Dec. 30, 2008

The walls in Gene Ventriglia's office lay bare this Christmas week. Forty years of coaching memories are neatly packed away in boxes, bound for a cozy place in his Highland home.

It's hard to imagine a new soccer season starting without Ventriglia patrolling the sidelines, chirping at officials and whispering instructions to players he has harkened to the bench.

It's time to move on with his life, Ventriglia says, where he can spend more time with his wife, Donna, three kids and five grandchildren. Ventriglia, 63, has spent the past 48 years living the American dream, and the past quarter century coaching athletes who would serve to protect it.

The godfather of boys' soccer in Ulster County, Ventriglia is also the only head coach the Army women's soccer program has ever known. He took over the club team in 1985, raised it to varsity status a year later and went on to win 262 matches with the Black Knights. Last month he capped his 24-season run with Army's second Patriot League playoff title -- featuring an overtime victory over rival Navy -- and the program's first visit to the NCAA Division I tournament.

For the complete article by Ken McMillan of the Middletown (N.Y.) Times Herald-Record click here