Thomas Hoey ’75

2008 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee

Thomas Henry Hoey was born on December 31, 1957, the oldest of six children born to Thomas Anthony Hoey and Elizabeth Marie Miller. Tom was born in Astoria General Hospital and lived in Astoria until he was five years old when his growing family moved to Flushing. He attended St. Kevin’s Elementary School and was active in sports, especially baseball and basketball.

In 1971, his family moved to a bigger home in the Auburndale section of Flushing. His parents were devout Catholics and insisted that Tom attend a Catholic High School.

While at McClancy, Tom ran track and field before concentrating solely on basketball. As a sophomore, Tom was the last player cut on the Junior Varsity Team. This would prove to be the turning point in Tom’s basketball career. Tom was determined to make the Varsity Basketball team. The following year, he returned to school almost seven inches taller. Tom not only made the Varsity Team but was a member of the starting five half way through the season. In his senior year, Tom was the starting center and was the team’s leading scorer which earned him selections as ALL Brooklyn-Queens and Second-team All-City.

Tom accepted an athletic scholarship to St. Michael’s College in Winooski, Vermont. He finished his career with 1,317 points and was named an All-American Second team selection in his senior year. Following his graduation in 1979, Tom went on to play three years of professional basketball in Europe and South America. He was inducted into St. Michael’s College Hall of Fame on September 29, 1990.

On February 25, 1986, Tom embarked on a new career by becoming a Police Officer with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. On May 3, 2003, Tom was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. He is currently assigned to LaGuardia Airport, where he is a supervisor in the Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting Operation. Tom is married to his wife of eight years, Xiomara and they have two children, Eleina and Isabella. They reside in Lake Success, New York.