Coach
Inducted Class of 2001
Coach Furman had a memorable 16-year coaching career at DeSales High School. A 1941 graduate of Elmira Free Academy, Harry was a 3-year letter winner in football and a 2-year letter winner in basketball. He went on to Cornell University where he played tackle on the football team and graduated in 1946. After college he had a tryout with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and then went on to receive his M.A. in Physical Education from the University of North Carolina in 1948.
Harry served as an assistant and head coach at the high school and college level before arriving at DeSales High School in 1969. Coach Furman led DeSales to its first league title in 1970 when his team went undefeated and unscored upon in league play. He led the Saints to three-league and two-sectional titles and was named Finger Lakes West Coach of the Year four times. Most important of all was the positive influence he had on the lives of his players. He has been inducted into the Metro-Elmira Football Hall of Fame and the Section IV Sports Hall of Fame. In 1980 the NYS Coaches Assoc. presented Coach Furman with their Honor Award.