Denise Reddy is familiar with the Miller Family Training Complex, but the facility didn't exist more than 30 years ago when she was a two-time soccer team captain and All-American at Rutgers University.
Since then, the professional coach has returned frequently to help train the Rutgers University women's soccer team on the Piscataway campus.
But her recent appearance on the field as an assistant coach for the Olympic-qualifying U.S. women's national soccer team has given her a special meaning in her stay at Rutgers.
“I came back and actually [Olympic] “I'll be camping in New Jersey before I go to the Olympics,” she said in the heat of an early July afternoon, just outside the facility. “It's an honor to be a part of the U.S. national team, but to actually be able to come back to my alma mater and practice there is really special.”
Her coaching journey began in 1989 when she worked for the New Jersey Olympic Development Program and was a member of the Rutgers University team.
Thirty-five years later, at age 52, she couldn't help but feel grateful for how far she'd come.
Among the players she coaches are Rutgers alumnus Casey Murphy, a 2017 graduate and Bridgewater, Jersey native, and Leddy, who grew up in Hazlet and now lives in Point Pleasant.
“Casey is a big deal for Rutgers. I've practiced with her and played a little bit of pickup games against her. And being from New Jersey, it means a lot,” Leddy said.
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