St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Co-Hosts Third Annual NYC Soccer Gala
3/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
- NYC Soccer Gala Video
- Photo Gallery
QUEENS, N.Y. - More than 300 guests, including many prominent names in the world of soccer, attended the third annual NYC Soccer Gala on March 3 at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan. Emceed by NBC 4's Bruce Beck, the star-studded event was co-hosted by St. John's, Columbia, Fordham, LIU Brooklyn and St. Francis.
A platform for those from all levels of the sport to come together and celebrate the rich history of soccer in New York City, the Gala annually honors the contributions of some of the biggest names in the sport and also recognizes honorees from each of the host schools.
NYCFC Sporting Director Claudio Reyna, CEO of Relevent Sports and SiriusXM announcer Charlie Stillitano and National Soccer Hall of Famer Manny Schellscheidt were recognized at the third edition of the event. University honorees included Richard Chinapoo (LIU Brooklyn), Rocco B. Commisso (Columbia), Roberto DeLuca (St. John's), Gaetano Messina (St. Francis) and Jack Shannon (Fordham).
Former Columbia star and MAC Hermann Trophy winner Amr Aly, Real Madrid's all-time leading goal-scorer and current member of the New York Cosmos Raul Gonzalez Blanco, NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson, former Princeton standout and two-time MLS Champion David Vaudreuil, President of AliveAndKickn Dave Dubin, and New York soccer writers Frank Isola and Michael Lewis were among the many special guests in attendance at the event.
DeLuca joins a list of St. John's honorees that includes Jerome Belson, who received the Humanitarian Award at the inaugural Gala, and George Gjokaj. A two-time NSCAA All-Region selection and a two-time All-BIG EAST honoree, DeLuca helped St. John's reach its first-ever NCAA Tournament and was a member of three NCAA Tournament teams (1992-94). DeLuca also helped guide St. John's to three-straight BIG EAST Tournament titles (1992-94) as well as two-straight BIG EAST regular season championships (1992-93), and ranks tied for fifth all-time in program-history in goals (32) and fifth in assists (26).
DeLuca is the owner of The Orchard Design, a firm specializing in sports related brand development. DeLuca has helped develop the online presence of many local soccer clubs, including BW Gottschee Soccer, LI Rough Riders, Woodhaven Soccer Club and Gold Coast FC.
