Joe Mancarella/Nelson Cupello Memorial Soccer Endowed Scholarship

Joe Mancarella/Nelson Cupello Memorial Soccer Endowed Scholarship

To commemorate the plaque dedication ceremony being held in memory of Joe Mancarella and in honor of Nelson Cupello, please consider making a charitable donation to the Joe Mancarella/Nelson Cupello Memorial Soccer Endowed Scholarship Fund. Established by the Mancarella family, the scholarship supports men soccer players who are in need of financial assistance to defray the cost of their college expenses.

Joe, MCC professor and the College’s first men’s head soccer coach, started the MCC Tribunes Soccer Program in 1963 and lead the 1965 men’s soccer team to regional and the College’s first NJCAA national soccer championship. His overall record was the best among junior college soccer coaches. His teams won nine Region III titles and were national runner-ups in 1967 and 1971. He was twice named NJCAA Regional Coach of the Year and coached 40 All-American soccer players. Joe was inducted into the NJCAA Men’s Soccer Hall of Fame in 1992 and the MCC Sports Hall of Fame in 1985. Joe retired from MCC in 1989 and sadly passed away in 1993.

Nelson, an MCC alumnus and one of MCC’s most decorated student-athletes, started his MCC career as an assistant under Coach Mancarella. He would lead the Tribunes as head coach for 30 years before his retirement in 2018. His teams captured 13 regional championships and the 2012 squad finished third at the NJCAA Division I national tournament. Nelson has been named Region III Coach of the Year 16 times and Northeast District Coach of the Year three times. Nelson was a member of the MCC Sports Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 1984 and was inducted into the NJCAA Soccer Hall of Fame in 2002. At the time of Nelson’s retirement, Joe’s family requested that the scholarship be renamed to honor him.

The plaque dedication ceremony will take place during the Homecoming men’s soccer match at half-time (approximately 2:45 p.m.) on Saturday, October 1, 2022, at MCC’s Brighton Campus.

Help us continue the legacy of the men whose names are synonymous with soccer excellence by making a donation to the Joe Mancarella/Nelson Cupello Memorial Soccer Endowed Scholarship. Please make your memorial gift online at www.monroecc.edu or Give Now. Select TRIBUTE GIFT and make your gift in memory of Joe or in honor of Nelson. If you wish to make a gift by phone, call 585.685.6020 or by check to the MCC Foundation, 1000 East Henrietta Road, Rochester, NY 14623.

Impact

“Receiving scholarship support made it possible for me to attend MCC. Without you, I wouldn’t be here.”

As co-captain and central defender for the MCC men’s soccer team in 2020, and as a student, Eric Longhorn ’20 was assertive and confident. A recipient of the Joe Mancarella/Nelson Cupello Memorial Soccer Endowed Scholarship, Eric was selected as the team’s most valuable player in 2018-2019 and was recognized by the Western New York Athletic Conference for his academic achievement. In addition, to being an ambassador for MCC during the soccer season, Eric gave back by teaching city children how to play soccer at MCC’s Be A Healthy Hero Summer Camp.