Hall of Fame
Persio “Andy” Capellan is a highly successful cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track and field coach in New York State. Capellan earned his high school diploma from Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from New York University and a master’s degree in Administration at Iona College. In 1975, he began coaching football at Stuyvesant High School and it wasn’t long before the athletic director told him he would take over the girls track program at the school as well. He did for five years until leaving and becoming a teacher, administrator and the girls cross country, indoor, and outdoor track & field coach at New Rochelle High School (Section I) where he has seen great success over the last 38 years. While coaching both indoor and outdoor track and field, he has led his teams to a combined total of 54 league titles, 48 Westchester County titles, and 39 Section I Class A Championships. His outdoor track teams have won every league title since 1996 and won the Sectional title every year since 1991. He has also coached 43 individual NYSPHSAA state champions in 49 events as well as nine relay teams. He’s had one athlete win the 2008 Nike Outdoor National Championships in the 400m hurdles and also coached a National Champion 4x200m relay team. Andy currently is a member of the Section I Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Committees, the Glen Loucks Games Committee and has been the meet director for the Section I Class B Track and Field Championships. For his contributions and successes, he was inducted into the New Rochelle Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 and was inducted into the New Balance Track and Field Center Hall of Fame in 2016. In addition, he has been recognized as Coach of the Year by fellow coaches or the media on 23 occasions between 1988 to 2018, which includes earning the New York State Coach of the Year Award for outdoor track and receiving the same award again in cross country in 2015 and 2016.