To Phyllis Calogero, sports will always be her number one love. For over 50 years, she has been considered one of the most respected voices in New York State when it comes to high school athletics. From teaching to coaching to administering, she has always made the athletic field her second home, and has been truly selfless in carrying out her responsibilities.

When Phyllis graduated from State University at Cortland in 1952, she began her first career as a Physical Education teacher at Thomas R. Proctor High School. For 18 years, Phyllis taught Utica's high school students about the finer points of proper health and fitness. In 1970, she took that task to Rome Free Academy where she would continue her teaching career for the next ten years.

Realizing her dedication, drive and determination in the gymnasium, Rome Free Academy promoted Phyllis to the position of Athletic Director in 1983. She held the position for 13 years prior to her retirement. While on the job, however, Phyllis let her voice be heard as she worked tirelessly to insure the success of all athletic teams at Rome Free Academy.

With her peers recognizing Phyllis' abilities, she was chosen to lead Section III Athletics as its President. This board, the governing body of all high school athletics in Central New York, would catapult Phyllis to an even higher position when she would serve on the Executive Committee of the entire New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYPHSAA). She served in this capacity for ten years.

Allan Gilberti, in discussing Phyllis' tenure on the Executive Committee of the NYPHSAA, remarked that "Phyllis' directorship style was highly assertive, impeccably honest, and downright feisty; all attributes that were sorely needed at a time when there was a financial crisis, and classification issues, transfer rules issues and codes of conduct concerns to deal with. She handled all these problems with precision and straightforwardness. She served at a perfect time in the NYSPHAA's history."

Phyllis served the Syracuse University Carrier Dome Committee representing Section III sports. Phyllis also served as an officer in the Association of Women in Physical Education in New York State (A WPENYS) prior to the enactment of Title IX. It was on the committee that Phyllis helped pioneer the involvement of high school girls athletic competition by scheduling interscholastic tournaments and meets.

Phyllis' leadership and impact have been recognized throughout the years, most recently with her selection by the Utica Kiwanis Club as its 1999 Len Wilbur Award Winner. That prestigious award spotlights a person who has given tirelessly to the community, just as Phyllis has. She was selected as a National Women's History Woman of Merit in 1987 and received the 1992 National Federation of Interscholastic Athletic Coaches Distinguished Service Award. Her accomplishments in sports have earned her induction in the Thomas R. Proctor Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Rome Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Finally, her career accomplishments earned her recognition from her alma mater when SUNY Cortland inducted Phyllis into its Hall of Fame in 2005.

The Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame (GUSHOF), of which Phyllis is a founding member and Past President, has named its Scholar Athlete Awards in her honor.