MIKE HART, Athlete (Section III)
Mike Hart was a record-setting running back while at Onondaga High School (Section III) where he led his teams to three NYSPHSAA State Championships and a 46-1 record from 2000-03. Hart shattered numerous records in his four years at Onondaga including most yards in a season (3,489), most yards in a career (11,045), most 100-yard rushing games (47), most touchdowns in a season (67) and most touchdowns in a career (204) between 2000-03. In the process, Hart garnered numerous honors including three New York State Player of the Year honors and three All-State awards. His mark for most career touchdowns and points scored were also national records. Following graduation, Hart earned a full scholarship to the University of Michigan where he rushed for 41 touchdowns and set a school record in rushing yards (5,040). At Michigan, Mike was a two-time Doak Walker Award finalist for best running back in the country and finished fifth in the voting for the 2006 Heisman Trophy. After graduating from Michigan in 2008, he was selected in the sixth round of the NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts playing three seasons including the 2010 season when the Colts lost to the Saints in the Super Bowl. Hart went onto coach at Eastern Michigan, Indiana University, Western Michigan and three years ago, returned to the University of Michigan coaching from 2021 through the 2023 season. His #32 was retired at Onondaga High School in 2014. Mike currently resides in Ann Arbor with his wife Monique and their three children.
GREG PAULUS, Athlete (Section III)
Greg Paulus was considered the best quarterback and point guard in the state during his years at Christian Brothers Academy (CBA) in Syracuse. Paulus led CBA to its first NYSPHSAA Football State Championship, becoming the first Section III Class AA football team to win a state title. Under center, he broke state records for most touchdowns (152) and most yards (11,760) in a career and most yards in a season (3,677) while earning All-State honors from 2001-04. Additionally, Greg was recognized by Sports Illustrated as the best quarterback in the nation and collected football All-America honors from the U.S. Army, Parade and USA Today. In 2004, he received the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year (which covers all sports). On the court, Greg accumulated 2,399 career points (12th in NYS), was named All-State four times and won New York State Mr. Basketball. In 2005, he was a McDonald’s All-American and rated as the top point guard in the country by . He went onto Duke on a full scholarship as their starting point guard, tallying 1,193 career points and ranks in the top ten in career assists (468), three-point field goals (210) and three-point percentage (.398). The two-time captain and two-time Academic All-American won three ACC Championships and earned numerous All-Conference honors. After graduating from Duke, Greg played one season as the Syracuse University starting quarterback, passing for 2,024 yards, 13 touchdowns and a single season school record completion percentage of 67.7%. Paulus is currently the head basketball coach at Niagara University. He and his wife, Megan, have three children Preston, Whitney and Landon.