The Fairport Board of Education voted unanimously on Tuesday to officially name the expanded athletic complex at Fairport High School after former coach, athletic director and Fairport legend Don Santini. A combined student and staff committee made the recommendation to administrators and the recommendation was approved on June 16, 2026. The newly-named Don Santini Athletic Complex on the campus of Fairport High School will include practice fields, the multipurpose turf field, new tennis courts, a new track and field facility and Joe Cummings Field. Joe Cummings Field will retain its name as part of the complex.

 

Coach Don Santini graduated from Fairport High School in 1957. From 1975 to 1992, he coached football at Fairport High School and was the all-time winningest coach in New York State history when he retired from coaching to become the District's athletic director. Coach Santini is credited with the Fairport mantra of ‘Once a Raider, Always a Raider’. 

 

In 1986, Santini, a 1961 alumni of SUNY Brockport, was inducted into the Brockport Hall of Fame. He was inducted into Fairport Central School District’s Alumni Wall of Fame in 2001 and the Fairport Red Raider Athletic Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class of 2024 for his contributions to the legacy of Fairport athletics and lasting impact on countless student-athletes.

 

Chris Coke, a Fairport graduate and former Fairport athlete who played under Coach Santini’s leadership, spoke to the Board of Education at the vote to approve the name. 

 

“He was the football coach, but he was about so much more than just football. He’s most well-known for his records, Sectional championships, State titles…but he was so much more than that and meant so much more to the community…[N]obody was able to bring people together like he was.” 

 

Said Superintendent of Schools Brett Provenzano, “Coach Santini was a cornerstone of our community. Naming this complex after Don is a fitting tribute to an individual who was passionate about everything ‘Fairport’.”

 

The District will celebrate the official naming of the Don Santini Athletic Complex during the fall of 2026.