South River football program gets generous gift from an old alum

Back in 1991 – when South River head coach Rich Marchesi was in his fourth season as head coach – the Rams won a state championship, beating Dunellen 14-0 for the Central Jersey Group 1 title.

One of the players he coached was Minkah Fitzpatrick. And before you are thinking of the Minkah Fitzpatrick who’s now with the Pittsburgh Steelers and one of the top safeties in the NFL, that’s the “son” Minkah Fitpatrick. This is the father we’re talking about.

He was pretty well-known for his basketball exploits, too, his team winning the CJ1 title in basketball in 1990-91, the school year prior to the ’91 football championship.

*Fitzpatrick was on South River’s 1991 Central Jersey Group 1 title team. Quarterback Matt Lonczak is shown here. (Source: Newspapers.com)*

So, fast forward to one day in February, 32 years later: Marchesi gets a call from Fitzpatrick – the father – who tells him he wants to help out the program. He donated a 50 brand-new sets of cleats, practice jerseys, and practice pants with pads.

“His son does a pretty good job,” Marchesi told Central Jersey Sports Radio. “He said the family is blessed, and he wanted to pay it forward.”

Being a small school, and with the cost of everything skyrocketing, Marchesi says it’s not always easy to afford to get new jerseys or new equipment.

And, of course, the district will go to voters in November to ask for $5.5 million dollars to repair Bill Denny Stadium, which the Board of Education confirmed earlier this month will be demolished, with the nearly 90-year-old stadium no longer safe.

“The kids knew where it came from,” says Marchesi, who notes they appreciate the history of the program, and often get to meet former South River stars when they come back home, a visit that’s never complete without a stop in at a football game.

Click below to hear South River coach Rich Marchesi talk about the big equipment donation from the family of Minkah Fitzpatrick: