James Osborne named to the NYSPHSAA Hall of Fame

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) has inducted James Osborne, the longtime Section IX administrator into its Hall of Fame.

He was one of six members of the NYSPHSAA Class of 2023 Hall of Fame.

“James Osborne has been one of the most respected administrators in New York State dating back to the 1970s,” the athletic association said in its press release announcing the Hall of Fame inductees.

For NYSPHSAA, he served as an officer from 2012-20, including president from 2016-18, and has been a tournament chair for the boys soccer state tournament and football east state semifinals.

The Burke High School connection

Osborne began his career in Section IX as a teacher, coach and athletic director in 1976 at John S. Burke Catholic High School in Goshen. There, he coached baseball for five seasons, winning two divisional titles, and boys soccer, enjoying a highly successful career as the varsity soccer coach for 17 seasons. As the soccer coach, he accumulated a 233-74-11 career record, two NYSPHSAA Capitol Championships, six Sectional Championships, and ten division championships.

He was named The Times Herald-Record Coach of the Year in 1983 and Hudson Valley News Coach of the Year in 1990.

Following his career at Burke Catholic, he became the Athletic Coordinator for Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA), implementing several successful programs for Section IX over a 20-year period including the largely attended OCIAA Senior Scholar Athlete Awards banquet and expanded coaching course offerings locally.

In 1996, just two years into his tenure as Athletic Coordinator, he was additionally appointed Section IX Treasurer and in 2008 became the Section IX Secretary. He has retired from those positions, but now works for the NYSPHSAA as a Regional Coordinator.

Osborne has been recognized for a distinguished career as a coach and administrator including an induction into the Burke Catholic Hall of Fame (2003) and the NYS High School Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame (2006).

The NYSAAA recognized him on numerous occasions with the Distinguished Service Award, the Apple Award and the Athletic Director Chapter Award.

A graduate of Orange County Community College and Marshall University, Osborne was a multi-sport athlete at Burke Catholic High School in Goshen (Section IX).

He and his wife Marie currently reside in Milford, Pa., and the couple has three children and two grandchildren.