By Jack Pfeifer // Photo by Tim Fulton

The Febles family has been part of the backbone of track and field in the CHSAA for decades. When George Febles was running for Coach Jim Scott at Xavier HS – on 16^th Street near Union Square – his father, George Sr., was teaching at the school. The legendary Joe Fox, who had retired from his full-time position, was Scott’s assistant.

George Jr. grew up in the Bronx, ran middle-distance and cross country, and commuted to Xavier with his father. “I was a track brat,” Febles said. “My father later coached at Xavier and Regis.”

After graduating from Fordham in 1987, in political science, he began teaching and coaching right away at a girls’ school in the Bronx, Aquinas HS. By the fall of ’89 he had moved on to Fordham Prep, where he has coached the track team ever since, along with a full teaching load of social studies, American history and economics.

Under Coach Febles, Fordham Prep has built a long, steady line of distinctions – top six the last three years at Penn Relays in the DMR, all anchored by star runner Conor Lundy (4:07); top five at Penn in the 4x8 three times between 2002 and 2007; national indoor championships in the 4x8 (’03) and DMR (’03 and ’06), and, in a stunner, a national record in the shuttle hurdle relay (’09).

“What I’m most proud of,” Febles said, “is winning the 4x8 five years in a row at Millrose, at the Garden, 2002 to 2006.”

Febles, along with the seven coaches listed below will be inducted into the Armory Coaches Hall of Fame during the AT&T Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational on December 17, 2016.

2016 Armory Coaches Hall of Fame Inductees

Phyllis Anderson – A Philip Randolph (NY)

Walter Hall – Mount Vernon (NY)

Tom Heath – Christian Brothers (NJ)

Tim Hickey – Philadelphia, (PA)

Dennis Kornfield – Uniondale (NY)

Mark Mendes – Stuyvesant (NY)

Lisa Morgan – Columbia (NJ)

“Each of these coaches have shown exemplary leadership and through their support have helped countless student-athletes achieve their dreams on and off the track,” said Dr. Norbert Sander, President of the Armory Foundation. 

The Armory will post a bio for each of this year’s inductees to the AT&T Coaches Hall of Fame meet page.

The induction ceremony will take place at the center of the Armory oval on December 17, 2016 at 12:30 p.m. and be broadcasted live via RunnerSpace +Plus along with the rest of the day’s competitions. 

This will be the second edition of the AT&T Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational, which last year attracted more than 3,000 athletes from 133 schools across the Northeast. 

Like last year, athletes will compete in varsity, freshman/sophomore, and small and large school divisions. Schools with less than 525 boys or girls in grades 9-11 will compete in the small schools division. Each athlete will be allowed to compete in three events and there will be no limit on the number of team entries per event. 

The Winner of the AT&T Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational boys and girls miles will receive an invitation to the 110^th NYRR Millrose Games High School mile if they have broken 4:20/5:00 at some point in their career as of January 24, 2016. Otherwise those invitations become “at large” bids.

Admission: adults $10, students $5, and children under 3 feet 6 inches are free. 

Visit the AT&T Coaches Hall of Fame meet page HERE.

Current Armory Coaches Hall of Fame Members are:  Joe Biddy – Suffern (NY), Steve Borbet – Bay Shore (NY), Ed Bowes  - Bishop Loughlin (NY), Andy Capellan – New Rochelle (NY), Bill Carriero– Chaminade (NY), Shaun Dietz  - Medger Evers (NY), Mike Glynn – Ridgewood (NJ), Jimmy Jackson – Boys & Girls (NY), Art Kranick – Saratoga Springs (NY), Linda Kranick – Saratoga Springs (NY), Jim Mitchell – Bronxville (NY) and Nicola Martial – Medger Evers (NY).