After all these years, Joe Palermo, one of the most recognizable sports figures to come out of Hoboken, wanted to set the record straight.
Legend had it that Palermo, the former Demarest High School (known now as Hoboken High) baseball player and long-time baseball and basketball coach, once struck out New York Yankees legendary slugger Bill Skowron to win a collegiate baseball championship, when Palermo was a standout at St. Michael’s College in Vermont.
But now, 50 years after the event was supposed to have taken place, Palermo, inducted into the Hudson County Sports Hall of Fame last week, has the real story.
“I always told that good story about Skowron, but I don’t even think he knew I struck him out,” Palermo said. “I was the director of his baseball camp in Upper Saddle.
River and he came up and wanted to take some batting practice, so I decided to pitch.”
Added Palermo, “It was out in this cow pasture, but for me, it was like Yankee Stadium with a crowd of 50,000 people cheering. The first pitch I threw Skowron was a fastball and he fouled it off some 700 feet. I threw another one, then I threw him my curve and he swung and missed it. Somehow, it was put down that I struck him out to win a championship, but it wasn’t the case. However, he did miss my curve.”
Palermo also has another funny story to relate.
“People ask how old I am and I never tell them,” Palermo said. “I’m old enough to know better not to tell. But I was old enough to coach Napoleon Bonaparte.”
Well, not the French military leader, but a baseball player at the now-defunct Paul VI High School in Clifton. Palermo’s not ready to declare his age, but he cannot deny the fact that he has enjoyed a career in athletics both as an athlete and a coach that has spanned more than 60 years.
Long career
As an athlete at Demarest High School (now Hoboken High), Palermo was a great baseball and basketball player. He was named All-County at Demarest as a pitcher and was honorable mention All-State. He also played varsity basketball at Demarest.
Then, as a coach in both baseball and basketball, Palermo continued to make his mark. He was the head basketball coach at Hoboken High, St. Cecelia’s of Kearny (where he coached famed basketball announcer Bill Raftery), Pace University and Kean College.
He was also an assistant coach at St. Peter’s College, with both the men and the women, and an assistant coach at Long Island University, where he helped to lead the school to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
During his basketball coaching days, he won three NJSIAA Parochial C state championships with St. Cecelia’s, won one Knickerbocker Conference title with Pace, and is the only coach to win NCAA Division 2 and Division 3 titles (Pace and Kean).
As a baseball coach, Palermo also won three state championships at St. Cecelia’s.
He is currently coaching again, as an assistant to new coach Bob Leckie at St. Peter’s College. This year marks the 48th consecutive year that Palermo has served as a coach.
“There have been times when I thought my coaching career was over,” Palermo said. “I mean, no one is looking to hire people my age. But I’m young enough to keep trying. If you haven’t lost your mind completely, then you’re fine. I’m still young at heart and coaching keeps me young.”
Added Palermo, “Sometimes you wonder how you’re able to stay in coaching for so long. The years just fly by and I always enjoyed the camaraderie I’ve had from coaching, especially basketball. Going back over the years, I can’t remember all of the kids, but I definitely remember some of the moments.”
Palermo earned his place to be remembered forever in Hudson County athletic history, when he was inducted, along with 17 others, into the Hudson County Sports Hall of Fame, at the 11th Annual induction ceremonies at the Hi-Hat Restaurant in Bayonne.
Four Union City natives joined Palermo in the induction ceremonies. They were: Gordon Chiesa, the current assistant coach for the NBA’s Utah Jazz, and Bill Baird, who played basketball at Union Hill (1945-1949) and the University of Rhode Island (1949-1954) before moving on to a career in athletic education in Rhode Island. Also, the late Phil “Muggsy” Miller, a basketball pioneer, and his son, famed referee and trainer Phil “Doc” Miller, Jr., were honored.
Others honored included: Bayonne’s John “Bucky” Connelly, posthumously, for basketball; North Bergen’s Brian Guaschino for track and field; West New York’s Sal Vega for track and field; Jersey City’s George Waddleton, Dennis McGovern, Richie Long, Mandy Johnson and Cathy Meyers O’Callahan for basketball. Also, Jersey City’s Peter and Paul Berezney for football; Jersey City’s Ray Bellino for baseball; the late Morris “Rosie” Rosenberg for sports journalism, and Harvey Zucker as the Marty Seglio Memorial Community Service Award inductee.
“It was a fun night for me and my family,” Palermo said. “When I got into coaching, people told me that it wasn’t a profession to enter if you’re married, because your wife won’t understand. Well, I never had that problem, because my wife, Phyllis, accepted what I was doing and became mother and father to our seven children. Our anniversary is Valentine’s Day and it will be 48 years next month.”
Added Palermo, “And it’s still that way today. I wanted to coach this year and my wife said that it was up to me. I’ve been very fortunate with my family. Four of my children were there to share the night with us.”
Palermo retired nine years ago as an elementary school teacher in the Hoboken Board of Education, teaching sixth grade for many years, as well as teaching mathematics.
“I’m not doing anything else these days,” Palermo said. “Other than coaching. I enjoy it. The losing is hard [St. Peter’s owns a 3-16 record], but I still enjoy myself. Funny, I never thought I would last this long. I always thought when I got older, I would want to quit. But that’s not the case at all. I want to make 50 years as a coach. That’s probably my only goal.”