Ocean City school board names Michael Pellegrino as athletic director
OCEAN CITY — Michael Pellegrino found his way back to the red and white. The coach who led the Red Raider boys soccer program to multiple state championships has returned to the fold at Ocean City High School as the permanent athletic director.
Pellegrino was approved at Wednesday evening’s Ocean City Board of Education meeting. He took over the job as a medical leave replacement Nov. 1 when then-athletic director Geoff Haines took time off for an operation, then announced he would be retiring.
Pellegrino became interim AD on Feb. 1 after Haines’ retirement became official and as of March 1 is the athletic director. Period.
Pellegrino coached at OCHS from 1996 to 2009, including soccer, boys tennis and wrestling, then left the district to become athletic director at Egg Harbor Township High School .
“I always wanted to be the athletic director. I wanted to follow in Paul LeFever’s footsteps,” he said, citing the longtime AD at OCHS. “He did a tremendous job with our programs here. As a coach under him I always looked up to Paul. I loved what he did with our programs, how successful we were and tried to take that and go.
“I finally found my way back after 13 years,” he said, after spending a dozen years at EHT.
The Red Raider boys soccer team under Pellegrino won state championships in 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2005. The boys made it to the finals in 2007 but lost that year — the only loss in a state finals for the program.
One of Pellegrino’s former players, Aaron Bogushefsky, is now the boys coach and an art teacher in the school district. Pellegrino is happy to keep connected to his former players and to see them make their own marks.
“I still play indoor with some of the guys — Chad Severs, Williamson, Andrew Sykes. I play on an indoor team with them on Wednesday nights so I keep in touch with a lot of those guys,” he said. “Seeing (Pat) Tolomeo coach at Highland and Ian Keyser coaching girls at Woodstown, it’s awesome seeing those guys. I don’t want to say I had anything to do with it because they love the game to begin with. Seeing them follow in those footsteps is tremendous, it’s so rewarding, coaching.
“I always thought I could have a bigger impact as athletic director so I guess we’re going to find out here,” he said.
At the school board meeting, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matthew Friedman said when looking to replace Haines, “I have yet to find someone who has more Ocean City spirit than the person I’m going to recommend.”
He said there are a lot of people who bleed red and white (the school colors), but after interviewing Pellegrino he was impressed by the passion he showed for the Red Raiders.
He joked that he worked at “an unnamed rival of ours for a while,” but that Pellegrino’s path and journey brought him back to his home.
Friedman said what impressed him was that the day after he was approved to fill in for Haines, Pellegrino truly hit the ground running and has been non-stop ever since.
The superintendent said he knows how much it takes to organizing the athletic programs and Ocean City has a high caliber of athletes. He noted that adding Pellegrino to the administrative team is another piece of the puzzle to take the district from good to great.
When it came time to vote on Pellegrino as athletic director and Dr. Wendy O’Neal as permanent high school principal (see related story), multiple members of the school board tried to be the first to make the motion. He was approved with only one abstention, from Jacqueline McAlister, citing a conflict.
Student representatives to the school board all spoke highly of Pellegrino. Lauren Knopf said she spoke to many athletes who had positive things to say about him and his organization skills and how athletics have improved since he has arrived.
Christian Ganter said a lot of his friends appreciate the recognition from the athlete signing dates (when students commit to play for college teams.) A number of board members also congratulated Pellegrino.
Kristie Chisholm, a representative from Upper Township, said she had the pleasure of knowing Pellegrino since he started in the district and had coached her brother in soccer and wrestling. She joked that she wouldn’t hold it against him for sending his children to “a school that wears green,” meaning rival Mainland Regional High School.
Board member Liz Nicoletti, noting her children are athletes, said she feels fortunate to have Pellegrino as athletic director because he stresses good sportsmanship. She said if there are going to be winning teams, athletes have to also be good sports.
– By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff