Annual recognition honors dedicated youth sports coaches from across the region
Buffalo, N.Y. (Oct. 6, 2026) – Today, Oct. 6, marks National Coaches Day, and Project Play Western New York (WNY) is celebrating with an announcement of its annual Coaches Honor Roll and the 2026 Dick Gallagher Lifetime Service Award recipient.
Athletes, parents and members of youth sports organizations from across Western New York submitted dozens of nominations for local coaches. The honorees will be recognized at Project Play WNY’s annual Thank You Coach event later this month at a private celebration held in partnership with the Buffalo Sabres.
“As the backbone of youth sports, coaches serve as mentors, role models and inspirations for our young athletes,” said Project Play WNY Director Antwan Barlow. “Project Play WNY believes they should be celebrated, both to recognize the region’s most dedicated coaches and encourage others to follow their lead in becoming involved in youth sports. This class of honorees reflects the many coaches who are creating positive experiences for young athletes across Western New York.”
The Coaches Honor Roll recognizes non-scholastic youth sports coaches who work with athletes ages 13 and under. Each honoree demonstrates values that help ensure a supportive, nurturing environment for young people. These coaches also exemplify the values of Project Play WNY, which funds programs and convenes organizations to help build a community in which all children have access to sports.
2026 Coaches Honor Roll:
· Kristina Colburn, Lockport Little Loop Football and Cheer
· Lauren Doerfler, Buffalo Bomb Squad Baseball and Softball
· Marc Daul, Niagara Police Athletic League
· Madison Gauthier, River Rock Baseball League
· Elida Green, Little League Challenger Division (Olean Little League)
· Charles Johnson, Lockport Little Loop Football and Cheer
· Tony Jones, Blessed Sacrament Athletic Club
· Travis Koehler, Clarence Youth Football and Cheer Association
· Ronald Langhorne, First Tee – Western New York
· Jonathan Malczewski, Buffalo Regals Hockey Club
· Jaye Pratt, Just Blaze Track Club
· Zach Zurat, Salamanca Youth Football & Cheer
· Scott Zgoda, Clarence Soccer Club
Project Play WNY is also proud to announce that Lawrence Bordonaro, of Mathewson McCarthy Baseball & WNY Premier Baseball Travel League, will receive the Dick Gallagher Lifetime Service Award.
The award recognizes an individual who has used their platform as a youth sports coach or youth sports organization leader to support, recognize and advocate for youth athletes both on and off the field, for a decade or more. The award honors the legacy of Dick Gallagher, a tireless youth sports advocate and Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame inductee, who also dedicated his professional life to helping young people struggling with addiction.
Dick Gallagher encouraged Bordonaro to get involved in coaching back in 1985 when his own son started T-ball. Described as setting a “standard for what youth sports in this community should look like,” Bordonaro has been a house and tournament team coach at Mathewson McCarthy Baseball for more than 40 years, as well as a fall WNY Select Baseball travel team coach for the last five years and a two-decade member of the organization’s board of directors. He has also encouraged a new generation of coaches to get involved in youth sports.
Those who nominated Bordonaro said that in his four decades of coaching, he has found the positive attributes in every young athlete, from the very talented to the players with no experience at all.
“Plenty of coaches are great with the kids who are already good,” one nominator wrote. “Larry is just as invested in the kid who has never held a bat.”
More information on each honoree can be found at www.projectplaywny.org/thank-you-coach.
About Project Play WNY
Project Play Western New York is driven and funded by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation’s Youth Sports & Recreation focus area in partnership with the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo and the Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program. Project Play Western New York envisions a community in which all children have the opportunity to be active through sports. Every child—regardless of location, income or ability—should have access to fun and fulfilling physical activities that build confidence and set them on a path for lifelong success. For more information, visit www.projectplaywny.org.
About the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo
For more than a century, the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo has enhanced and encouraged long-term philanthropy in the Western New York community. A 501(c)(3) organization, the Community Foundation’s mission is: Connecting people, ideas and resources to improve lives in Western New York. Established in 1919, the Community Foundation has made the most of the generosity of individuals, families, foundations and organizations who entrust charitable assets to the Community Foundation’s care. Learn more at cfgb.org.
About the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation
The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation is a grantmaking organization dedicated primarily to sustained investment in the quality of life of the people of Southeast Michigan and Western New York. The two areas reflect Ralph C. Wilson, Jr.’s devotion to his hometown of Detroit and greater Buffalo, home of his beloved Buffalo Bills NFL team. Prior to his passing in 2014, Mr. Wilson provided that a significant share of his estate be used to continue a life-long generosity of spirit by funding the Foundation that bears his name. Based in Detroit, the Foundation began with a grantmaking capacity of $1.2 billion over a 20-year period, which expires January 8, 2035. This structure is consistent with Mr. Wilson’s desire for the Foundation’s impact to be immediate, substantial, measurable, and overseen by those who knew him best. For more information, visit www.rcwjrf.org.