Roselle Catholic HS Holds Race to Replace 5K Holiday Run

Roselle Catholic High School (RCHS) will hold its second annual Race to Replace 5K Holiday Run and Walk on Saturday, December 8, 2018 at the school, followed by a luncheon at the Kenilworth Inn.

Funds raised from the race will benefit the renovation of the school’s track and field complex, which will be named The Bobby Hoffman Championship Track after Bobby Hoffman, an RCHS student athlete and 12-time varsity letter winner. The track will become part of a new athletic complex which will be named after former RCHS Track and Field Coach Frank Gagliano.

“We’re both excited and proud to host this annual event, which is open to everyone and attracting student, alumni and local family participation. As a community, we’re embracing a very ambitious, yet incredibly important goal – to renovate and improve our campus with a well-deserved state-of-the-art facility for our students,” explains RCHS Director of Development Dave Boff. “We can only achieve this goal with the help of our alumni, donors and friends.”

This year’s event keynote speakers include former Villanova champion hurdler and Olympic Silver Medalist Erv Hall and Coach Frank Gagliano. The race will include team and individual age competitions, with cash prizes awarded for several category winners. T-shirts will be given to the first 300 pre-registrants.

Registration must be completed online by 3pm on Friday, December 7. To register for the race or make a donation, please visit https://www.rosellecatholic.org/race-to-replace.

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During his 9-year tenure at RCHS, Coach Frank Gaglianobuilt a track and fi­eld program that rose to national prominence and set the tone for athletic success and traditions that the RCHS community would enjoy for 57 years following his leadership. His Lions notably captured three Penn Relay Championship of America titles, three NJ State Indoor Track titles and a State Cross Country Championship. Coach Gagliano continued his coaching career with success at Manhattan University, Rutgers University, The Nike Farm Team and as head coach at Georgetown University for 18 years.

Bobby Hoffman, a dedicated, loyal and hard-working RCHS student-athlete was a 12-time varsity letter winner and member of Coach Gagliano's Cross Country and Indoor Track teams.

He ran on RCHS’ first two Penn Relay Championship of America teams and was named Union County Scholar Athlete during his 1965 senior year. After graduation, Bobby became the first RCHS student to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. After serving a tour of duty in Vietnam, where Bobby led the last U.S. Rangers combat mission of that war, he continued to serve his country in the military for 20 years and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. After retirement, Bobby worked for FitForce, a company that assessed the fitness levels of police forces across the country and designed the police fitness programs. Bobby passed away the summer of 2017 following a courageous battle with brain cancer and had the distinct special honor of burial at West Point.

Established in 1959, Roselle Catholic is a coed, college preparatory secondary school which enrolls approximately 400 students in Grades 9 -12 from over 25 different municipalities.