Former Marietta High soccer coach to be honored
July 30, 2015
By Ron Johnston - Sports writer (rjohnston@mariettatimes.com) , Marietta Times
DEVOLA - Back in the day, Jerry Brock sometimes officiated soccer matches right after guiding the Marietta High boys varsity team against an opponent.
The longtime Marietta attorney was a very busy man, had an abundance of energy, and was obviously passionate about the sport. He spent a lot of time at the Marietta Soccer Complex in Devola.
In recognition of that fact, MHS head boys soccer coach Todd Morris came up with an idea last spring
"2015 is the 30th anniversary of soccer beginning at Marietta High School in 1985," Morris said. "To celebrate that occasion, and to honor Jerry Brock, I proposed to the school board that the game field in Devola by renamed 'Jerry Brock Field.'"
Morris paused.
"It was a process," he continued, "but the school board has approved this, and we will be moving forward with the process."
The Jerry Brock Field dedication ceremony is scheduled to take place 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, right after the 5 p.m. Marietta girls soccer alumni match and just before the 7 p.m. Tiger boys alumni game. Invited to the event will be not only the players, alumni and family but also all of the Marietta Soccer League and Club Ohio competitive teams.
"I'm excited, surprised, and really pleased," Brock said. "Lots of background, lots of history. It does bring up lots and lots of memories."
Morris smiled.
"We are using the evening to celebrate and reflect," he said.
A native of Cincinnati, Brock has resided and practiced law in Washington County since the 1960s. While he never played the sport himself, he became interested when his sons did.
"I just learned about the game two inches ahead of the kids," Brock said. "That's what got me started."
Considered the founding father of Marietta soccer, Brock was instrumental in the formation of the Marietta Soccer League in 1981.
"I worked that, and we got it so we were developing kids," recalled Brock. "We had a quote feed-in program to a certain extent."
In 1985, James Dix was hired as the first head coach of Marietta High soccer. In that debut season, the Tigers posted a 6-5-1 record.
"I went to the high school and begged them to start soccer as a program, and they did," Brock said.
"I think it was meant to be a club program at first. It wasn't a varsity sport the first year or two. So the first year they found a coach, and they hired this guy (Dix).
"He didn't spend much time...and conditioning was not an issue with him. His basic idea with a starting team was if the ball is coming toward our goal, let's kick it out of bounds so we can regroup. Every time."
Brock laughed.
"Anyway," he continued, "the second year, it's time to start soccer, and I call the athletic director and said that it was time for practice and why hadn't my kids been called. He said they hadn't found a coach, because Dix had quit. And I said to him that we'd better talk."
In 1986, Brock was named the MHS varsity boys soccer head coach.
"We started from the bottom and we were pretty weak the first two or three years and then it finally started to fall together," Brock said.
From that first year at the helm until 1999, Brock guided the Tigers to a 179-72-18 record, which included nine Southeastern Ohio Athletic League (SEOAL) championships (eight straight from 1992-99) and five district titles (1992, 1994-97).
During the early years of the program, Marietta played its home games at the Phillips Elementary School field. In 1990, the Tigers moved to Devola, and in that same year clinched their first league crown.
In 1998, Marietta claimed milestone win 150 with a 4-1 triumph at Warren.
Brock's four sons - Seth, Stanton, Stephen and Stewart - have all donned the orange and black soccer uniform.
Morris was Brock's goalkeeper from 1992 to 1995.
"Soccer has been very good to me, has opened a lot of doors for me, and provided me with so many friendships and memories," Morris said.
"Jerry was a huge contributor to that. He helped create the stage for all of us who played soccer in Marietta to perform. It was an honor to play for him, and was maybe even more fun to get to coach with him for a few years."
At the age of 61, Brock decided 14 years at the helm was long enough. After 8 more years as an assistant, in 2008, Morris, Brock's protege, became the program's eighth head coach, and in his second season, he guided the Tigers to milestone win 300.
Since retiring from coaching, Brock occasionally can be seen at some of Marietta's home matches as a spectator.
Now and in the future, of course, the pitch will bear his name, Jerry Brock Field.
"To me, this is long overdue for Jerry," Morris said.
"Soccer in Marietta has come a long, long way since the early 1980s, and August 8th will be a celebration of that."
NOTES: On Aug. 8, the ceremony and games are free of charge, and everyone and anyone is invited to attend to celebrate soccer in Marietta, honor Jerry Brock, and watch some Tigers of the past and Tigers of the present on the pitch...There will be Columbus Crew tickets and merchandise raffled off as well.
Fact Box
Jerry Brock soccer: Season by Season
Year RecordCoachChampionship(s)
1986: 7-9-2Brock
1987: 9-7-1Brock
1988: 7-10-2Brock
1989: 8-9-2Brock
1990: 14-5-0 Brock SEOAL
1991: 15-4-1 Brock district
1992: 13-3-2 Brock SEOAL
1993: 13-5-0 Brock SEOAL
1994: 17-3-1 Brock SEOAL, district
1995: 15-3-2 Brock SEOAL, district
1996: 15-5-1 Brock SEOAL, district
1997: 15-4-2 Brock SEOAL, district
1998: 15-2-2 Brock SEOAL
1999: 16-3-0 Brock SEOAL
Agenda for the evening of Aug. 8
5 p.m.: MHS women's soccer alumni game
6:30 p.m.: Field Dedication Ceremony
7 p.m.: MHS men's soccer alumni game
After match: cookout and the opportunity to socialize
Marietta head soccer coach Todd Morris, left, and former Marietta head soccer coach Jerry Brock stand on what will soon be known as Jerry Brock Field.