2017 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee
Woody Bonhomme was born and raised in Queens, New York. He thoroughly enjoyed playing every sport from baseball to basketball to two-hand-touch football with his childhood friends. Woody fondly remembers racing his friends from one end of the block to the other as well as playing tag and having to chase them down. His love of running has not stopped since then.
Although he had a successful freshman year in track, he remembers a sea of red uniforms and a band of brothers that made up the Monsignor McClancy Crusaders led by Hall of Fame Coach, James Carey. His passion for running, and the impact that the Crusaders made during track meets, as well as having the opportunity to join his cousins Esparo and Hall of Famer Fritz Voltaire made a difference.
Under the guidance of Coach Carey, Woody earned various accolades. He holds the school record in the 1000 meter run and anchored each of the top three All-Time sprint medley relays. Woody was a City Champion in the 1000m and received the Outstanding Athlete Indoor Track Award during the 1993-1994 season. He and his teammates were members of five Brooklyn-Queens as well as three NYC CHSAA Championships. Along with receiving his high school diploma in 1994, he was recognized for having perfect attendance in each of his four years. He credits his parents, Nicole and Eddy, as well as Coach Carey for his discipline, work ethic, and academic as well as track accomplishments. Woody received an athletic scholarship to Iona College, where he continued his track career as a mid-distance runner and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Education. In addition to earning his Bachelor’s degree, he also has two Master’s Degrees.
Presently, Woody is an accomplished elementary school teacher, with over twenty years of experience in educating and mentoring young minds. Woody met his wife Denise in 2000 and got married in 2004. They are raising their two children, Savannah and Jayden. All those years of running around the track have afforded him the ability to keep up with his children as they run around the track as well.