Two Living Legends Honored
During the 2018–19 season, St. Francis Brooklyn Director of Athletics Irma Garcia ’80 announced the retiring of
jerseys for two women’s basketball legends, Jeanne Zatorski ’79 and Karen Erving-Schiera ’91.
I
t is the first time in history that former SFC women’s basketball
student-athletes will have their numbers retired by the program.
This announcement kicks-off the athletic initiatives to support
and honor Terrier excellence through our female athletic alumnae as
part of the college’s campaign to celebrate 50 years of educating
women and its 160-year history.
“We are proud to announce the jersey number retirements of two
basketball legends here at St. Francis College,” said Director of Athletics
Irma Garcia. “Jeanne and Karen are historic figures in the St. Francis
community and are both extremely deserving of this prestigious honor.
We look forward to seeing both of their jerseys retired and celebrating
these special days with Jeanne, Karen, and their families.”
Zatorski’s number 15 was retired during halftime of the women’s
basketball game against Albany on Saturday, December 15th.
Erving-Schiera’s number 40 will be raised next to Zatorski’s on Sunday,
February 9th, at halftime of the game against Fairleigh Dickinson.
Both contests are scheduled for a 1 pm tip-off at the Pope Physical
Education Center, the home of the brand-new, state-of-the-art Peter
Aquilone Court.
Both days have been given special themes to commemorate the
excellence of both Zatorski and Erving-Schiera. On December 15th,
the Terriers celebrated “15 for 15” in honor of Zatorski’s number
15 being enshrined in the Pope Physical Education Center. A week
of honoring Terrier excellence through celebrations for each one of our
women’s athletic programs here at the College wraps up on February
9th, with “Karen Fest,” a ceremony that will ensue as Erving-Schiera’s
number 40 gets cemented in Terrier history.
Zatorski became the first woman inducted into the St. Francis
Brooklyn Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987, and now she is the first former
women’s basketball student-athlete to have her number retired at
St. Francis Brooklyn.
As the third all-time leading scorer with 1,704 career points,
Zatorski’s legacy is well-documented in the SFC women’s basketball
record book. She ranks third in career rebounds with 878. Zatorski
converted the second-most field goals in SFC women’s basketball
history (765) and is 11th in career field goal percentage (45.4%).
She scored over 450 points in a season twice in her career and
tallied 468 points in 1977–78 and 456 points in 1978–79. Those totals
place her ninth and 11th, respectively, on the Terriers’ single-season
scoring list.
Erving-Schiera is an all-time basketball great in the tristate area.
She was inducted into the St. Francis Brooklyn Athletics Hall of Fame
in 1997, just six years after her graduation.
Number 40 is the college’s all-time leading scorer in men’s and
women’s, having registered 1,929 career points. Erving-Schiera holds
the Terriers’ women’s basketball records for career rebounds (1,049),
points in a single-season (591, 1988–89), career field goals made
(798), and field goals made in a single-season (241, 1988–89).
She is one of just two St. Francis Brooklyn basketball student-athletes
to compile over 1,500 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
Erving-Schiera is the only member of the women’s basketball program
to accomplish that historic feat. ●
Men’s Soccer Celebrates 50 Years
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t’s a landmark year for men’s soccer at St. Francis College and the Terriers started off the season with a win
over Lafayette College. Talented local players from New York and New Jersey play alongside players from soccer
powerhouse countries, such as Italy, Spain, France, Australia, and Venezuela. In 2017, the team posted 14 wins,
the second-most victories in a single season in program history.
St. Francis opened Northeast Conference play with a satisfying win over Central Connecticut State. The Terriers outshot the Blue Devils
8–4. “We needed to come out today and play a strong first half,” said Terriers head coach Tom Giovatto. “We want to continue to post
shutouts, play strong defense and register more clean sheets. As a team, we need to take this effort and build on it.” ●
ST. FRANCIS COLLEGE TERRIER | WINTER 2018, VOLUME 82, NUMBER 1
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