BRONX, N.Y. (Dec. 19, 2019) – Rutgers men's soccer head coach Jim McElderry will be honored at the New York City Soccer Gala on Feb. 25, 2020.
 
The NYC Soccer Gala was formed by the city's four Division I soccer programs – St. John's, St. Francis, Fordham and LIU Brooklyn – to honor the past and present of New York City soccer. The Gala honors outstanding people from youth, amateur, collegiate and professional soccer. It serves as a platform for all levels of the game to come together and celebrate coaches who have inspired others to succeed.

In addition to McElderry, the NYC Soccer Gala will honor former United States Men's National Team head coach Bruce Arena and Emmy Award winning ESPN personality Bob Ley.
 
McElderry, who in his first year "On the Banks" guided the Scarlet Knights to their most wins in a season since 2015, previously spent 16 years as the head coach at Fordham, building the Rams program into a perennial contender in the Atlantic 10 Conference, as well as into a threat on the national stage.
 
In 2019, McElderry's Scarlet Knights opened the campaign 6-0-2 for the program's longest unbeaten start since 1985. Rutgers garnered a No. 22 national ranking in the United Soccer Coaches Poll on Sept. 24. Meanwhile, sophomore Pablo Ávila earned All-Big Ten Second Team accolades, while freshmen Jackson Temple and Hugo Le Guennec were named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. Another freshman, midfielder Jørgen Wisth Lie, earned a Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 4.
 
The Scarlet Knights capped the season with six selections to the Academic All-Big Ten Team.
 
During his 16-year tenure at Fordham, McElderry's student-athletes have been rewarded with 27 All-Region honors over his final 12 seasons, including five named in 2017 and three earning distinctions in 2018, 2016 and 2011. Altogether, McElderry has coached 18 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie and 32 All-Atlantic 10 honorees, as well as the 2018 Atlantic 10 Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year.
 
As much as McElderry's teams have succeeded on the field, his squads have been as equally impressive in the classroom having earned the Team Academic Award from the United Soccer Coaches Association for nine-straight years and securing a 100% graduation rate of four-year team members since 2003.
 
 
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