JERSEY CITY, N.J. – During the Saint Peter's University Athletics Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony, three former Saint Peter's men's basketball head coaches and current head coach John Dunne were all in attendance at the dinner.
Ted Fiore, Rodger Blind, Bob Leckie and Dunne represented the last 30 years of head coaches in Peacocks history, including all three Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament titles, one league regular season title and almost 400 wins.
Fiore took over the program for the 1986-87 season and was the head coach for the next nine seasons, leading Saint Peter's to two MAAC Tournament titles (1991, 1995) and one MAAC regular season crown (1987). Fiore is the second winningest head coach in program history with a 151-110 record.
Blind was an assistant under Fiore for his nine seasons in Jersey City and then took over for Fiore for the 1995-96 season and was the coach of Saint Peter's for five seasons.
Leckie replaced Blind in 2000-01 and coached the Peacocks for the next six seasons. Leckie is a 1968 graduate and a member of the 1968 NIT team that advanced to the semifinals and was inducted into the Saint Peter's Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995. Leckie recruited and coached Keydren Clark, who went onto to become the all-time leading scorer in program history and led the nation in scoring in 2004 and 2005. The squad advanced to the MAAC Tournament Championship Game in 2005-06 under Leckie before he announced his retirement following that season.
Dunne, who finished his ninth season in 2014-15, is the current head coach of the Saint Peter's men's basketball team and led the team to the 2011 MAAC Tournament title. Dunne has defeated Rutgers three times in his tenure and also has wins against Seton Hall and Alabama on his resume. With the 68-60 win against Iona on Mar. 1, Dunne became the fourth head coach in program history to post 100 wins at Saint Peter's, joining Fiore, Bob Dukiet and Don Kennedy. The Peacocks lost to eventual MAAC Tournament Champion Manhattan in the semifinals this season.
Fiore and Blind were in attendance at the event representing the 1994-95 Saint Peter's men's basketball team, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame after winning the 1995 MAAC Tournament title 20 years ago.
Also in attendance was Bob Hurley, who was inducted into the Saint Peter's Athletics Hall of Fame as the special achievement recipient. Hurley, a 1971 graduate of Saint Peter's, has been the boys basketball head coach at Saint Anthony for over 40 years and has led the Friars to over 1,000 wins, 27 state parochial titles, four national titles and posted seven undefeated seasons.
