Tony Wade

 

Elected : USSSA New York Hall Of Fame in 2019
Inducted : October 2021, Syracuse, NY
 

Tony is a true ative of Syracuse, NY. He was bornin 1956 and was brought up in Syracuse. While he has spent some years of his life in Lancaster, SC, Tony has always found his way back home.

The city of Syracuse and the residents whom it belongs to have, and always will be, something Tony cherishes. I think Syracuse needed him more than he ever needed the city.

He has been coaching a variety of sports consisting of softball, basketball, and football since the 1970s. No matter what sport Tony was coaching one thing remained consistent: his passion for the game. Tony has touched the lives of so many men and women, from top tier athletes such as Dorsey Levens and Ray Seals who both played professional football, to the young man who was known as the “troubled kid” who wasn’t supposed to live to see 20,but turned his life around because Coach Wade believed in him and gave him a chance.

Because of Tony’s upbringing, being 1 of 14 children raised by a single, hard working mother, he has learned the value of life. The three most important things in life to Tony are God, Family, sports; in that order. Growing up his siblings and him didn’t have a lot, but they had each other and Tony made sure to always take care of his family. Once you play on any of Tony’s teams you become a part of his family, which means he’ll always look out for you as a human being and not just a player. Tony is very passionate about sports, but he knows that life is bigger than softball, football, and basketball. Tony has always molded his players into the best player and person they could truly be. Syracuse is blessed to have a coach and mentor like Tony be a resident here.