Hudson Hall of Fame set; Hudson hockey comes up short.The 2001 Class of the Hudson County Sports Hall of Fame is set to be inducted on Thursday evening, Jan. 25, beginning at 6 p.m., at the Hi-Hat Restaurant in Bayonne. Sixteen prominent Hudson County sports figures will earn induction into the Hall of Fame this year.
Leading the way of inductees is Union City native Gordon Chiesa, who has spent the last 12 seasons as the assistant coach for the Utah Jazz. Chiesa was a fine player at the now-defunct St. Michael’s of Union City and went on to have a brilliant career as a coach, including stops at Manhattan and Providence College.
Former St. Anthony and Marquette basketball star Mandy Johnson will also be inducted. Johnson was a two-time All-State honoree with the Friars and had a fine career at Marquette, eventually getting drafted by the Indiana Pacers of the NBA.
West New York Commissioner, Hudson County Freeholder and Memorial Athletic Director Sal Vega will also be honored. Vega was a world class track standout during his days at Memorial, the University of Tennessee and became one of the nation’s best road racers after college, competing for a berth on the 1984 U.S. Olympic marathon team.
Others gaining recognition into the Hall of Fame include Union City basketball legends Dennis McGovern and William Baird, both of whom went on to star at the University of Rhode Island; basketball pioneer, the late Phil "Muggsy" Miller and his son, Phil "Doc" Miller, a prominent basketball official who now serves as the athletic trainer at St. Anthony and St. Peter’s Prep.
Others include: former St. Aloysius High and Seton Hall basketball standout Richard Long, long-time basketball coach Joe Palermo, former baseball scout Ray Bellino, former St. Anthony and Montclair State women’s basketball standout Cathy Meyers O’Callahan, grid greats Paul and Peter Berezney from Dickinson, North Bergen track legend Brian Guaschino, former St. Peter’s Prep and Holy Cross basketball star George Waddleton.
Former Bayonne and Niagara University basketball standout John "Bucky" Connelly and long-time sportswriter Morris "Rosie" Rosenberg will be inducted posthumously.
Harvey Zucker will receive the Marty Seglio Memorial Community Service Award for his work as a baseball organizer and coach with the Jersey City Stars of Tomorrow.
It should be a fun evening of nostalgic memories, great stories and a way for the honorees to rekindle some of their fine moments of the past. Tickets for the dinner are $60 and can be secured by contacting Jane Green at 201-459-2139.
The Hudson Catholic hockey team is finding out the hard way that being the defending state champion is not an easy perch to occupy. The Hawks suffered a 3-2 loss to Brick in the championship of the Mayor’s Cup of Secaucus tournament last Sunday at the Secaucus Skating Rink. The loss dropped the Hawks to 6-4-1 overall on the season.
Hudson Catholic coach Cory Robinson was pleased with his team’s efforts in the tournament, citing the team’s mental toughness, character and togetherness. The latter has been tested somewhat lately, when two talented transfers from Brick enrolled at Hudson Catholic and should be able to play very shortly, after sitting out the mandatory 30-day transfer rule.
The North Bergen wrestling team is off to a 4-0 dual meet record thus far and placed among the top five at the very competitive Bergen County Tournament recently. Coach Jerry Maietta has his Bruins at top form. Some of the Bruin wrestlers to watch include 135-pounder Ron Palmieri, 145-pounder Omar Shariff and 152-pounder Byron Aguayo. The Bruins could be tough customers come state playoff time.