Contributors McCormac, Nuse to be recognized by DelVal Football
Chris McCormac and Bob Nuse are both contributors to the area football scene in their own special way.
Which is why both will be recognized at the 56th Annual George Wah ScholarLeader-Athlete Awards Dinner. The event, hosted by the Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, will be held March 11 at the Hyatt Regency in Princeton, beginning at 4 p.m. Visit http: //www. delvalfootballfoundation. com for more information. McCormac will receive the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Award for his outstanding work with the Special Olympics, while Nuse is being bestowed the Tony Persichilli Meritorious Service Award.
With his tireless leadership in the community, among his fellow athletes and on the playing field, McCormac embodies all that makes Special Olympic athletes so impactful on society in their everyday lives.
In his two-plus decades of involvement with Special Olympics New Jersey, Chris has been an athlete, board member, coach and an official. Ten years ago, he became the first SONJ athlete to carry the Special Olympics torch for the first Law Enforcement Torch Run in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
That was just the start of his national contributions.
McCormac was member of Team New Jersey’s bronze medal-winning flag football team at the 2010 USA Games in Lincoln, Neb. In 2014, he served as Team NJ’s flag football coach and guided the Americans to a silver medal at the USA Games in New Jersey. A year later, Chris was inducted into the Special Olympics New Jersey Hall of Fame for his work and commitment to the organization. Aside from football, McCormac has also participated in floor hockey, tennis, bowling, basketball and track and field.
A full-time employee with Drytech, Inc., in Cookstown, Chris is constantly volunteering for one group or another. He has served with the Special Olympics Athlete Congress, the governing body representing Special Olympics New Jersey athlete’s interest. He is also treasurer for the Garden State Champions Lions Club and gives his time as Fire Police Officer for Burlington Township.
Special Olympics is a family affair, as Chris’ parents, Jerry and Renee, serve as coaches for hockey and tennis. Wife Lauren, the first female to play Special Olympics Flag Football, participates in tennis and bowling. And Chris’ brother, Kevin McCormac, was last year’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver Award recipient.
Nuse also dabbles in volunteer work with the Princeton United Methodist Church and Cornerstone Community Kitchen, but he is known for so much more among area athletes.
Having been with the Princeton Packet newspaper for 30 years and the Packet sports editor for nearly two decades, Nuse has provided extensive coverage of 14 prep and public schools in Mercer County while working for various Packet publications. He has also written football stories for The Trentonian, where he previously served as the high school tennis writer.
In 1987, he served early notice of what type of football writer he would be when awarded the Hamilton Township Gridiron Good Guy Award while covering Nottingham, Steinert and Hamilton West for the Hamilton Observer newspaper.
A graduate of BridgewaterRaritan West High School and Rutgers, Nuse is considered the consummate professional by all who he deals with. His quiet demeanor belies a sharp mind that produces thoughtprovoking questions for any type of athlete he covers. And he does it in a friendly manner that endears him to players, coaches, officials and other sportswriters.
His sympathy toward football officials comes from ample experience, as Nuse is one of the most recognized and respected lacrosse officials in New Jersey high school lacrosse. He has been a referee since 1991 and the state assignor since 2001. His calm demeanor has come in handy in a job during which re-scheduling at the last minute causes some guys to tear their hair out. He has twice received the NJSIAA meritorious service award and was inducted into the NJ Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2017.
The well-rounded Nuse is also a substitute teacher at Hun (where his wife, Joan, is a successful coach), works for the Hopewell Township Library, is assistant treasurer for the famed Broad Street Diner Friday Morning club, and mans the penalty box door at Princeton University ice hockey games.