Floyd basketball coach Robert Hodgson dies
Floyd head coach Bob Hodgson during a Class AA semifinal game. (March 1, 2011) Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
Robert Hodgson, the longtime boys basketball coach at William Floyd High School, died late Saturday afternoon at Stony Brook University Hospital.
Hodgson was admitted to the hospital last Sunday, the day after Floyd, the Suffolk Class AA champion, lost to Baldwin in the Long Island title game. The 63-year-old coach had complained of chest pain.
The wake will be Wednesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at Roma Funeral Home in Shirley. A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Jude's Roman Catholic Church in Mastic Beach.
"He was such a dedicated coach," said longtime friend Paul Longo, who worked with Hodgson for the past 24 years in the Floyd district. "Our William Floyd community has lost a coach who was committed to the student-athletes of our district. He was loved by his players and had built the basketball program into a very successful one."
Hodgson, a 1967 West Islip graduate, turned the Floyd basketball program into a perennial contender. He led Floyd to the Suffolk Class AA title when the Colonials defeated Central Islip at Farmingdale State. Floyd, the Suffolk League I champion, had a record of 20-3.
