Dedicated to the Memory of
THE VERY REV. RUFINUS NIEDZWIECKI, OFM CONV.
The Very Rev. Rufinus Niedzwiecki Memorial Athletic Hall of Fame at St. Francis High School is named after one of Western New York’s legendary sports figures. In over twenty years at his alma mater, St. Francis High School, Father Rufinus built a reputation as one of the area’s finest and most knowledgeable coaches. His basketball teams always enjoyed winning seasons and won numerous Manhattan Cup titles; and his baseball teams were an annual fixture in the Georgetown Cup championships. Besides compiling one of the best records of any coach in the area, his astute administrative abilities led to the building of one of the finest athletic programs in the region a St. Francis.
An outstanding basketball and baseball player, Father Rufinus was a member of the first class to graduate from St. Francis in 1931. Known as a stern disciplinarian, Father “Rufe” is best remembered by his players as a gentle and kind person who was deeply concerned about every young man he coached. In 2002, Fr. Rufinus was inducted in the Western New York Baseball Hall of Fame.