Garden City Public Schools

Garden City High School lacrosse coach Steve Finnell was inducted into the 2025 National Interscholastic Lacrosse Coaches Association Hall of Fame during the organization’s annual award dinner on Oct. 18 at the Milleridge Inn in Jericho, New York.

Coach Finnell has guided the Trojans to a remarkable 304 victories and among this incredible tally are 14 Nassau County Championships, 10 Long Island Championships and six state championships. His teams have been consistently ranked nationally — in 2012 as No. 1, and in the top 25 most recently in 2025.

Finnell is known for his deep knowledge of the game, tireless preparation and embodiment of everything an interscholastic program could hope for in a coach, teacher and mentor. Beyond his leadership at Garden City, he serves as an ambassador for the sport of lacrosse and carries the school’s reputation proudly when competing against the nation’s top programs in other lacrosse strongholds.

“Coach Finnell has been the heart of Garden City Lacrosse for two decades” said Mr. Ed Ramirez, Garden City director of athletics. “He set the standard for excellence, sportsmanship and tradition and his induction into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame is a proud moment for our entire community.”

The NILCA is dedicated to the support and education of secondary school lacrosse coaches. Dating back to 1968, the NILCA has supported educational clinics, conventions, and high school lacrosse record keeping, and has conferred national Coach and Man of the Year awards.