Hall of Fame
Sal Ciampi was an accomplished football and baseball coach for over three decades at East Islip High School in Suffolk County on Long Island.
He started his coaching career in 1966 as an assistant coach at Lawrence High School. In 1970, he took the head football job at East Islip. As a football coach for 25 years Sal had a career record of 165-47-7 for a winning percentage of .769. During those 25 years he had 22 winning seasons and three undefeated teams. His teams also won 13 league championships, five conference championships, four Rutgers Cups (awarded to the best football team in Suffolk County) and in 1982 his team was co-ranked #1 in the state. He accumulated 14 league Coach of the Year awards and was a two-time state Coach of the Year in 1975 and 1982. After he retired as head coach in 2000, Coach Ciampi stayed on with the team as a special consultant.
As East Islip’s head baseball coach from 1974-2004, Sal compiled a record of 601-183-1, equivalent to a .766 winning percentage. He is the first coach in Suffolk County history to get to the 600-win milestone in the sport. Over 31 seasons, 29 of his teams had winning seasons while 21 of those captured league championships, five county championships, three Long Island crowns, and two NYSPHSAA state titles. Sal coached seven Yastrzemski Award winners including fellow inductee Boomer Esiason, and saw three of his players go on to play in the major leagues. During his tenure as head coach, he was awarded league Coach of the Year 21 times, and twice had a streak of six consecutive awards prior to retirement in 2004. Ten years prior, Coach Ciampi was voted into the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.
A 1966 Purdue University graduate, Sal also earned a masters degree at Brooklyn College.