In Memoriam
Brian Carmello
The Jersey Shore Youth Rugby community is saddened by the passing of Brian Carmello, a dedicated coach of many years for the program, and the proud parent of Rocco and Isabella. Brian was diagnosed with cancer two years ago and went through rounds of treatments. Despite the toll of chemotherapy, radiation, and all that he was going through, Brian remained a constant presence on the field, and a committed member of the Board. In July 2021, the JSYR coaches awarded him a “Man of Steel” trophy at a Falcons team banquet held at Val’s — club headquarters. Since joining in 2018, we could not think of a single time when Brian missed a practice, or a Saturday rugby tournament. Even after his cancer diagnosis, that streak continued.
He was always on time — a focused presence as a coach, and a total team player when it came to the good of the club. He’d wear the JSYR coaching kit jersey, march onto the field with Rocco and his rugby team, and guide them up and down the pitch, with gruff commands and clear directions.
Brian coaching the Owls in the early days, with Parker Wells in center, and Rocco in the background.
Brian lived in Red Bank with his wife Tammy. While Rocco played, his older sister Isabella became a critical part of our opening day organization and management, and a dedicated volunteer for all major club events, including the annual “Flag Fest” tournament that we host in Fair Haven. Brian proudly donned the watermelon jersey for that event and — no surprise — was a major part of planning and prep every year. In fact, the only time one of us recalls Brian losing patience with a senior member of our club, was at 10:30 pm on a Friday night, on the rugby fields, the night before our tournament, when a fellow coach he was guiding through a field lining miscalculated an angle and added another 30 minutes to the night.
We have such great memories of Brian as a JSYR husband, coach, parent, and board member, whose dry sense of humor on our text exchanges still has us laughing to this day, and whose commitment we will always cherish. We’ll miss Brian greatly, but he and his family will always be part of our club and family. Rest in peace Coach Brian.
Yours in rugby,
The JYSR board, coaches, and family.
Memorial donations can be made to