Joe Morrone, former Olympian and UConn soccer royalty, dies at 67

Joe Morrone, one of the greatest soccer players in UConn and state history, has died. He was 67.

Morrone, who played at UConn from 1977-80, the son of longtime coach, Joseph J. Morrone, is still the Huskies’ all-time leading scorer with 61 goals. He won the Hermann Trophy as best player in the nation in 1980, and was to play for the U.S. national team in the Moscow Olympics, before the U.S. government boycotted the games. Morrone died Sunday at Hartford Hospital from multiple illnesses, his family said.

“He was the best to ever play soccer at UConn,” said Bill Morrone, Joe’s younger brother, in announcing his passing on Facebook. “My brother’s nickname was ‘The Condor’ as he would control the soccer ball and extend both his arms so the other team’s players could not get near the ball.”

Joseph M. Morrone played at E.O. Smith High in Storrs, leading his team to state championships season in 1975 and ’76 and was twice a high school All-American before going to UConn to play for his father, who was just beginning to build a nationally known program. He was a three-time All-American in college.

“I was doing some soccer clinics with Walt Chyzowych, who was our national team coach (in 1980),” said Erhardt Kapp, who was Morrone’s teammate all four years at UConn. “And he said to me, ‘Joe was one of the players I could play anywhere, stopper, midfield, forward, and he was probably the best at those positions in his time.’ … If he were playing today, in his prime, he would be on the U.S. team that is going to play in the World Cup.”

In fact, though he played mostly at midfield and in the backfield, Morrone scored winning goals in two qualifying games for the U.S. Olympic team in 1980. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the North American Soccer League Draft in 1980 and went on to win rookie of the year honors for Tulsa in what was then the major pro league in the U.S. He played professionally, outdoor and indoor soccer, through 1984.

“Joe was a superstar in Connecticut and our first legendary home-grown player,” said Bill Duffy, president of the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame, which inducted Morrone in 2000, in informing members of Morrone’s passing. “Many young players were influenced by his size, ability, and skill in the 1970’s and ’80’s while watching him play and reach new heights.”