Asbury Park To Name Stadium After School Icon William “Butch” Bruno Friday Night

Asbury Park will name its athletic stadium after legendary player and coach William “Butch” Bruno during a halftime ceremony when the Blue Bishops hosts Dunellen in their homecoming game, Friday night at 6 p.m.

Bruno is the late father of former Brick Memorial athletic director and current NJSIAA assistant director Bill Bruno and former Howell athletic director Pete Bruno.

“This tribute to Mr. Bruno is long overdue and I’m just glad that we’re able to honor him in this manner,” said Dr. Kristie Howard, Director of Student Services. “Bruno exemplifies the Blue Bishop spirit as a scholar-athlete who returned to his hometown to serve as an educator, coach and role model.”

Butch Bruno was a 1934 graduate of Asbury Park High School and is the only Blue Bishops athlete to earn four varsity letters in four sports. He was an All-State player in football, basketball and baseball. Bruno was a history teacher at Asbury Park for 25 years and coached the Blue Bishops’ football team from 1946-1965, compiling a 105-58-16 record and winning three NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV state championships, according to Shore Football Coaches Foundation records. He led the 1953 team to a perfect 9-0 record, and also led Asbury Park to state titles in 1948 and 1954.

Upon graduating from Asbury Park, Bruno attended Notre Dame University where he played football and graduated with a history degree. He served in the United States Navy during World War II and was awarded a Purple Heart for helping rescue a wounded shipmate.

Bruno was inducted into the NJSIAA Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Shore Football Coaches Foundation Hall of Fame in 2009.

The Asbury Park school district will present his family with a plaque, and a replica of the plaque will be mounted at the 92-year old stadium this coming spring.

"We are very excited about it and we thank the Asbury Park school administration and the board of education for seeing this project through," Bill Bruno said. "We're a proud bunch of Brunos and there will be a lot of relatives and friends there tonight. It's very touching. It's nice to know my dad's name is still attached to Asbury Park."

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