Author: Z.S./silive.com
It’s the second-smallest class ever for the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame, with just five individuals to be added to the already 127 men and women and four teams that have previously been inducted since The Hall was born back in 1994. Class of 2015 a successful college coach and living slice of Island baseball history, a pair of professional football players and college All-Americas, one of the greatest borough distance runners of all time, and a man who has been a coach and more in helping to build a thriving soccer infrastructure here – Nick Kvasic.
Arrived in America from Croatia as a teenager, and worked his way through Wagner College cooking at the Staaten after graduating from Port Richmond HS, playing the game of soccer at both the high school and college levels.
He’s traveled the world as an interpreter and travel guide for American sports teams at international competitions, including two Winter Olympics.
Kvasic went on to become one of the great evangelists for the sport in this part of the country, raising the profile of soccer while winning six city titles as the girls New Dorp High School coach over more than three decades.
He put together winning streaks of 49 and 35 games at NDHS during his tenure.
Kvasic was instrumental in beginning boys programs at Port Richmond, Petrides and CSI-McCown high schools and the College of Staten Island.
‘A pioneer’, Sports Hall of Fame committeeman Lou Bergonzi said of Kvasic. ‘He excelled at every level of the sport in just about every capacity. Nick is a great coach and official and soccer on Staten Island would be different, and far poorer, were it not for him.’
Datum objave: 01.12.2015.
