Dougherty gets well-deserved NJSCA Hall of Fame nod

SOUTH BRUNSWICK - A South Brunswick wrestling coach has been selected for induction in the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Joe Dougherty, who will be formally inducted on April 1, has coached wrestling for 21 years, with a long list of awards and accolades under his belt in the meantime.

"After you've done something as long as I've done, it's nice to be recognized for some of the accomplishments, so it's nice sentiment, no doubt about it," said Dougherty.

Dougherty has been wrestling since his own high school days and went into education with the intention working with young people through coaching. His particular style of coaching, according to him, is to not focus so much on winning or losing but, rather, on what values, such as perseverance and responsibility, can be taught or imparted through sports.

"The sport is the medium," said Dougherty.

During his coaching tenure, Dougherty has been inducted into the Region 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Old Bridge High School Hall of Fame. He was named District 20 Coach of the Year in 1998 and has won many championships as the South Brunswick High School wrestling coach Additionally, Dougherty is a four-time GMC Division Coach of the Year, three-time GMC Coaches of Coach of the Year and has been awarded three GMC Sportsmanship Awards.

Dougherty attributed his award to the help of many people in his life, including current athletic director Elaine McGrath, his assistant coach Dan Gavin, former athletic director Frank Petrillo and former principals Fred Nadler and Nick Pazinko.

- Chris Gaetano