Rangers induct two into hall

The Spencerport Rangers Athletic Hall of Fame grew by two at ceremonies held June 6 at the annual Athletic Banquet as Tom Billone and Steve Dzina were inducted.

Billone was a three-time Monroe County Champion and won Section V and New York State championships at 132 pounds in 1987. In 1986, Billone took the 126 pound Class A title with a 6-0 win in the final bout. In 1987, he won the Section Five title with a 12-3 decision in the finals before overcoming an elbow injury to take his Super Sectionals match 4-2 to advance to the State Tournament.

He also was named Spencerport's most outstanding senior athlete and the recipient of the Harold "Chick" Schum Award in 1987 and is now the president of Billone Mechanical Contractors based in Victor.

"I was extremely honored and excited," said Billone by phone about receiving his Hall notification. "My wife and I opened the letter and read it together and I felt very proud that all my hard work paid off. This puts a great ending on my wrestling career. I was honored to wrestle under Coach (Bill) Jacoutot with his reputation and knowledge. He played a critical role in my career as a coach, a good friend and father figure."

Dzina, was, and is, the most successful swimming coach in the 37-year history of the Spencerport program.

In 19 seasons, the current fifth grade teacher at Munn Elementary amassed a 191-60 win/loss record and led the Rangers to Section Five titles over the last eight consecutive seasons of his coaching career. Included was a perfect 14-0 season in 1997-98.

Spencerport began their Athletic Hall of Fame in 1969. With the addition of Billone and Dzina, the total number of inductees is now 58.

June 10, 2007