Sept. 27, 2001
Notre Dame, Ind. – A permanent monument honoring the late Mike Berticelli, former Notre Dame men’s soccer coach, will be dedicated on Fri., Oct. 5 prior to the start of the Notre Dame-Georgetown men’s soccer match at 7:30 p.m. Members of the Berticelli family, including wife Cinda, and sons Nino (Notre Dame ’99) and Anthony (Notre Dame ’01), will be in attendance at the game for the pregame ceremomy.
Berticelli served as the head men’s soccer coach at Notre Dame for 10 seasons (1990-99) before his sudden death in January of 2000. During his tenure, Berticelli’s teams compiled a 104-80-19 (.559) record and made three NCAA tournament appearances in 1994, ’94 and ’96. He guided his squads to three conference tournament championships, including the title at the ’96 BIG EAST Championship. Berticelli led Notre Dame to its first and only NCAA tournament win in school history when his Irish squad defeated UNC Greesnsboro 1-0 in the first round.
The dedication was originally scheduled for the weekend of Sept. 14 during the first annual Mike Berticelli Tournament, but that event was cancelled due to the national tragedy in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania on Sept. 11.
A permanent rock honoring Berticelli’s legacy at the University has been placed at the entrance to Alumni Field with an inscription that reads:
“So much more than a winning record, Mike Berticelli established a high level of pride, commitment and integrity within the men’s soccer program at Notre Dame. For countless student-athletes, “Coach B” was the one true and fixed landmark upon which they always could rely. Similar to a large rock, firm and solid, durable and steady, Mike Berticelli was a man who did not necessarily point the way, but rather served as a point of reference for all who knew him.“