Brick Memorial AD Bill Bruno Headed To The NJSIAA

The ”to do” list just got a little bit longer for Richard Caldes.

In addition to working out the details of bus routes, handling issues with scheduling and preparing for the 2015-16 school year, the interim superintendent of the Brick Township School District will be searching for a new athletic director for Brick Memorial High School, after the NJSIAA announced it has hired Bill Bruno as an assistant director.

“It’s a tremendous loss for us, but I am happy for him,” Caldes said Thursday afternoon. “He has dedicated his life to athletics and this is the pinnacle of his career. It’s a great achievement.”

Bruno was hired by the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association -- the governing body of high school sports in the state -- to fill the vacancy created when longtime assistant director Don Danser died in June at the age of 69. Bruno will be in charge of cross country, winter track and spring track, according to a news release from the NJSIAA.

When he will begin his duties with the NJSIAA was not immediately known, but Caldes said Bruno is retiring from the Brick school district effective Oct. 1.

Bruno had worked as an athletic director in the Brick Township school district since 2003. From 2003 to 2007 and again from 2010-2013 Bruno oversaw athletics at both high schools and both middle schools, but from 2007-2010 and since 2013, Rick Handchen has handled the duties at Brick Township High School and Lake Riviera Middle School while Bruno focused on the Mustangs’ athletic programs and those at Veterans Memorial Middle School.

Bruno was named the 2015 New Jersey Athletic Director of the Year by a vote of the Directors of Athletics Association, and of New Jersey’s convention in March. He additionally received a Distinguished Service Award from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association in 2013.

“He was tireless,” Caldes said. “He was at every event for our kids. He was dedicated to them.”

Bruno, who has served on the NJSIAA’s Executive Committee for several years, also has served as athletic director at Marlboro High School and at Howell High School, and has experience as a head coach in football, winter track, and spring track, according to the news release.

“I’ve known him going back to when he was the football coach at Pinelands,” Caldes said. ”He’s a great friend, and I’m happy for him.”

“In identifying someone to step into an NJSIAA assistant director role, Bill’s outstanding professional experience and his familiarity with the association really stood out,” said Steven J. Timko, NJSIAA executive director. “It’s difficult to imagine any responsibility or challenge for which Bill isn’t supremely well prepared. I’m confident he’s the perfect fit for the NJSIAA and for the student-athletes we serve.”

“Based on years of professional experie’nce at four different high schools, I understand all the nuances of an athletic director’s role,” Bruno says. “As an NJSIAA assistant director, I’m committed to utilizing my background and expertise to assist our member schools in maximizing the benefits of sports programs for their student-athletes.”

(Bill Bruno, right, announces fall sports awards at a February school board meeting. He had been with the Brick Township School District since 2003. Credit: Karen Wall)