Joe Morrone, Legendary UConn Men’s Soccer Coach, Dead At 79 – Hartford Courant
Legendary former UConn men’s soccer coach Joe Morrone has passed away. Morrone, who built the program into a national power and won a national championship in 1981, died Wednesday at 79. Morrone had pancreatic cancer and was told in May he had three months to live.
When Morrone retired from coaching in 1996 after 39 seasons at UConn and Middlebury, he was one of only four collegiate head coaches to record at least 400-career victories. He had a career record of 422-199-64.
In 1996, Morrone received the National Soccers Coaches Association of America Honor award and in 2002 he was inducted into the NSCAA Hall of Fame in 2002.
Morrone had a record of 358-178-53 and made three national semifinal appearances in 28 seasons at UConn. The Huskies advanced to three straight semifinals from 1981-1983, winning the title in 1981.
Morrone’s teams made 16 NCAA tournaments appearances were ranked in the top 16 14 times between 1975 and 1996. The Huskies also won three Big East Conference championships (1983, 1984 and 1989). He was honored four times as the New England coach of the year and twice as the Big East coach of the year in 1985 and 1988.
After retiring in 1996, Morrone was a tenured associate professor in the department of kinesiology, where he served as a coordinator of the ‘coaching and administration’ concentration and the chairperson for the admissions to the kinesiology department. He retired from teaching in 2014 after 45 years an leader in athletics and academics.
Before arriving in Storrs, Morrone spent 11 years at Middlebury, where he 64-21-11 and made two NCAA tournament appearances. He started at Middlebury in 1958.
Morrone graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 1958 and was named the school’s outstanding senior athlete starting for the soccer, hockey and lacrosse teams. He was an All-New England selection and team captain in soccer. Morrone later got a master’s degree from Worcester State in 1963.
Morrone also served in the United States National Guard.
Morrone’s wife Elizabeth Ann passed away Nov. 30, 2007. He was born Oct. 20, 1935 and is survived by a daughter and two sons. Melissa Taintor and her husband Rob of Storrs and their three children, Joe Morrone and wife Ellen of Tolland and their two children and Bill Morrone and his wife Jeanne of Brooklyn and their four children.
Joe Morrone, his oldest son, was a three-time soccer All American at UConn and won the Hermann Trophy in 1980, which is given to the nation’s top player. Bill Morrone was a member of the national championship team and his daughter Melissa Taintor was an All American at UConn in 1983.
On Sunday, Morrone attended his final game at the stadium which bears his name. The Huskies came from behind and scored two goals in the final 10 minutes to beat the University of California-Santa Barbara, 2-1. After the game, the players ran over to Morrone to shake his hand and celebrate.
Morrone sat in a wheelchair and watched the game in the rain.
“Coach has done so much for this place to be able to win this game [Sunday] with him here was really special,” UConn men’s soccer coach Ray Reid said Sunday.
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