Since emigrating from Naples, Italy at 14 years old, soccer became entrenched in the life of Gene Ventriglia.
 
A local legend, Ventriglia earned the moniker "the Godfather of Soccer" after becoming one of the most decorated athletes to ever play for SUNY New Paltz, while then smoothly transitioning a prolific collegiate career into a steady professional one, which slowly intertwined with the start of what became a Hall of Fame coaching resume.
 
Through 60-plus years of his soccer playing and coaching life, his path toward greatness might have never started if it wasn't for another SUNY New Paltz legend in Hall of Fame coach Al Miller. 
 
"It's about destiny. I believe in that," Ventriglia said. "Kind of in a way that humbles me because I'm not sure if I deserve that credit. But, I've always loved the game and truthfully the game was responsible for my evolution — my life. I always wanted to give something back, and in many ways I have and I feel good about it."
 
After graduating from Poughkeepsie High School in 1962, Ventriglia had a work opportunity he was ready to pursue in New Jersey. However, during his first day he accidently stepped on a nail, which then resulted in a disagreement with who he was working with. The dispute forced Ventriglia back home to re-evaluate his future and the very next morning he received a phone call from Miller persuading Ventriglia to play soccer for him at SUNY New Paltz. Once Ventriglia explained what had happened to him a day prior, Miller rode down to Poughkeepsie to pick Ventriglia up, took him to the hospital to get his foot examined first, and then drove him straight to campus with preseason looming on the 1962 season.
 
"Coach Miller — he's a magician. He just said, 'listen, this is your last chance if you want to get into school,' and when I explained to him what happened he came right over," Ventriglia recalled. "This was maybe the first week of August, and that was it. I had no idea I was going to make it financially, but it worked out."
 
Yes, Ventriglia's life as a Hawk worked out in all aspects. He balanced work with school and soccer and excelled in all areas. He earned high honors academically and went from class to the library, and from the library to his job in the cafeteria, making $2 an hour before heading to practice. Once practice was done, his day still wasn't over; he went back to Poughkeepsie for his other job at his family's bakery to prepare pastries for the following morning. He woke up, made the drive across the river, and repeated his routine day-after-day until the season was over.
 
"I was thankful that I was able to do it. That I could finish, I could get a degree and I could get a good job... all that kind of stuff," Ventriglia said. "I have three sisters; my dad passed the first year we came here... My mom, she had to do a lot. She couldn't help me with college and this and that, but it was one of those things. You had to buckle down and do what you have to do and that's it. I'm thankful."
 
Through all his responsibilities outside the pitch, Ventriglia developed into one of the best on it.
 
During his first season with the Hawks, Ventriglia helped put the team in position for a bid into the NCAA Tournament. SUNY New Paltz was just a win away from being in the finals, playing on the road against Tufts University. The Hawks were looking at a 1-0 deficit at the half, but as both teams entered the locker room an official came in to speak with Miller. The team was confused as to what was happening.  Miller then told his team the grim news: President John F. Kennedy had been shot. The game was immediately postponed and both teams were sent home, and the Hawks' postseason hopes were thwarted for another season.
 
"It was 1-0 their favor at the half and you have to play at least 70 minutes to make it an official game no matter what," Ventriglia explained. "It was halftime so we went into our locker room and coach came in, he had his board, he was going to show us some adjustments and a guy comes in, an official, and you can tell they were having a really difficult conversation, and that was it, it was stalled."
 
Despite coming off a strong season, the team lost a few veteran leaders and the 1964 campaign was a disappointment according to Ventriglia. The team underachieved expectations and Ventriglia was hampered with a severe shoulder injury that limited his mobility. However, the lackluster season set the table for a championship run in 1965 that placed the program forever in Hawks history.
 
The team, eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008, was made up of individual future SUNY New Paltz athletics hall of famers as well, including Ventriglia, Miller, Joe Facciolli, Gary Maasch, Rich Lotze and Dan Zipkin. The group finished 12-1 overall, winning the SUNYAC after going 6-0 in conference play. The Hawks made the NCAA Tournament, winning the Atlantic Coast Regional Championship after defeating Lynchburg, 4-3 and Worcester Tech, 3-2.
 
"We scored some goals that were incredible, especially that year," Ventriglia said. "The championship game, I scored the game-winning goal with two seconds left... We eventually beat Cortland with one second left. I scored the last three goals and then we won in overtime. It didn't matter who scored the goals. There were people who scored some key goals. We were a tight group. It feels good to even just talk about it."
 
Following a historic four-year career, which included four All-SUNYAC and All-New York State selections with three All-America nods, Ventriglia moved on to play professionally. With the push from Miller, who was at the time on the Eastern side of the selection committee for the U.S. Men's Olympic team, encouraged his pupil to try out for the squad.
 
"I thought, Olympic tryouts? I'm at New Paltz," Ventriglia said with a laugh. "He pushed me to do it and he took me and drove me to a lot of these places to tryout. I expected to get cut the first time [playing against] all these big wigs, you know? And, I kept making the cut every time. There were maybe about 15 tryouts in two years. Then the last one was during my last season senior year, and I got picked to go. I had to fly to St. Louis and I never flew in my life. [Coach Miller] took care of all of that."
 
