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EWING– On any given sports team, athletes draw attention by the incredible things they can do in their respective sport. But a team goes beyond that.
The impact and hard work of a coach can sometimes go unnoticed, although being one of the central and driving factors for a team’s success.
In a little over 20-and-a-half seasons as head coach of The College of New Jersey’s men’s soccer team, George Nazario has become one of the most respected figures in the New Jersey Athletic Conference – and at TCNJ.
Nazario is no stranger to success, as he holds a current overall record of 205-147-43 with the team, picking up his 200th win in the 2015 season opener.
“Coach Nazario understands the game at a high level and is very good tactically,” said midfielder Matt Taylor. “He makes good changes in terms of formations when needed and has good practice sessions that help prepare us for the next opponent we are facing.”
Nazario made his impression on the college early on in his career, bringing TCNJ its first men’s soccer NCAA championship in 1996.
From then on, Nazario has led the Lions to 12 winning seasons throughout his tenure, while in recent years leading the team to the NJAC semi-final match in 2013, and the NJAC tournament championship game in 2010.
Following the successful 2010 season, Nazario was named NJAC Coach of the Year, while being named NCSCAA Metro Regional Coach of the Year twice (1996 and 2005).
Nazario appreciates the things that go beyond trophies, rings, wins, records, and championships. He talked about the previous 2005 and 1995 teams that were recently honoured during halftime of the Lions conference match against Kean and the overall impact the team had on its players.
“It’s great to see how these guys are still a part of the program,” said Nazario.
In the midst of this great amount of success, Nazario doesn’t like to focus on statistics either, even as great as his tenure holds. Nazario truly enjoys what he does in working with the team and developing players into reaching their highest potentials, which is essentially the driving force that has kept him with team for such a long time.
“Knowing any day you can get up and love what you do, that’s the best part of my job,” said Nazario.
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