JOE “SEC” SECRETARIO
One of the most popular figures in Trenton Soccer history Joe Sec was involved in some way in the soccer careers of thousand of Trenton area players during the past 30 years.
Although known best as the longtime soccer coach of the Mercer County Community College men’s team, Sec was involved with the sports in a variety of ways since the early 1960’s. His association with the Trenton Junior College/Mercer CC program began in 1967 when he became assistant to Stan Dlugosz. It was the start of a long association with the Vikings, who became a perennial national junior college power and a 3-time national champion thanks to players Joe recruited to the program.
With the Vikings, Joe recruited over 50 players who went on to earn All-American acclaim. Many made it to the prop ranks either in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League or the American Soccer League. At one time, 11 of Sec’s former players we on rosters in the NASL.
His association with the NASL also included a stint as scout for the Philadelphia Fury, who went on to sign several of his former players – Pat Fidelia, Steve Reid and Kevin Murphy.
U.S. World Cup Men’s Team assistant coach Glenn Myernick and former Cosmos star Bob Smith played on Sec-coached teams.
The list of teams Joe has coached to championships reads like a who’s who of Trenton soccer. His 1976 Trenton Extension team won the Eastern Regional title and made it to the U.S. Amateur Cup final in Milwaukee where it lost to Bavarian.
His Extension teams- which also included future NASL performers Tim Murphy, Kevin Welsh, Bill Gazonas, and Matt and Chris Bahr – were a perennial State Cup contender and won major indoor tournaments in Elizabeth and Paterson.
Joe coached a variety of teams to championships in the Mercer County Summer League, among them Trenton Panorama, Kusnirik Law Firm, and Mercer Spring.
Junior teams he either coached or helped put together included the Shamrock Juniors who went to the National Junior Cup finals in 1976 and the Extension Juniors who made it to the national finals in 1972.
Soccer was an everyday part of Joe Sec’s life. At Mercer he directed a highly-successful indoor program for 22 years, and was also director of the college’s very successful youth summer camps.
Joe Sec did his part to keep the soccer spirit alive in Mercer County for 35 years.
