Icons Macaluso and Garcia tabbed for Sports Club HOF

By Jarrett Guthrie
Editor

TAMPA – Two of Hillsborough County’s coaching icons will be added to the Sports Club of Tampa Bay’s Hall of Fame this summer, as longtime King High baseball coach Jim Macaluso and Hillsborough High football coach Earl Garcia have been selected for the 2023 class, Sports Club president Pete Scaglione told 813Preps on Tuesday.

The two coaches were selected under the local sports category, with names from the professional ranks representing Tampa Bay being added to the 2023 HOF class in the coming weeks.

For more than 50 years the Sports Club of Tampa Bay has honored the legacy and history of professional, college, amateur and prep sports in our community, with the Hall of Fame dating back to 1982.

The primary focus of the organization is raising funds for area youth sports organizations, with the Sports Club of Tampa Bay donating over the years to non-profits like the Saladino Tournament, the Peter J. Mulry Foundation, and the Boys and Girls Club of Tampa Bay.

Scaglione said with that primary focus, it is crucial that the Club’s Hall of Fame ranks include the coaches who have dedicated decades to building programs, and educating and teaching the community’s student-athletes.

“The whole purpose of our organization is to raise money for local sports programs, be they Little Leagues, high schools, Boys and Girls Club, or what have you,” Scaglione said. “So, we always want to make sure we honor the local sports legends who have made their mark with our youth – and both Coach Mac and Coach Garcia have made that mark over the years.”

Macaluso, who took over the baseball program at his alma mater in 1976 and has lead the Lions to 13 FHSAA state playoff appearances, winning 12 district crowns, three Saladino Tournament titles, and five region titles – most recently finishing as the 2017 state runner-up. During the 2022 season, King named its baseball field after Macaluso.

Last season, King High and the Hillsborough County School Board honored Macaluso by naming the field he has coached on for 47 years after him, read more about that by clicking here.

Garcia, who has coached football for 48 years, including the last 29 spent as the Terriers head coach, and is the winningest high school football coach in Tampa Bay history with 287 wins.

Garcia was recently also inducted into the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame last summer.

This year’s induction ceremony will be held on June 7th at the Pepin Hospitality Center, and the Club will have ticketing announcements through the website soon. For more information on the Sports Club of Tampa Bay, visit its website by clicking here.