Howie Ruppert was a transformative coach at St. Peter’s High School; at the College of Staten Island, where he won back-to-back CUNY championships and a Metro Coach of the Year award; and at Seton Hall where, as an assistant coach, he helped steer the Pirates’ run to the 1989 NCAA championship game. But one triumph stands above the others.
When Ruppert’s 1983 St. Peter’s team won the CHSAA city championship, they became – and remain – the only Staten Island high school boys’ basketball team, public or private, to win a city title.
Did You Know?
Only three Staten Island boys’ basketball teams made it to a city championship game. The others were the 1977 McKee team led by Hall of Famer Kenny Page and the 1938 St. Peter’s team that included Hall of Famers Jack McGinley and Buddy O’Grady.
