Hudson County coaching legend, Vincent Ascolese, dies at 77

[jbcarol]

Former North Bergen High School football coach Vincent Ascolese, a legendary figure in New Jersey scholastic sports, died yesterday after a long battle with cancer, the township announced. He was 77 years old.

Ascolese, whose career as a Hudson County football coach spanned 50 years, took the reins of the North Bergen program in 1973 and retired following the 2011 season as the state's third-winningest coach.

"Vincent Ascolese touched so many lives as a coach and as a role model for young men in our community," North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco said in a statement. "He was a true giant in high school athletics and will be remembered as one of the greatest coaches in state history."

In his final season in 2011, Ascolese helped lead the Bruins to the NJSIAA North 1, Group 4 title. However, that championship — a dramatic 14-13 victory over previously unbeaten Montclair — was vacated by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association in 2012 after recruiting violations came to light following a Star-Ledger story.