Glenn Crooks, Kevin Dearman and Krissy Turner to Be Formally Honored at NJYS Awards Dinner on Friday
New Jersey Youth Soccer will be hosting its 30th Annual Awards Dinner this Friday, February 2nd, honoring many players, coaches and members of the soccer community. A very special part of the evening will take place when NJ Youth Soccer inducts its 2018 Hall of Fame class, which consists of Glenn Crooks, Kevin Dearman and Krissy Turner.
GLENN CROOKS
Glenn Crooks was chosen for induction because of his outstanding achievements in the coaching community, especially with the NJYS Olympic Development Program (ODP) and at the collegiate level. A longtime New Jersey native, Crooks has generated a prolific influence on the soccer landscape at virtually every stage of the game.
Crooks began his time with New Jersey ODP in 1989, where he directed six teams to ODP Regional Championships and three teams to ODP National Championships. He is also responsible for the foundation of the collegiate soccer programs at St. Peter’s University and Long Island University of Brooklyn, as well as the interscholastic soccer program at Ridge High School. For his achievement with the latter, he was inducted into the Ridge High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.
While coaching college soccer, Crooks led teams to nine overall NCAA Tournament appearances, including a pair of runs to the Sweet 16. He took over the Rutgers University women’s soccer program in 2000, and he enjoyed a 13-year tenure with the Scarlet Knights. Among the players he coached at Rutgers were FIFA Women’s World Cup champion, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time FIFA Women’s Player of the Year Carli Lloyd and Canada international Jonelle Filigno, who also participated in the FIFA Women’s World Cup and Summer Olympics.
Crooks currently serves as the host of The Coaching Academy on SiriusXM FC, as a Color Analyst for the BIG Ten Network and as the play-by-play radio voice for New York City FC of Major League Soccer.
Glenn Crooks: “The most enjoyable part of receiving this honor was to sit down and think back to all the people who have had a positive impact on my life as a person and coach. Add to that the support, compassion and love from my family. How great it is to share this with all of them.”
KEVIN DEARMAN
Kevin Dearman was chosen for induction because of his outstanding service to NJ Youth Soccer, the NJ Referee Committee and his overwhelming contributions to the development of the referee program.
Serving as a coach, referee and administrator, Dearman has made a profound impact on the game of soccer in New Jersey. Currently in his 18th year with the NJ Referee Program, his journey as a game official began as a Grade 8 entry-level referee in 2000. Within five years, he had already developed into a Grade 5 state referee. His commitment to the growth and success of the referee program then led him to become a referee accessor and instructor, and he soon became a referee assignor for local youth clubs in the state.
Dearman also performed the roles of secretary and treasurer for the NJ State Referee Committee for three years before serving a six-year appointment as the NJ State Youth Referee Administrator. During his term, he was responsible for identifying and selecting referees to officiate and represent New Jersey at state, regional and national competitions. Most recently, he was honored with NJ Youth Soccer Volunteer of the Year honors in 2015.
Kevin Dearman: “Quoting a famous coach in England from many years ago, ‘Some people believe that football is a matter of life or death. I am very disappointed with this attitude. I can assure you it is far more important than that.’ This basically sums up what the game has meant to me for my entire life, including the last 28-plus years that I have spent living here in New Jersey. I continue to be thrilled and excited at being involved with the game in the United States, and specifically here in New Jersey. I am honored, privileged and grateful beyond belief to have been bestowed this incredible award. Thank you to New Jersey Youth Soccer, and to everyone involved with developing the game at the youth level in the state.”
KRISSY TURNER
Krissy Turner was chosen for induction because of the deep-rooted influence she has established in New Jersey for the women’s and youth soccer communities.
A native on Pennington, N.J., Turner began her college playing career at the University of Rhode Island before transferring to The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), where she received All-America accolades. She then embarked upon a highly successful tenure as an assistant coach at TCNJ. During her three years in Ewing, the Lions posted a trio of 20-win seasons and won back-to-back NCAA Division III National Championships in 1993 and 1994. She then spent three years with the Lafayette women’s soccer program before taking over as head coach at Monmouth University.
Over the past 20 years at Monmouth, Turner has directed the team to 232 wins, five conference championships, seven regular-season championships and five NCAA regional appearances. Further, she has been an eight-time Conference Coach of the Year. Players under her tutelage have seen All-Conference honors on 123 occasions, and 25 of those athletes received All-Region accolades.
An USSF “A” Licensed coach, Turner has proved to be an instrumental part of the NJYS Olympic Development Program (ODP) for nearly two decades. During her time with New Jersey ODP, she led teams to eight ODP Regional Championships and three ODP National Championships. Turner also serves as a staff member for US Soccer’s National Training Centers Program, where she identifies young players for the U.S. Youth National Team.
Krissy Turner: “It is an honor to be recognized by New Jersey Youth Soccer. There are many distinguished soccer coaches and players from New Jersey who have achieved tremendous accomplishments. I feel very fortunate to be associated with them as a fellow Hall of Fame member. I have had the privilege to coach alongside some amazing people, as well as coached many talented players, which has made the experiences I had with New Jersey Youth Soccer very memorable.”
To find out more about NJ Youth Soccer or to contact us directly, please email communications@njyouthsoccer.com. Also make sure to follow us on social media: @NJYouthSoccer