During his trip to St. Louis, Ventriglia impressed the coaching staff watching on. He recalled scoring three goals in his first scrimmage and then the next day with teams switched up, scored another two. He continued his standout performance during the tryout, but during the last game he played, Ventriglia was subbed out at the half and was never re-entered back into the game. He felt discouraged and thought his chances of making the official roster were thrown away, until he saw Miller's face as he got off the plane at the airport the next day.
 
"He had this big grin on his face. He said, 'I can't believe you made it.' [And I said] 'Made what coach?' I didn't even know what it meant [and] how big it was for somebody. It was great," Ventriglia said.
 
Ventriglia spent two years with the U.S. men's national team and had the opportunity to compete at the 1967 Pan-American Games. His fondest memory was playing at Chicago's Comiskey Park.
 
"We went to the Pan-Am Games and I will never forget that day," he said. "There were about 60,000 people there, and it was raining, and nobody cared. It was great. We actually did well there. We were in a group with Argentina, which was a powerhouse, and Cuba. We lost to Argentina 2-1… [but] we did beat Cuba, 3-1 and I scored against the Cubans. It was nice. I will never forget that. Then they lost to Argentina and Argentina went on. I think Argentina won a medal that year."
 
Once Ventriglia's days were done at New Paltz and the U.S. national team, he went on to play professionally with the Houston Stars of the North American Soccer League, then came back to New York to star for the New York Generals, getting the opportunity to play at Houston's AstroDome and the old Yankee Stadium, respectively. When he made the move back to New York, he balanced his playing career with his teaching career and eventually moved to Highland, NY to teach there and ultimately started his varsity coaching career with the boy's team at New Paltz High School.
 
The team was only two years young when Ventriglia took over the program with the squad finishing winless in its first year. Ventriglia brought in a young roster to turn the team around and ended up in the New York State Class C semifinals. The success continued to grow, as the following season he led his group all the way to the championship game and ended the season, 20-1. In his third year at the helm, New Paltz finally came away with the Class C crown, winning the program's first ever championship. 
 
With the notoriety he developed as a successful player and varsity coach, Ventriglia began doing various camps in the area including one at West Point. One day, Ventriglia was in his office planning for his camp the following day when a West Point Colonel walked in and asked if he would be interested in being the College's women's soccer club coach. Although Ventriglia was flattered by the offer, he had his trepidations taking over the club after just leading New Paltz to its first state title. 
 
"I said I'm not ready for that. I have a team coming back. We just won a state championship and we're going to win another one," he said.
 
But after some persuading, Ventriglia began his next step in his coaching career.
 
"I said 'no,' but I don't know how many times he called me," Ventriglia said. "Finally, I couldn't take him anymore, so he invited me for lunch. At lunch he probably had maybe five or six of the club cadets there. I just couldn't escape, so I talked to my wife. I said, 'you know what, maybe I should do it.' Because [at the time] it was just a club team. There was no varsity program, so I took it."
 
With Ventriglia at the helm the team quickly improved and a year later the team shed the club status and was promoted to a varsity program.
 
"I coached part-time, but it was a program, maybe for about six years. Then after that I said, 'you know I'm ready,' and I took the job [full time]," Ventriglia said. "We finished really well, and the program grew better and better. We had a great team and great kids."
 
Ventriglia spent nearly two decades at the helm of Army's women's soccer team and in that time was named Patriot League Coach of the Year six times with the Black Knights securing four regular season Patriot League titles, while capturing the first two League Championships in program history in 1993 and 2008. He guided Army to 14 total conference tournament appearances and its first NCAA Division I Tournament appearance in 2008. Overall, Ventriglia compiled an overall record of 262-164-299 and a 67-32-12 regular season Patriot League mark.
 
His career with the Black Knights was recognized this past year, as he received the call that he was a part of Army's 2020 Hall of Fame induction class.
 
"To me, the culmination of my life... my dream athletically ...was this past year when I got a call from the AD at West Point. He informed me that I was selected to the West Point Athletic Hall of Fame," Ventriglia said. "You think about all this time, and I never had it in my mind that you know, 'I am going to be a Hall of Famer...' are you kidding me? Come on. But, it is incredible. There is nothing more I want to do except to enjoy those memories. I get calls, emails all the time from the girls. They are all over the place and I guarantee you there is going to be a huge amount of them coming to the banquet and the weekend, so I look forward to it this year."
 
Although Ventriglia retired from coaching following his time at West Point, he decided to come out of retirement and coach at his alma mater in 2011. He spent five seasons with the Hawks men's soccer program and during that span finished 38-49-8 before he decided to retire again, ending his full-time coaching career.
 
The game hasn't left Ventriglia yet, however. He still lends his voice when needed, helping his son Jimmy, who is the head coach of the boy's varsity program at Marlboro High School. Even six decades later, the legend of the "Godfather of Soccer" lives on.
 
"The game has been so good to me," Ventriglia said. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the game.  I'd say this, if I didn't go to New Paltz I would be a different person today. You know what, at the time I would've settled for a college education because it was better than anything I had before. But I felt I had a lot to offer and I wanted to. I met and learned from a lot of good people. It's such a good thing. Like I said, I was so very lucky."

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