The Glen Rock Hall of Fame is adding 13 athletes and three coaches, honoring the special qualities that they brought to Glen Rock High School.

Sponsored by the Glen Rock Booster Club, the event will be held on October 16 at the Tides in North Haledon to honor and welcome the newcomers into the hall of fame. Thomas Scerbo is the MC at the event, and he would like it to be fun and interesting. He wants to get the facts straight while speaking about the lives and careers of the accomplished athletes.

Principal John Arlotta believes that the Glen Rock Hall of Fame is an excellent component to the school’s athletic recognition, and helps to preserve the history of a few athletic accomplishments.

Arlotta is part of the Rutherford High School Athletic Hall of Fame for coaching.

“I know personally as a former coach and member of a Hall of Fame, it is a rewarding experience and I was able to reconnect with those of another era,” he said. 

Thomas Scerbo is the founder of the Glen Rock Hall of Fame. Scerbo went to Marist High School in Bayonne, NJ, and moved to Glen Rock in 1987. He has three sons who attended Glen Rock High School. He also helped found the hockey team and was the president of the Booster Club.  Scerbo decided to found the Hall of Fame at the request and encouragement of Al Deaett, the former football coach for Glen Rock High School.

“The Hall of Fame was founded to document the history of our sports program and to encourage current and future students to achieve great things. Again, the best of the best show us all what’s possible if we believe in commitment and hard work and doing the right thing,” Scerbo said.

“The benefit to Glen Rock is that we can document the success of our athletic programs and the benefits of our emphasis on education and extracurricular activities in preparing young people for their life after Glen Rock,” Scerbo said.

The 13 players added to the hall of fame are Ryan McCann (‘04), Kim Mineo (‘03), Leah Jerome (‘03), Gabby Pasternack (‘03), Mark Hannon (‘03), Scott Stephen (‘01), Tracey Della Torre Danicich (‘99), Michelle Leonard Conger (‘91), Mindy Feinberg Leibowitz (‘83), Michael Petrocci (‘73), Ken Veenema (‘73), Dave Stanely (‘64), and Brian Dovey (‘59).

“The players, coaches and teams who are inducted are chosen by a selection committee comprised of former coaches and knowledgeable Glen Rock sports fans. This year there were 14 people on that committee,” Scerbo said.

The three coaches that were added are Harry Comiskey, tennis coach, Bill Carbone, soccer coach, and Al Deaett, football coach. The stadium field at the high school is named after Al Deaett. Coaches are not chosen because it is the luck of the draw, but because they deserve their spot on the hall of fame, and had significant contributions and achievements.

“The coaches selected for the Hall of Fame are those who have distinguished themselves through longevity, leadership, character or success – or a combination of some or all of these,” Scerbo said.

Al Deaett coached and taught at Glen Rock for 47 years, and he made a huge impact on the school and young athletes. He had tremendous success as being the Head Coach of the football team, and he also coached track and tennis for a good amount of time.

“He deserved it for all of his efforts and for all of the young people that he influenced in a positive way,” Scerbo said.

Students in Glen Rock High School look up to the members of the hall of fame, and they believe that each member of the hall of fame is deserving of his or her spot.

“The Glen Rock Hall of Fame is a really cool way to show the hard work and effort that each athlete put in,” said Rachel McMahon, junior and track athlete.

Thomas Scerbo describes the hall of fame as being rewarding, yet very challenging.

“The reward comes from the genuine gratitude and humility of the honorees. The challenge comes from the workload involved in making the selections and in putting the event together.”