The annual A.J. Demarest/Hoboken High School Sports Hall of Fame Induction dinner at the Hoboken Elks last week was truly an event to behold.
Just ask some of the 13 people who gained induction this year, bringing the total number of inductees to an astounding 276, dating back to 1992, when people like Dennis Sevano and Buddy Matthews came up with the idea to honor the school’s prestigious and storied athletic past.
“I’m very humble about it,” said William “Chubby” James, who gained induction as both an outstanding basketball player for the Redwings and later on as an assistant coach at Hoboken and now at St. Peter’s Prep. “I’ve been coming to the dinners for a long time to support those who got in, my fellow Redwings. Being an athlete at Hoboken taught me a lot about life. As a young kid, I didn’t realize that, but as I got older, I realize that now. I had people like Eddie Groomes and Jimmy Foster [both of whom are members of the Hoboken Hall of Fame] teach me a lot about basketball and a lot about life.”
James said that he was also proud to join the Hall of Fame with his cousins Alfred and Vinnie Johnson, both of whom earned Hall of Fame status in the past.
“I’m proud to be inducted with my family members,” James said. “I hope I was able to make an impact and I want to continue that today with my coaching.”
Jerry Citro is a 1970 graduate of Hoboken High who played both football and basketball for the Redwings, but his biggest recognition came in 1992, when he decided at age 39 to return to college at Montclair State and played basketball there, becoming the oldest player to ever play NCAA sanctioned basketball.
Citro’s story was told on CNN, on “Good Morning America,” on “World News Tonight” and on CBS Sports. He became a national star because of his playing basketball at an advanced age.
Citro then gained his Master’s degree in education from Montclair State and became a respected teacher and coach at Montclair High. Citro gained induction with the Special Achievement Award.
“It’s such an honor to be a part of it all,” Citro said. “I was overwhelmed when Buddy [Matthews] called me to tell me I got in. I think of all the kids I played with growing up in Hoboken and I feel like I’m now carrying the torch for them. I’m very humbled by this. I respect the magnitude of the honor and I’m glad I’m old enough now to truly enjoy this.”
John Madigan, a long-time volunteer soccer and basketball coach, as well as a respected baseball umpire, was presented with the Jerry Molloy Award, given to the person who best personifies the legendary Molloy.
Molloy was a long-time basketball coach who at one time was coaching three different high school basketball teams at the same time. In later days, Molloy was known as “The Toastmaster General,” going to several different events like communion breakfasts and American Legion luncheons as the guest speaker/joke teller.
“I always heard of Jerry Molloy growing up,” Madigan said. “I got to meet him my senior year in high school. I thought he was very funny.”
But the Molloy Award is considered the premier award presented each year.
“I’m so honored to receive this award,” Madigan said. “I understand all the great things he did. In fact, when I started a men’s basketball league, I named it the Jerry Molloy League. I was only 19 years old then. So this means so much to me. When you think of Hoboken, you think of Jerry Molloy and how many different kids did he help. He was around for a long time. I’m so speechless and honored. So many people reached out to me to congratulate me.”
Others that were inducted included Danny Perez, Andy Canonico and the late John Forcum for baseball; former Hudson Reporter Softball Player of the Year Natalie Lugo for softball; Josue Quiros for soccer; Alonda “Nana” Walker for girls’ basketball; Chris Petrone and Patrick McLaughlin for football; Julio Ortiz for track and field and James Ronga for being an athletic director.
Needless to say, it was a great induction class and a great night for all involved…
After the horrific hazing incident involving the Memorial High School baseball team, some of the suspended players have returned to action. The Tigers played some games undermanned and have struggled out to a 3-5 record with playing mostly underclassmen.
But the Tigers managed to defeat Union City by a final score of 29-3 with Randy Sanchez collecting four hits, including triple and a homer and eight RBI.
People at the game from both teams have agreed that the game was not mean spirited in any fashion, so the lopsided score was somewhat justified…
The local track coaches who insinuated that St. Dominic Academy track and field coach and athletic director John Nagel cheated at the Hudson County Track Coaches Association Relays last week should be ashamed of themselves.
They claimed that Nagel used two of his athletes in five events, which is illegal.
However, knowing Nagel for as long as I have, stemming almost 50 years to my childhood, I can vouch that the man would never ever cheat in anything, never mind a prestigious track meet that he has coached in for 40 years.
It’s ludicrous that these coaches could ever fathom the idea that Nagel would cheat. It’s even more ridiculous that they would bring such accusations to the media. It’s embarrassing to think these so-called coaches and administrators could actually act in such fashion…
Hudson Reporter H.S. Baseball Top Five: 1. Bayonne (8-1). 2. St. Peter’s Prep (6-4). 3. Hoboken (7-0). 4. North Bergen (6-3). 5. Hudson Catholic (3-2)…
Hudson Reporter H.S. Softball Top Five: 1. McNair Academic (7-1). 2. Union City (5-2). 3. Snyder (7-1). 4. Bayonne (8-2). 5. Hoboken (6-2). – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached via e-mail at OGSMAR@aol.com
