Kottakhs Inducted into NJ Soccer Hall of Fame

Teddy Kottakhs may not have had much of a choice when it came to starting his career in soccer. It was his dedication to stay with the sport that he loves, however, that earned him a spot in the New Jersey Soccer Association Hall of Fame.

"I came to this country in 1970," Kottakhs said. "I came from Greece. Greece is now the European basketball champion. When I was there, it was nothing but soccer. Everyone played soccer. Soccer, soccer, soccer."

Kottakhs played growing up. He became good enough to play professionally as a left wing from ages 16 to 18.

Kottakhs' soccer career was put on hold when he joined the Merchant Marines for 10 years. One day he docked in the United States.

"I met my wife, got married and there it goes," Kottakhs recalled.

One thing that never went away was Kottakhs' love of soccer. After settling in East Windsor, he joined the Yardville GAK and played there from 1970-78. He also played for a team in Trenton for two years.

When it became clear he couldn't continue to play at a competitive level for much longer, Kottakhs was facing a dilemma.

"I couldn't play anymore, but I loved the game," Kottakhs said. "I didn't want to quit the field."

The solution was to become a referee. Kottakhs has done that now for 32 years.

Kottakhs has refereed recreation leagues, travel, high school, semi-pro and college games. He became good enough at his job to be named the New Jersey Soccer Association Referee of the Year in 1997.

"When I used to run a little better, I would do four or five games a week," Kottakhs said. "I still referee two games every Sunday. I'm 71, but I'm still refereeing and I'm still running. To me, it's nothing. I run every day. I'm worried that some day my knee or ankle might give out. I'm not worried about anything else."

In addition to refereeing, Kottakhs volunteers his time to help out the . Kottakhs assigns the referees for the PAL games.

"I'm helping out my township," Kottakhs said. "I've been involved with PAL since 1977. They took me into the program and I learned a lot from them. I had to communicate with people. I absorbed a lot of patience. I didn't have that before. Now, I'm a better person."

The New Jersey Soccer Association thinks he's a Hall of Famer.

Kottakhs was inducted into the Hall of Fame during a banquet at L'Affaire Restaurant Sunday. Kottakhs was honored for his work as a referee.

Someday, he might get a similar honor in Florida as well. Every November to April, Kottakhs goes to Florida and referees down there too.

"The banquet was beautiful," Kottakhs said of the Sunday event. "There were a couple hundred people there. It was nice to be recognized.

"When I was young, I never thought I would be involved with soccer this long. I can't say for sure, but I don't think I will ever stop. Not as long as I can keep running. I still run. Everyone thinks I'm 50 years old."