Sept. 19 Friday Night Half-Time Ceremony
Elmira to Celebrate Athletic Legends & Dedicate Stadium this Friday
This Friday night, September 19, 2025, Elmira is set to honor its past while looking toward the future. Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate the shared history, athletic achievement, and community spirit that Friday’s ceremonies will bring to life. Elmira City School District will host a special two-part, half-time ceremony honoring athletic excellence and local history. The events include the induction of the newest members into the Elmira Athletic Hall of Fame, and the dedication of a plaque recognizing the Honorable Norman A. Mordue.
Friday, September 19, 2025:
• 6:00 p.m. -- Elmira Express vs. Ithaca Football, gates open at 5:30 p.m.
• Half-Time Ceremony
1. Hall of Fame Induction: Elmira will welcome a new class of Elmira athletes whose achievements across sports have distinguished them among local legends. Their stories, contributions, and legacies will be celebrated.
2. Dedication in Honor of Norman A. Mordue: Norman Mordue, a 1959 graduate of Southside High School who played alongside Ernie Davis in Elmira and later at Syracuse University, will be honored by having a memorable plaque dedicated in his name. The 1959 team marked the beginning of the Thomas J. Hurley era in Elmira football—a pivotal moment in local athletic history.
Mordue’s journey—from Southside High under Coach Thomas Hurley, to Syracuse, to his later career—embodies both athletic and civic excellence. His story is deeply rooted in Elmira’s past and continues to inspire. Read more about Hon. Norman Mordue below.
This dedication is a reminder of the community, coaches, players, and supporters who built Elmira athletics into what it is today.
Thank you to the original donors of the Tom Hurley Athletic Fund, whose generosity made Thomas J. Hurley Stadium possible. Names of those donors include individuals, families, and local businesses whose contributions laid the foundation for Elmira’s athletic complex. Elmira City Schools
Here’s a link to view the full list of those donors: Elmira City Schools:
Tom Hurley Athletic Fund Elmira City Schools
About Hon. Norman Mordue
Born and raised in Elmira, New York, Norman A. Mordue received numerous awards and honors throughout his incredible lifetime. After High School (1960), Norm went to Syracuse University with a full football scholarship, was a member of the 1964 Sugar Bowl team, and graduated from Syracuse University in January 1966 with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics.
He married his high school sweetheart, Christina Peterson. They both were frequent visitors to their beloved hometown of Elmira, where Norman’s incredible legacy began. Norman passed away in December 2022, and his remains are interred at Woodlawn National Cemetery in Elmira.
Upon completion of ROTC as a distinguished Military Graduate and Military student, Norm was commissioned into the Army as a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry. Following additional training at Ft Benning, Georgia, and Ft Lewis, Washington, he was deployed to Vietnam and served with “C” Company, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry of the First Air Cavalry Division. Lt. Mordue distinguished himself on May 31, 1967, while serving as a Platoon Leader of an Airmobile Platoon on a “search and clear” operation in the village of An Qui. When another platoon was pinned down by a numerically superior, well-entrenched Viet Cong force, Lt. Mordue heroically led his platoon on a fierce attack to relieve the pressure on the engaged unit. Seeing two of his men wounded and pinned down, he grabbed a machine gun and braved withering enemy fire to rescue them. He then personally destroyed two enemy bunkers and killed five hostile soldiers in the offensive. Severely wounded, Lt. Mordue refused medical aid while he directed the withdrawal of his men, as deadly artillery strikes were called in on the Viet Cong positions.
For extraordinary heroism, Lt. Mordue was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second-highest military honor.
He was also the recipient of the Bronze Star with “V” for Valor and “Courageous leadership and tenacious devotion to duty”. Lt. Mordue received the Purple Heart, Air Medal, and Combat Infantryman’s Badge. Norman suffered extremely severe wounds, requiring many surgeries and many months of recovery. He was medically discharged from the Army and retired as a Captain.
After his military service, Captain Mordue enrolled in law school at Syracuse University. While in law school, he worked for two years as a Law Clerk in the Onondaga County District Attorney’s office. He graduated from law school in 1971 as a member of the Justinian Honorary Law Society and the recipient of the Phi Alpha Delta award for academic excellence. Judge Mordue continued to serve for ten more years as a Prosecutor and worked his way up from Law Clerk to Chief Assistant District Attorney, in charge of Felony & Homicide prosecutions, with a 100% conviction rate.
After leaving the office as Chief Assistant District Attorney, Norman was elected in a contested race for Onondaga County Court Judge and served from 1983-1985. He was cross-endorsed in 1985 by all four parties and then served for 13 years as a New York State Supreme Court Justice, until his appointment to the United States District Court. Judge Mordue joined the Federal Bench on December 4, 1998, following his Presidential nomination and Senate confirmation in October 1998. The Senate voted on Judge Mordue’s nomination in just 16 days. Judge Mordue served as Chief Judge for the Northern District of New York from March 13, 2006, to December 15, 2011, taking senior status on July 1, 2013. He also taught trial practice for several years at Syracuse University College of Law as an Adjunct Professor.
“Anyone who knew him would have a hard time summing up the man, the mind, the force of life that was Judge Norman A. Mordue. He literally lived multiple lives in different times and places.” Judge Mordue is the kind of person they make movies about.” (Testimonial from Karen G. Felter, former colleague, and friend.)