Nyack High School
Class of 1966

Back in the 1960s true athletes played sports every season all
year long. Jerome Whidbee was no exception. For him in the
fall the sport was football, when the winter season came about
Jerome was at home on the basketball court, and in the spring
he spent his days playing shortstop for Nyack High School.
And no matter what team he played on, Jerome was the captain
and leader of the group.

On the football field, Jerome was a two-way varsity starter in
1964 and 1965. In both of those years Nyack and Spring Valley
tied for the Rockland County PSAL championship. Coincidentally,
Spring Valley and Nyack tied in their matchups both
years. The 1964 game between Nyack and Spring Valley, a
7-7 tie, reportedly drew the largest attendance up to that time
in the history of Rockland County sports. Jerome was the starting
quarterback for the Indians those two years, and in 1965
he was also the captain of the team. For his efforts on the football
field, Jerome was selected as the first-team All-County
quarterback both years. He was a unanimous choice in his
senior year, and was also selected as the All-Daily News starting
quarterback.

During the winter, Jerome was a three-year starter on the
Nyack varsity basketball team. He was the point guard and
directed a powerful offense as they ran up and down that small
Nyack gym. In 1966, Jerome’s senior year, he was elected
captain of the team and voted first-team All-County by The
Journal-News.

Jerome’s efforts in the spring were similar to that of his basketball
career. He was a three-year starter on the Nyack baseball
team at shortstop. In 1966, his senior year, Jerome was the
captain of the team and was voted to first-team All-County at
shortstop by The Journal-News. That’s quite a senior year, three
sports, being captain for three teams, and three first-team All-
County selections!

Upon graduating from Nyack High School, Jerome accepted
an athletic scholarship at Tennessee State University. Tennessee
State is the largest historically black state-funded university in
Tennessee. Jerome chose to concentrate on football and made
the varsity team as a freshman. After his first-year Jerome
returned to Nyack and decided to get married and start a
family. He went to work at the Rockland Psychiatric Center in
Orangeburg in the maintenance department and stayed there
for 15 years. He then moved on to Helen Hayes Hospital in
West Haverstraw and continued to work until his retirement.
Jerome has four children: Ronald, Todd, Selena and Venita, and
currently lives in Spring Valley

Never one to remain idle, Jerome continued to compete in
athletics in Rockland County on the semipro and recreational
level. He quarterbacked the then newly formed Rockland
Warriors, a semipro football team in Rockland County, for a
couple of years while he was still young. Jerome was also a
standout in the Rockland County Recreational Flag Football
League, playing both ways at quarterback and defensive back.
Being the multi-sport athlete that he was, Jerome also played
shortstop for the famed Apollo XII softball team that participated
in and won many softball tournaments around the
county, most notably the Deer Head Inn Tournament. When
one speaks of the great athletes in Nyack history, Jerome
Whidbee’s name is always in the conversation.

N YA C K  I N D I A N S