Long Island youth swimming leader, Peter Hugo, dies at 73

Peter Hugo, the president of the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association, which determines All-America honors in boys and girls high school swimming and diving, has died. Hugo, a Great Neck resident, was 73.

He worked for 35 years in Great Neck public schools as a driver’s education and physical education teacher before becoming the district’s director of athletics. Hugo died Thursday at the Parker Jewish Institute in Lake Success after a nearly two-year battle with prostate cancer.

"He is Mr. New York State swimming," said Pat Pizzarelli, the executive director for Section VIII, which governs Nassau high school sports. "He was a wonderful ambassador for boys swimming. He was so passionate about the sport."

Hugo's death came just weeks after his wife, Patricia, also 73, died of ovarian cancer, with her husband nearby.

He served as the NISCA's boys swimming and diving coordinator for Nassau County and New York State. Hugo also held the title of Rules Committee chair, whose main duty was to represent the association at events of the National Federation of State High School Associations, also known as the NFHS, which publishes the national rule book for high school swimming. He was an active member of the Long Island Swimming Officials Association and officiated swim meets in high school and middle school through the 2024-25 swim season.

"Peter had a profound impact on swimming and diving for over four decades and even before he took over as the New York State swimming coordinator in 2010," said Joe Altieri, the assistant director of the New York State Public High Schools Athletic Association.

"He was doing incredible things for NYSPHSAA and the student athletes in New York," Altieri said. "He was always active on the state committee, working hard at the tournament and everyone loved working with him. When he took over as state coordinator, he took our tournament to the next level and worked in unison with our office on various other successful initiatives. Peter knew what it took for the sport to grow and to help student-athletes get the best possible experience. Our office will miss him immensely."

Hugo was born on Dec. 4, 1951, and grew up in New Hyde Park. He graduated from Great Neck South High School in 1970. He was the school’s record-holder in cross country for 51 years and voted senior athlete of the year.

He earned All-Region XV cross country honors at Orange County Community College in upstate Middletown and then attended SUNY Cortland, where he ran for the cross-country team and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physical education.

"He was quite the athlete," said his son Chris Hugo, of Great Neck.

Peter Hugo married his high school sweetheart, Patricia McNichol, in 1975. They met in the 10th grade, and he took her to a Doors concert at Forest Hills Stadium on their first date. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on April 4.

"It’s been very hard on the family as Mom passed away about three weeks ago from ovarian cancer," Chris Hugo said. "She was 73 years old. But here’s a great love story. My parents were in different hospitals and hadn’t seen each other in three months. We moved heaven and earth and got them put in the same hospital, in the same room at Long Island Jewish. They were together for one week before she passed."

Chris Hugo said his mother had been "in decline, and I worried about my dad watching her slip away. And he said, ‘there’s nowhere in the world that I’d rather be, than with her.' "

Their life together included vacations over the years in New Hampshire, where they had finally decided to build their dream/retirement home.

"They were renting for a few years and bought a nice piece of property near a lake, and completely renovated the house," Chris Hugo said. "And it’s beautiful. Sadly, they never got to use it."

Hugo also left his mark as a high school coach. He guided Great Neck North to three straight boys swimming and diving Nassau County championships from 1993-1995. Chris Hugo was a member of all three title teams.

"He coached me and my brother Danny and had numerous Nassau and state champions and a few All-Americans," Chris Hugo said. "He was most proud that Great Neck North was the first team to ever win all three relays at the New York State championships in 1993."

Hugo would capture another Nassau crown in 2001.

"Our family took so much pride in Dad’s dedication to swimming," Chris Hugo said. "He left an everlasting mark in the sport. Nobody worked harder or put in more hours and sacrificed for that sport over the past 40 years."

Along with his son Chris, Peter Hugo is survived by son Daniel Hugo and his wife, Kaitlin, of Garden City; grandchildren Daniel Hugo and Campbel Hugo; a sister, Regina Pagles, of Utah; and two brothers, Frederick Hugo and Paul Hugo, both of Miami.

A viewing will be held Wednesday from 3 to 7 p.m. at Fairchild Sons Funeral Chapel in Manhasset. A funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church  in Great Neck. The family is setting up a scholarship fund in Peter Hugo’s name.

By Gregg Sarra

gregg.sarra@newsday.com@Gregg_Sarra

Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.