'I am so excited at this opportunity'
John Martino was a product of the Philadelphia Catholic League, but most of his career has spent coaching football in South Jersey.
Not coincidentally, many of the teams Martino has been involved as a football assistant won prestigious championships.
Now the 60-year-old Martino will get to have a new title for the first time—head coach. He was recently named the new football coach at Camden Catholic.
It’s a school that Martino has long had a great affinity for. His three daughters are Camden Catholic graduates.
“I am so excited at this opportunity,” Martino said. “I love the school and sent my daughters there and that turned out to be a great decision.”
Martino has been retired for the last few years after spending 34 years as a math teacher.
“I am retired and can be a full-time football coach,” he said. “It is a unique situation.”
Martino played high school football at Cardinal O’Hara of the Philadelphia Catholic League. He then played football at Ursinus, where he was a receiver, before beginning more than three decades as an assistant coach.
He began in 1993 at Monsignor Bonner and was there two seasons, winning the Philadelphia Catholic League title in 1994.
After that Martino began coaching in South Jersey
He served two different assistant coaching stints at Pennsauken, then served under Tim McAneney at three different schools, Bishop Eustace, Holy Cross and Lenape. After Holy Cross, he returned to Pennsauken before returning with McAneney at Lenape.
Among the titles he won – was consecutive NJSIAA state Non-Public II titles at Holy Cross under McAneney in 2007 and 2008.
In 2011 he was an assistant to Clinton Tabb at Pennsauken when the Indians won the South Jersey Group 4 championship.
Under McAneney in 2017 Lenape won the South Jersey Group 5 championship.
In both instances at Pennsauken and Lenape, that was as far as a team could advance since there were not public school state championships at the time.
When McAneney stepped down after the 2017 season, Martino stayed on the Lenape staff under Joe Wojciechowski.
When Wojciechowski resigned after the 2023 season, Martino did as well. He thought that might be it for his coaching career.
Except this past year he was asked to help coach Medford youth football and the experience energized Matino.
“Working with the young kids I felt a resurgence and rejuvenated all over again,” he said. “I probably have another good 10 years in me.”
During his career as an assistant, Martino has coached a variety of positions but for most of the past two decades he has served as an offensive coordinator.
Martino replaces Wayne Gilliam, who had guided the Irish the previous two years. Camden Catholic went 9-2 and won the West Jersey Football League Patriot Division.
“They did a nice job laying the concrete at Camden Catholic and now I am bringing a fresh coat of paint,” Martino said.
One person who feels Camden Catholic hit a home run with the hire is none other than McAneney.
“Besides his knowledge of the game, which he has in spades, his ability to connect with kids is tremendous,” McAneney said. “Kids love playing for him.”
And now Martino is enthused to get started, getting to head his own program, while bringing the same winning tradition that he enjoyed as an assistant to his first head coaching job.
Photo Courtesy of John Martino
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Author: Marc Narducci
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