East Rutherford, NJ – The New York Giants have selected Mr. Steve Antonucci of Middletown High School South (Middletown, NJ) as "The Lou Rettino High School Football Coach of the Year" presented by Chase for the week of December 14, 2015. Coach Antonucci and the Eagles maintained an undefeated 12-0 season after defeating the Phillipsburg Stateliners in the NJSIAA North II Group IV Championship game held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
In recognition of Coach Antonucci's success and commitment, he will receive a certificate of recognition signed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin and a $2,000 check, to be matched by Chase, will be granted to the Eagles football program. Coach Antonucci will be acknowledged by a stadium announcement when the Giants host the Carolina Panthers on December 20th and an announcement will also be posted on the Giants website, www.giants.com.
The Lou Rettino High School Football Coach of the Week Award is part of the Giants' continuing effort to promote youth football. The Giants elected to name the award in memory of former Union High School (NJ) coach, Lou Rettino, for his fine commitment to the game of football, his community and the betterment of his athletes' lives.
Each week during the 2015 high school football season, the Giants will select one area high school head coach as the Coach of the Week winner. The selection is based on the coach's continuing commitment towards promoting youth football, developing motivated student-athletes and his overall community involvement. At the conclusion of the 2015 season, the Giants will choose a Coach of the Year. That coach will receive $2,000, to be matched by Chase, for their school's football program. They will also be invited to attend a dinner hosted by the Giants and Chase.
Last year, Chase committed over $17 million in charitable donations in the tri-state area. Investing in the communities it serves is central to how Chase does business, and the firm is committed to supporting programs like youth football that provide young people with access to a positive extracurricular activity.
Coach Antonucci has been coaching football for 25 years, 18 of those years as the head coach, with a career record of 170-37. Under his direction, the Eagles have won 9 conference championships (1999-2005, 2009, 2015) and 6 state championships (2001, 2003-2006, 2015). He has been named the Coach of the Year 14 times since 2001 and has also been the head coach of the school's baseball team for 15 years.
Coach Antonucci graduated from Keyport High School in 1988 and went on to attend Montclair State University, graduating in 2004. He and his wife Tracey have 5 kids, Thomas (16), Jake (15), Jane (13), Michael (12) and Matthew (8).
