John Moon Honored by City of Linden
9/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
LINDEN, N.J. - Adding yet another award to an already illustrious career, Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Famer and current cross country coach John Moon was honored by the City of Linden on Tuesday for his outstanding contributions to the sport.
A Linden native who has manned the sidelines at The Hall for over four decades, Moon received recognition from the city council in a resolution signed by Mayor Derek Armstead. The resolution comes on the heels of a summer in which Moon was called back into international duty this summer; serving as the head coach for a Team USA squad that delivered its best showing at the Pan-American Games in over 15 years.
In Toronto, Moon guided the Americans to 41 medals, the team's highest total at the competition since 1999. The impressive ledger included 23 medal performances on the women's side - the most since 1987 - and was highlighted by 13 gold medals overall.
To put the Team USA dominance into perspective, the 41 medals won by Moon and the track & field squad equaled or exceeded the total medal haul of 29 of the 30 other competing nations across all events.
The trip to Toronto represented a return to the Red, White & Blue for Moon who was tabbed as a first assistant for the United States men's track & field team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
An 11-time Metropolitan Coach of the Year with the Pirates, Moon has been selected as the BIG EAST Coach of the Year seven times and led Seton Hall to six conference championships on the track. Now in his sixth season coaching exclusively cross country, Moon has steadily developed a program that recorded its first individual and team victories a season ago.
Renowned for his coaching prowess and beloved by the student-athletes he has guided, Moon shared the honor with a large contingent of current and former Pirates who were in attendance to support the longtime head man.
"I have been fortunate enough to receive a number of awards throughout my career but this is one of the most meaningful," said Moon. "To be back where it all started as a kid coming through the Linden public school system, the ceremony really brought things full circle and almost moved me to tears. As overwhelming as it was, it was even more special to be able to share it with the people who came to support me and it is a memory that I will cherish."
