Volunteer coaches named to honor roll
Volunteer coaches are the unsung heroes of the sports world. For the past 13 years the Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame has singled out area volunteer coaches worthy of recognition.
This year a trio of outstanding volunteer coaches will be part of what has become known as the finest night of sports annually in Montgomery County. Conshohocken’s Marty Eckert, Brion Moriarity of Lower Providence and Charles “Chip” Tornetta of Plymouth Township each will be inducted into the Honor Roll, which is part of the Coaches Hall of Fame induction banquet on Tuesday, November 22 at Normandy Farm in Blue Bell. MARTY ECKERT >> From 1978 to the present, Marty Eckert has been involved with various aspects of sports in the Borough of Conshohocken.
He began at age 20, coaching a minor division Little League team to a championship … and never stopped. He continued at the American Legion, Senior League and District level as either a coach or manager. In 1981, as coach of the St. Matthew’s CYO baseball team, he helped them to their first ever Region 21 title. In 2012 he took over reigns of the Ambler Rebels in the Perkiomen Valley Twilight League.
In addition to baseball, he coached football with the Conshohocken Golden Bears, St. Aloysius CYO, Plymouth Whitemarsh Youth Football League and the Conshohocken Steelers; plus basketball with the St. Cosmas and Damian JV team, before becoming an assistant at of the Conshohocken Catholic CYO team and coaching in the Plymouth ABA. BRION MORIARITY >> Brion Moriarity lives and breathes football. He has been volunteering as a football coach for kids for the greater part of the last 37 years. He also assumed responsibility as the Bux-Mont Tackle Football Commissioner and league representative. He became a coach for the first time in 1981, with the Lower Perk Longhorns. He then joined the Lower Providence Warriors from 1983 through 1985. In 1986 he joined the Methacton Warriors and is still part of the organization today.
While, like any coach, he enjoys winning, Moriarity has a reputation for teaching the fundamentals and watching his players progress through high school and college. CHARLES “CHIP” TORNETTA >> It is hard to find a more dedicated individual to youth sports in Plymouth Township than Charles “Chip” Tornetta.
After a two-year stint with Norristown youth football, he moved to Plymouth Township in 1985 and began a distinguished career with P-W Spartans Midget Football. With the exception of three seasons with St. Genevieve’s CYO Football, Tornetta has been coaching at every level with the Spartans. He has taken teams to the Keystone State League playoffs 16 times. He has held numerous board positions with the Spartans, including organization president.
In baseball, he coached NAA Little League for three years, then spent a number of years coaching Plymouth Little League, Senior League and the Mount Carmel Legion teams.
The three members of the new Honor Roll class, along with previously announced inductees to the Montgomery County Coaches Hall – Maggie deMarteliere, the late Pete Lewis, Rick Mellor, Keith Mondillo and Christie Morgan — and Lifetime Achievement Award winner, University of Virginia Athletic Director Craig Littlepage, will be honored at the November 22 banquet.
Tickets for the banquet are available for purchase by contacting any member of the Hall of Fame Advisory Board. Additional information can be obtained by going to the website – www. mcchof.com or by calling the banquet management office at 610-279-9220.