Larkin's talent took others by surprise

When it came to sports, Sally Larkin was simply ahead of her time.

Whether she was wearing the sky blue and white of the Adams Center Dodgers Little League team or the black and gold of the South Jefferson Spartans girls basketball squad, Larkin knew how to turn heads.

In an era when girls sports lagged far behind those of boys in popularity, Larkin pushed boundaries, set records and earned the status of local legend.

Larkin, a 1982 South Jefferson graduate, started her varsity basketball career as an eighth-grader. Then-coach Dick Spinelli can still remember the first time he peered through gym-door windows to see Larkin play.

"I couldn't believe what I was looking at," Spinelli said. "She was the first girl I'd ever seen who had a boy's jump shot. ... She just hung in the air."

Larkin honed her skills playing pickup games with her brothers, Tim and Billy, neither of whom were afraid to play rough with their little sister. But, Spinelli said, Sally gave as good as she got.

In 1981, Larkin led the Spartans to their first Section 3 championship and a berth in the state Class C semifinals, where they lost to Section 5's Pavilion, ending the season at 20-1.

In 1982, Larkin produced 51 points in a game against Lowville, the best individual effort the Frontier League had ever seen. During her final season, she scored a total of 537 points, averaging 31.6 per game. She averaged 19.3 points per game over her career, finishing with 1,521, all without the help of a 3-point line.

Larkin, a 5-foot-7-inch player who could shoot and dribble with both hands, was a three-time Frontier League All-Star and one-time state Class C player of the year.

Sandy Creek's Terri Haynes later passed Larkin to become the Frontier League's all-time leading scorer, but Larkin's point total remains No. 1 on South Jefferson's list.

Also during her time at South Jefferson, Larkin participated in soccer, track and field, softball and volleyball. She helped the Spartans win a sectional soccer title in 1979 before producing four goals and six assists in each of her junior and senior seasons while serving as a center halfback and backup goalie. The Spartans won a Frontier League title in 1981 and went 25-4-2 over her final two seasons.

"Sally was a natural," said Nancy Smith, Larkin's former soccer coach at South Jefferson. "She could step in and do anything."

Larkin had proven as much years before, when she became the first girl to make the South Jeff Little League All-Star team. Playing for the Adams Center Dodgers, she was the second girl to ever participate in the league, behind Erin Corrice, who played for the Adams Expos.

After graduating from South Jefferson, Larkin played NCAA Division II basketball for Utica College, which advanced to the NCAA tournament in '84 and '85. Larkin scored 649 points in her Utica career before graduating in '86 with a degree in business administration.

Larkin, 44, lives in Sandy Pond and works as an office manager for Dr. Richard Hehir in Syracuse.