Dallicardillo leaving Memorial for Shore Regional High School

Vin Dallicardillo, who developed some outstanding softball players and teams at Brick Memorial in eight seasons as head coach, and served as a football assistant there, is resigning to take an administrative position at Shore Regional.

Dallicardillo, who received a master's degree in administration from Fairleigh Dickinson in August 2007, will be a vice principal in charge of attendance and discipline.

"It's bittersweet. It's probably the best thing to do for my family, because my time is now my time," said Dallicardillo. "No more summers off, but it's something that I welcome, and the salary is higher. There were a few openings, and this one seemed to fit very well and I was very comfortable during the interview process. I'm still dealing with the kids and the excitement that each day brings."

Dallicardillo's greatest mark as head softball coach was the Ocean County Tournament championship 2003 season powered by juniors Kate Streilein, a pitcher who recently finished an outstanding career at Brandeis University, and Stacy Ryan, a catcher who later excelled for Georgian Court University.

Along with some outstanding seasons, Brick Memorial softball struggled the past few years, with a number of low-scoring close losses, as Dallicardillo continued to help develop some fine young talent.

"He sees it as more than a one-year [experience] but as a program that starts on the lower level," Athletic Director Bill Bruno said of Dallicardillo's coaching success in their seven years together. "We're going to miss him. I think he'll be an excellent administrator, knowing how well organized he is as a coach and as a teacher."

Dallicardillo fondly recalled the 2003 NJSIAA Group IV Central Jersey championship, but also recalls the following season when the team lost to Jackson in the closing seconds of the championship game at Rutgers University.

"There were a million memories," said Dallicardillo. "Along with beating Manalapan for the state title, the game we lost to Jackson was one of the greatest things to be a part of, even in losing that game. That whole rivalry with Jackson has been great over the years. And the Thanksgiving games with Brick [Township] have been great.

"I'm adjusting to an August without football, the first time since I was 6 years old," said Dallicardillo.

Interestingly, Dallicardillo was assistant to Fred Sprengel, who was the head coach at Long Branch. Dallicardillo also served as head wrestling coach there during some of those years. Dallicardillo's wrestling assistant was Dan O'Cone, who went on to be head wrestling coach at Point Pleasant Beach before coming over two seasons ago to Brick Memorial, which won the NJSIAA Group IV title last season and was rated the top team in the state at one point.

"We'll miss him for the great work he did helping the football program and what he did for the school, but he's on to bigger things for himself and we wish him well in that," said Brick Memorial football coach Walter Currie.

Dallicardillo said he also would be interested in remaining involved with the Brick Memorial committee organizing a Hall of Fame for the school. The committee hopes to induct its first class next year from the school's early years in the 1980s.

Dallicardillo also was a journalism teacher at Brick Memorial for grades 10 through 12, a subject area he helped develop from a small group of students around the year 2000 to about 140 before a Journalism II course was added. He also got the school publication on to the school's Web site.

"Journalism was always a passion of mine," said Dallicardillo, who studied it at The College of New Jersey, where he attended after an illustrious high school career at Brick Memorial that included Shore accolades. Dallicardillo also taught journalism classes at Long Branch High in the late 1990s, he said.

"I'm still relatively young at 37, and this is a challenge of something different," Dallicardillo said.