagner News

    Popular Stories

    • Ladenburg table Ladenburg table

      Wagner College Represented at International Psychology Summit

      July 15, 2025

    • Report card Report card

      Fall 2024 Dean’s List

      February 5, 2025

    • rb resize 1 rb resize 1

      Wagner Alum, Former Chairman Robert O’Brien Passes Away at 81

      June 27, 2025
     

    Related Stories

    Ladenburg tableHidden Image July 15, 2025 Wagner College Represented at International Psychology Summit Earlier this summer, Wagner College reached the global stage when psychology Professor Laurence J. Nolan participated in an exclusive international roundtable on emotional eating research.
    rb resize 1Hidden Image June 27, 2025 Wagner Alum, Former Chairman Robert O’Brien Passes Away at 81 The Wagner College community is mourning a former trustees chairman who devoted much of his life to bettering his alma mater and his community.
    Wagner College stone sign1Hidden Image June 17, 2025 Higher Ed Authority Carnegie: Wagner Graduates Earn More The newly released 2025 Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education has designated Wagner College a “higher earnings” school for alumni.
    annfrank artHidden Image June 13, 2025 Teens Create Artworks Inspired by Anne Frank Students from public and parochial schools across Staten Island were invited to submit works of visual and written art to the Wagner College Holocaust Center in honor of the “life, courage and spirit” of Anne Frank.
    career activator 1Hidden Image June 10, 2025 Career-Prep Program Blends Class, Employer Experiences Now preparing its fifth cohort of Wagner College students, the Career Activator Program has helped numerous students with professional career development over the years.
    Wagner College stone sign1Hidden Image June 2, 2025 Wagner Student Named 2025–2026 Newman Civic Fellow The prestigious yearlong fellowship recognizes student leaders who are committed to creating positive change in their communities.
    PT108146Hidden Image May 23, 2025 Spotlight on Student Success at Senior Awards Wagner College recognized the academic achievement, leadership, and service of its graduating seniors during the 2025 Senior Awards Ceremony.
    wagner graduation 8Hidden Image May 22, 2025 Wagner College Bids Farewell to the Class of 2025 Despite the rain, spirits and smiles were bright upon the hill last Thursday and Friday, where the commencement ceremonies for the Wagner College Class of 2025 proceeded with much enthusiasm.
    IMG 3396 1 scaled e1747837528133Hidden Image May 21, 2025 In Perfect Harmony: A Life in Lessons and Lyrics Skill builds some careers, while passion builds others. For Wagner College alum Charles Poveromo, more commonly known by his stage name of Charlie Romo, he’s blessed with both.  
     
    • Wagner Magazine

      Stories from alumni around the world.

      Read the magazine

    • Contact the newsroom

      communications@wagner.edu

    • Visit Campus
    • Explore Majors
    • Library
    • Make a Gift
    Wagner College
    Work One Campus Road
    Staten Island, NY 10301
    • CONTACT US
    • Privacy Policy
    Back top