Section XI News

Section XI Mourns Loss of Nick DeCillis

Nick DeCillis was involved with Suffolk County high school athletics for more than 65 years and spent a lifetime dedicated to student-athletes. Section XI is mourning his loss after he passed away at the age of 90.

For much of the last 20 years DeCillis was Section XI’s administrator for fundraising and helped build partnerships with local and regional businesses.

“Nick was and will forever be a major part of what we do at Section XI,” said Tom Combs, Executive Director of Section XI. “He spent his lifetime caring about student-athletes and was integral in business development on behalf of the organization. His personality, character and spirit made all of us better and we’re fortunate to know and have worked so closely with him.”

A New York City native and Seward Park High School graduate, DeCillis attended New York University and in 1956 started his tenure in the Middle Country School District.

From 1956 through 1959 he was a football, baseball and track coach at Newfield High School where he was a physical education teacher. For the next 35 years he was the district’s athletic director. He served as an interim athletic director following his retirement.

DeCillis is an inductee of the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame, and New York State Public High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame. The football field was named in his honor at Newfield in 1998, and the conference room at the Section XI offices was named in his honor in 2021.

Service information: Friday, September 16 from 2-7:30 p.m. at Branch Funeral Home.