Joseph M. Mayer, a scholar-athlete at Cortland in the early 1960's, won acclaim on Long Island as a successful coach, community program innovator, and the founder of a high school basketball scouting service.
Born in New York, Mayer attended Grover Cleveland High. At SUNY Cortland, Mayer was an all-state and All-SUNY Tournament selection on Coach Whitney T. "Pete" Corey's '43 basketball squads. He lettered three years and was team captain. He won the Red Letter Award as a senior. He played football, was junior class president, a member of Beta Phi Epsilon fraternity, and recipient of the Corey Scholarship. He was named to "Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities." He also met and married his wife, Judith Hill Mayer '62, a cheerleader, while at Cortland. Mayer earned a Bachelor of Science in Health and Physical Education in 1962. He later earned a master's degree in education from Queens College and completed the CED master's program at SUNY Stony Brook.
From 1962-70, Mayer taught physical education, health and recreation in the Massapequa (N.Y.) School District. He was head basketball coach at Massapequa High and assistant football coach at Berner High. From 1970-91, he taught and coached in the Harborfields School District in Greenlawn, N.Y. He was also the Huntington/Harborfields recreation supervisor from 1972-81. Mayer, an assistant football and head tennis coach during his career, was head basketball coach at Massapequa for nine seasons and at Harborfields for 20 years.
Five times he was voted Suffolk Basketball Coach of the Year and twice named New York State Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year. He is a past president of the Nassau County/Suffolk County Basketball Coaches Associations and served on its executive board for 21 years. While there, he developed the concept of the "Nassau 100" and " Suffolk 100," which highlight the Top 200 Long Island prep basketball players. During his 36-year career, Mayer has been instrumental in placing hundreds of scholastic athletes in colleges and universities. He is co-founder and president of the non-profit Long Island Profile Basketball Scouting Service.
Since 1970, Mayer has been director of the Villanova Basketball Summer Camp. While at Harborfields, he developed an instructional basketball league for community boys and girls and used varsity players as coaches and officials. He employed the same concept in creating and serving as executive director for Youth Development basketball and lacrosse programs in the Three Rivers community. He was recognized as Three Rivers "Man of the Year in Sports" in 1980.
The Mayers have six children: Christine, Kathleen, Kimberly, Karen, Joseph and Catherine '91.
UPDATE: Joseph passed away on March 13, 2025.
