Matawan Football Alumni Foundation

10/20/2026

Matawan Football Alumni,

We are proud to announce that the Matawan Football Alumni Foundation website is officially live, and our football film archive project is ready for everyone to enjoy.

For generations, Matawan football has been about more than the games themselves. It's about the players who wore the uniform, the coaches who shaped the program, the teammates who became lifelong friends, and the traditions that connected one generation to the next.

That history deserves to be preserved.

Bringing this project to life has taken time, effort, and a belief that what we have is worth protecting. Not everyone shared that belief from the beginning, and there were certainly doubts about whether this project would come together. But we believed the history of Matawan football belonged to all of us, and that it deserved to be accessible to everyone.

Today, that vision is a reality.

This is just the first phase. The website and film archive establish the foundation for a larger effort to preserve, document, and celebrate the history of Matawan football. We'll continue adding to the website over time, creating more opportunities for alumni and future generations to connect with the people, memories, and traditions that make this program special.

For now, we invite you to explore the archive, revisit old memories, find former teammates, and share it with family and friends. The film archive is free and accessible to everyone. Our hope is that it brings back great memories for those who played and introduces younger generations to the history and tradition they are now part of.

Visit the website and explore the film archive:

https://www.matawanfootballalumni.com

While access to the archive is free, preserving this history and continuing the work of the Foundation takes resources. If you believe this project is worthwhile, please consider making a donation through the website. Every contribution helps us preserve our football history and build upon what we've started.

Please share the website with former teammates, coaches, and anyone who has been part of Matawan football. This history belongs to all of us, and we want as many people as possible to have the opportunity to experience it.

We are proud of what we've accomplished, grateful to everyone who helped make it happen, and excited about what lies ahead. This is an important first step, and with the support of the Matawan football community, there's much more we can accomplish together.

The history is preserved. The archive is open. And the tradition continues.

Go Huskies!

Matawan Football Alumni Foundation

09/04/2026

It was a special night for the Matawan Football Huskies as they beat rival Raritan HS in honor of the late Coach Barry Rizzo

Matawan defeated rival Raritan 18-12 behind Sean Euell and a turnover-forcing defense on an emotional night honoring legendary coach Barry Rizzo.

09/01/2026

Dear Husky Family,

Yesterday, we shared the heartbreaking news of the passing of Coach Barry Rizzo.

For generations of Matawan players, Coach Rizzo was much more than a football coach. He was a teacher, a mentor, and a standard-bearer for what it meant to be a Husky. His impact on our football program and the young men who came through it will never be forgotten.

We wanted to share Coach Rizzo’s obituary with the Husky family so that we can all take a moment to remember his remarkable life and legacy.

https://thompsonmemorial.net/obituaries/3145-barry-henry-rizzo-sr

Our deepest condolences go out to the Rizzo family, his friends, and all of his former players.

Warm regards,
Matawan Football Alumni Foundation

08/31/2026

Dear Husky Family,

A giant has left us.

The Matawan Football Alumni Foundation mourns the passing of Coach Barry Rizzo at age 94.

24 seasons on the Matawan sideline, 26 years in the school’s athletic program, and a lifetime in the hearts of every athlete who ever wore the Husky uniform.

A master of the single-wing offense, Coach Rizzo built Matawan into a Shore Conference power and finished with a career record of 147-61-9. He brought home three state championships: the 1958 Central Jersey Group II title, the 1973 Central Jersey Group III title, and the 1975 Group IV crown, in only the second year of the state playoff system. His teams won eight division titles. In his final season, 1979, the Huskies reached the Group IV finals.

He was inducted into the Shore Football Coaches Foundation Hall of Fame in 2009, and the home he built for Husky football carries his name: Barry Rizzo Stadium.

He coached legends.

Jim Jeffcoat, Class of ’79, a high school All-American who went on to Arizona State, became a first-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys, played 15 NFL seasons, recorded 102.5 sacks, and won a Super Bowl XXVII ring.

Kenny Mandeville. Randy Davis. Purvis Peeler, the back who powered that 1958 championship run.

And Joe Martucci, an all-state linebacker for Coach in 1968, who came home to serve 11 seasons on his staff before becoming the winningest coach in school history.

That’s the real measure of Coach Barry Rizzo: his players kept coming back.

But the wins on the field were never the point.

When he stepped down in 1979, the local paper wrote that, despite all the powerhouse teams, Rizzo never lost sight of the whole student, their academics, their character, and their life off the field.

Every Husky who played for him knew that.

He preached accountability, toughness, and doing things the right way and then he lived it in front of us, every single day, for a quarter century.

He didn’t just coach boys. He taught them how to be men.

A big part of Husky lore has gone to the great stadium in the sky.

Our deepest condolences go out to the Rizzo family, his friends, and all of his former players.

A Memorial Visitation will be held Thursday, Sept. 10 from 4-7 p.m. at Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad St., Red Bank, N.J. 07701. The funeral service will be held Saturday, Sept. 12 at 11 a.m. at St. John's Episcopal Church, 325 Little Silver Point Rd., Little Silver, N.J. 07739. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. John’s Outreach Fund, 325 Little Silver Point Road, Little Silver, NJ 07739 or the Matawan Football Alumni Foundation

In the days ahead, we’ll share more stories, memories, and moments from Coach Rizzo’s remarkable legacy at Matawan. For now, we simply remember a man who gave so much to Husky football and to the young men he coached.

Once a Husky, always a Husky.

Rest easy, Coach.

Your boys will take it from here. 🙏

05/11/2026

Passing of Mrs. Patricia Martucci

To Our Matawan Football Alumni Family,

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Coach Joe Martucci’s wife, Patricia Martucci, a pillar of the Matawan Football Family.

On behalf of our Matawan Football Alumni Community, we extend our deepest condolences to Coach Martucci and his family during this difficult time. Mrs. Martucci meant so much to so many throughout the years, and we ask that you keep the Martucci family in your thoughts and prayers.

For those who would like to pay their respects, obituary and service information can be found here:

https://obits.nj.com/us/obituaries/trenton/name/patricia-martucci-obituary?id=61436402

Please feel free to share this with any former players, coaches, or alumni who may not yet have heard the news.

Sincerely,

Matawan Football Alumni Foundation

View Patricia Martucci's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.

04/21/2026

Dear Husky Family,

With a heavy heart, we share the sudden passing of fellow Matawan Husky, Tom Watson, Class of 1978.

Tom was not only a proud Husky, but also one of the key members instrumental in helping establish and grow the Matawan Football Foundation. His commitment to the program and to future generations of student-athletes left a lasting impact on the community he cared so deeply about.

A Mass will be held this Saturday at 11:30 AM at St. Clement’s, followed by a gathering in the downstairs area of Washington Engine Company, 176 Jackson Street.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and all who knew him.