17th Annual South Jersey Soccer Hall of Fame Induction

South Jersey Sports Online would like to send our congratulations to the 8 new members of the South Jersey Soccer Hall of Fame. The South Jersey Soccer Hall of Fame now has a total of 138 members. The first class to be inducted was back in 1988. A member can be an Official, Player, Coach or Contributor.

This year’s class consisted of one contributor, four players, and three coaches.

This year’s contributor was John Benn. He began his soccer career in earnest in the early 60’s by playing on his college’s inaugural team. He was captain in his senior year and held the school’s single season scoring record for many years. John has been a soccer fixture in the South Jersey area for over 20 years as a State Cup winning coach with the U-16 Medford Strikers Boys in 1990, served concurrently as an elected official with SJSL and NJYSA, as well as an appointed official in several capacities with the USSF, Region I. In 2001 he was inducted into the NJYS Hall of Fame for outstanding achievement and dedicated service to youth soccer. His officiating career began in the late 80’s and for the past year and a half he has been the Chairman of the SJSL referee committee. John was a volunteer with the Philadelphia Host Committee for the 2003 Women’ World Cup and the 2004 Champions World Soccer series.

This year’s first coach was Chris Adamkiewicz from Clearview High School. Chris’s high school career began at Vailsburg High School in Newark. Among his accomplishments were being named to the All State soccer team and winning a City Tennis Championship. Chris played for 4 years at Glassboro State College. In 1976 he was named captain, First Team All League and New Jersey goalkeeper of the year. Chris is one of three goalkeepers in NCAA history to record 300 saves in one season. Chris, to this day, is holder of an NCAA record for 21.64 saves per game that was recorded in 1976. Chris has been coaching for 25 years at Clearview High School. His teams have recorded 243 wins, 140 losses, and 37 ties with 5 Coaches Tournament appearances and 3 League Championships. In 1985 he was named SJ Coach of the Year and in 1988 Gloucester County Coach of the year.

This year’s second Coach was Jeff Eppright from Haddon Heights. Jeff started his high school playing career at Haddon Heights where he earned All South Jersey and All State honors. Jeff went on to play at Camden County College and his last two years at Nasso College in Springfield, Maine. Jeff’s first coaching position was as an assistant coach at Camden County College. In 1987 he was named the head coach of his alma mater. After 17 years, his teams have given him a record of 206-108-30. His teams have been to six section championships, qualified 15 out of 17 seasons for state tournament, and ranked in the top 20 in SJ. In 2001, his team defeated arch rival Haddonfield to win the last outright Colonial Conference championship. In 2001, he was named SJ Coach of the Year.

The last coach inducted was Les Heggan. Les’s first head coaching assignment was at Williamstown High School. In 1972 and 1973 his teams won the Olympic Conference National Championship. After coaching five seasons at St. Augustine, Les returned to Williamstown to capture the 1991 Tri County Championship. In 1992 he was named Coach of the Year for the first time. Les was head coach for 1982-1986 and then 1992 to the present. At St. Augustine, his team won 7 National Division Championships, 2 Cape Atlantic Co-championships, 3 SJ Parochial B Championships, and a Parochial A State Championship in 2003. In 2004, Les was named Coach of the Year for the second time. Les is also the co-founder and coach of the Winslow Township Youth Soccer League and coaches the Winslow Township Men’s Soccer Club.

The first player to be inducted was Peter DeFeo. In 1984, Pete graduated from Paul VI. He was a three year starter and captain in 1982 and 1983. He was All Parochial Player and MVP of the 1983 Paul VI Team that won the SJ Coaches Tournament. Pete went on to play four years at Rutgers in Camden. He was captain in 1987 and 1988. He was a two-time All NJAC Conference player and a two-time Regional All-American. In 2004, Pete’s record for lowest goals against average at Rutgers was finally broken by one of his former players. Pete won two Championships in the SJ Men’s Amateur League. Pete is now the head coach at Paul VI. In 2001 he was elected Vice President of the SJ Soccer Coaches Association, a position that he still holds.

The next player that was inducted was Jill Klatt from Moorestown High School. Jill led Moorestown to its first State Championship in school history in 1995. She was the captain of the team and finished her career with 87 goals. Jill has received numerous titles in her four years at Moorestown: 1st team All-Conference (1991-9995), 1st Team All-county (1993-1995), 1st team All-Group (1993-1995), All SJ Team (1993), 1st Team All State (1994-1995), and All State Top Seventeen (1995). Jill was selected the first team Parade Magazine All American, and was the first female from NJ to receive this honor. She was selected to the U.S Regional I team from 1993 to 1995 and was an alternate for the U.S Women’s U-18 National Team in 1995.

The third player was Andy Logar from Lenape. Andy started playing soccer at the age of 10 for Greentree and Mount Laurel Soccer Clubs. In 1985 he played for the Medford Soccer club. At Lenape, he played varsity soccer from 1986 to 1988. His senior year he was named co-captain and played stopper or center halfback. He was named All Burlington County, BCSL Liberty All-Star, All Group IV, and All South Jersey. Andy continued playing at Glassboro State College, where he was co-captain for three years. His honors include: NJAC All Conference and NJ All State First team 1989, 1990, and 1991. He played on the 1990 National Championship Team at Glassboro. He received All-American honors in 1990 and 1991. In 1991 he was voted NJAC Player of the Year, NJ Sportswriters Player of the Year, and NCAA Division III Player of the Year. His number, 17, was retired by Glassboro, the first in school history. Andy was drafted by the Milwaukee Wave (NPLS) and played for the Delaware Wizard (USISL). Andy finished his career with the South Jersey Barons.

The last player inducted was Tim McClements from Edgewood High School. Tim was one of the first players in the Winslow Township Soccer program under the direction of Les Heggan. Tim was a 3 year varsity player at Edgewood High School. In the 1980-81 season, he was a member of the Olympic Conference National Championship, the first in Edgewood history. He played collegiate soccer at Indiana University and Wheaton College. Tim was a player on the New Jersey Eagles of the APSL. He also played in the NPSL with the Dayton Dynamo and the Chicago Power. Tim began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at Northern Illinois University and Midwestern State University in Texas. After graduating with a Master in Kinesiology from MSU in 1994, he became the Head Coach at Baker University in Kansas (NAIA). He earned Conference Coach of the Year in 1995. Tim coached at Easter Illinois (NCAA Div. I) from 1996-1999. He then became the Assistant Men’s Soccer Coach at Southern Methodist University in 2000. SMU reached the Men’s College Cup in 2000 and were ranked No. 1 for most of 2001. Tim is currently the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.