Longtime Port Jefferson coach and teacher Alphonse (Al) Desiderio passed away recently. He was a business teacher and coach for the Port Jefferson School District from 1958 to 1995.

Coach Desi is the longest-tenured high school baseball coach in Suffolk County’s history, having coached at Port Jefferson for 37 years. He has coached his teams to over 400 wins, including 10 league championships and 20 playoff appearances.

He was inducted into the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame in 1997. He was also a professor of business management at Suffolk County Community College for over 40 years. Always willing to help others, he was involved with the Miracle League of Long Island and helped bring the first softball team to Suffolk County for autistic and handicapped children.

The funeral mass for Al Desiderio will be at Infant Jesus Church in Port Jefferson on Thursday, November 14 at 10:30 a.m. The burial will be at Cedar Hill Cemetery.