See What New Wolfpack Football Scoreboard Would Look Like

LONG VALLEY, N.J. – A rendering of what the proposed scoreboard to honor former coach Pete Piccirillo has been released, and shows why a group of West Morris Central alumni are raising funds toward the effort.

The group, made up of former Central football players, cheerleaders, and other students, began an online fundraiser to purchase a new scoreboard for West Morris Central’s Wolfpack Stadium in honor of longtime coach Pete Piccirillo.

The rendering shows the new scoreboard and how it would honor the coach of 34 seasons.

The rendering needs approval by the West Morris Regional Board of Education, which has already given the green light for the project so long as the group can fund the scoreboard and its installation.

According to Steve Patton, one of Central’s alumni part of the group, the cost of the scoreboard will be in the area of $17,000.

Football is in Piccirillo’s blood. The three-year letter winner at Indiana University was drafted by the New England Patriots, but took his love for football to the sidelines instead. He started as Central’s assistant coach in 1961 and two years later took over the lead role.

During his 34-year career, Piccirillo tallied 220 wins, 98 losses, and six ties. The Wolfpack won eight conference championships, named number one in the county six times, reached the playoffs 11 times, made the state finals game seven times, won three titles, and recorded 23 consecutive winning seasons.

It was under Piccirillo that the team’s name changed from Highlanders to Wolfpack to represent “the strength of the wolf is in the pack and the strength of the pack is in the wolf.”

Piccirillo was named New Jersey Coach of the Year, North Jersey Coach of the Year, and Morris County Coach of the Year six times.

Patton and his fellow alumni have begun a PlumFund.com fundraising page for the cause. The fundraiser runs through July 4 with the hopes of dedicating the scoreboard to Piccirillo on Sept. 30 during a Wolfpack game. The group is filled out with many Central grads from the 60s to the early 80s, but, Patton said, he'd like to connect more with players and students who attended the school from the early 1980s until Piccirillo's retirement in 1997.

“Honoring someone that is still alive and can actually be there to feel the adulation is the most important thing we can do,” Patton said.

As of Friday, May 6, the fundraiser had brought in $2,802 of its $18,000 goal. Click here to see the PlumFund.com page.