Perone, Bell inducted into Coaches Association Hall of Fame
EDISON >> Two of the all-time best boys’ soccer coaches from the Colonial Valley Conference were inducted into the Soccer Coaches Association of New Jersey Hall of Fame last weekend at the organization’s annual banquet at Pines Manor.
Mike Perone and Jack Bell, both members of the Mercer County Soccer Hall of Fame, were two of the nine people honored Sunday by the SCANJ. The impressive list included former U.S. National Team members Claudio Reyna and Tab Ramos, as well as longtime Toms River North head coach Jerry Klimek and former Ocean Township head coach Tom Reilly.
Former Seton Hall University standout Mike O’Neill, who went on to become head women’s soccer coach at Rutgers, was also on the docket, along with his former Kearny High teammate Rob McCourt, who is now the head men’s coach at Monmouth.
Tony Ochrimenko, who was Kean University’s men’s soccer coach for more than a quarter of a century, rounded out the 2019 inductees.
Perone made a name for himself as a two-time AllState player at Trenton High, then as an All-Conference standout at Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey). But many younger players around Mercer County remember him as the 40-year head coach at Notre Dame High, where Perone went on to win 501 games. Longevity and friendship were big deals to Perone, especially when it came to his coaching staff. Ziggy Zegarski was at his side through it all. Current Irish head coach Rich Leedom was Perone’s junior varsity coach for 30 years. Pete Gaeta has been coaching at ND for almost that long with all three coaches. Others like Tim Stout, Jim Hines and Bruce Henry spent 10 years coaching with them, leading the school’s freshman team.
Perone’s teams won two Mercer County Tournaments, nine CVC division titles, nine NJSIAA Parochial ‘A’ South championships and five state crowns before he and Zegarski stepped away in 2017.
Among his many other awards, Perone was inducted into the Mercer County Soccer Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Notre Dame Hall of Fame in 2008.
Bell has the distinction of being the only person to have been the varsity boys’ soccer head coach at all three Hamilton Township schools. He also was the only coach to lead all three of those schools to a Mercer County championship.
During his own high school career at Hamilton High West, Bell made his mark as a three-sport athlete (soccer, basketball and baseball). When he moved on to Trenton State College in 1965, the Lions’ soccer team won the NAIA National Championship and Bell made the All-Tournament Team.
Bell began his soccer coaching career where it started. From 1976-81, he directed the Hornets to a Group IV state title in ‘76 and a Mercer County Tournament title in ‘81.
When Nottingham High opened in 1982, Bell moved over there. It only took Bell four years to develop this brand new program into county champion. In that year, 1986, the Northstars also won the Central Jersey Group III crown.
From 1989-2000, Bell moved over to coach the Steinert High boys. Once again, Bell turned the Spartans into an MCT champion, winning the title in 1993.
Among his many other awards, Bell was inducted into the Trenton State College Hall of Fame in 1997, the Hamilton West Hall of Fame and the Mercer County Soccer Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Nottingham High Hall of Fame in 2011, the same year he was honored as Trenton Select Person of the Year.
Bell coached and taught in Hamilton Township for 34 years before retiring to Florida, but made the trip back to New Jersey when the SCANJ came calling with those very deserving Hall of Fame invites for him, Perone and the rest of the talented 2019 field.