Wall native Matt Harmon is in his 11th season as the radio play-by-play announcer for the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer.
When injuries ended Matt Harmon’s athletic career after playing on the first-ever Monmouth University football team in 1993, he began working at the school’s radio station as a way of continuing his involvement in sports.
By his senior year he was calling games on the school's student-run WMCX radio for the Hawks’ first-ever NCAA Tournament men’s basketball team in 1996.
On July 19, when Lionel Messi and Inter Miami visit Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, it will be Harmon’s 400th match behind the radio microphone for the New York Red Bulls.
“I can still remember the first game I did (in 2015), which was up in New England,” said the Wall Township native. “To me that seems like yesterday, but when I sit back and reflect on it, there have been so many amazing memories over the course of 10-plus seasons.
“To now look back at it and say that’s 400 games, that’s crazy and if I am lucky enough I’ll have 400 more because I absolutely love it and am thrilled to be part of such a great.”
By his side through it all has been analyst Steve Jolley and engineer Paul Schrager. Jolley played five seasons for the team and played in MLS Cup finals with the LA Galaxy, before watching from the broadcast booth last year as the Red Bulls’ made a stirring run to the championship game as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.
“Our 11th season, for better or worse. We’re brothers in arms,” Jolley said. “As my kids often allude to, I probably spend more time with Matt than them during the summer. I love Matt to death, like a brother. His family. I’ve obviously told many people in many different environments how lucky we are to have him and his professionalism associated with Red Bulls.
“It just kind of worked for us. We’re roughly around the same age, our kids are about the same ages, and the personalities kind of melded. The roles and responsibilities for each of us during the broadcast came together and next thing you know we’ve been doing it for a long time, and it is an absolute pleasure working with him.”
A legacy built on teaching
Harmon’s longevity in Major League Soccer traces to his Jersey Shore roots, from calling different sports, including soccer, at Monmouth, to more than two decades broadcasting Shore Conference sports alongside Kevin Williams on the former Shore Sports Network.
“From broadcasting games for WMCX, this whole thing is a full-circle moment,” said Harmon, an instructor in broadcasting and production at Monmouth since 1999. “I can talk about my path that began at Monmouth. Now I am teaching and talking to students every day and, yes, you can do it from a school like Monmouth, and I’m living proof of it.”
One of those former students was Ed Occhipinti, who spent 11 seasons calling Monmouth football games with Harmon.
“Matt was one of the trailblazers who came through and paved the way,” Occhipinti said. “It’s been really cool to watch all the people come through over the years, and Matt was the first one I knew. I remember hearing his old calls, hearing the 2001 (NEC) championship basketball call, something you study in production class, and I remember thinking, ‘damn, this guy is really good.’ Now he’s carved a nice niche for himself in the soccer world.”
Harmon has built a lasting legacy locally by teaching and mentoring others as Monmouth’s broadcast and production capabilities have expanded over the past 15 years, taking advantage of increased opportunities for exposure for the school, both streaming and on linear television.
“I had amazing professors at Monmouth," Harmon said, adding that two faculty members, Everett Rich and John Morano, especially shaped his career path: “If I don’t have those guys in my ear for those two years that I was involved with the college radio station and the college newspaper I probably am not doing what I am today.
“There are not many things that bring me more joy than having former students go on to careers in sports. That means the world to me. That’s why I do what I do. And I try to teach everyone to be humble, to listen, to learn and to look for new experiences. Don’t say no to anything. because you never know what door is going to open. And me working at Red Bulls is a perfect example of that.”
The Red Bulls’ run to the MLS Cup final last season, which Harmon described as “amazing,” was a highlight among countless memories, as the team advanced past Columbus, New York City and Orlando City, before falling to the LA Galaxy, 2-1.
“That was one of the things he was always in my ear about, you want to be as versatile as you can be, do as many different sports as you can,” Occhipinti said. “So it’s cool that we were doing football way back when and now he’s doing soccer.””
Red Bulls announcer Matt Harmon leans into Jersey Shore roots
When he speaks about his journey, Harmon frequently references his family, including his wife, Megan, and sons Daniel, Cooper and Luke.
And when he talks about Cooper, a sophomore soccer player at Springfield College, and Cooper, a sophomore at Wall High School, both currently working on the beach in Sea Girt, he gets emotional.
Harmon is in his 37th year working as a lifeguard, most of them in Sea Girt, while his father, Art Harmon, worked on the beach for 44 summers, while serving as a longtime coach, teacher and administrator at Rumson-Fair Haven High School.
“The one thing my dad missed is seeing his grandkids work on the beach like he did,” said Harmon, whose father passed away in 2009. “But knowing the lineage, it’s pretty awesome. My nephew works down here on the beach, so it’s all connected.
”What I do professionally on a lot of levels mirrors what my dad did. He was always heavily involved in athletics. I am involved in athletics albeit in a different world, the broadcast world. He was a teacher for 35 years at Rumson, and I’ve been teaching at Monmouth for over 25 years now.”
It’s Harmon’s Jersey Shore roots that help define him, personally and professional.
“There’s one story that really brings to life who Matt is as a person and it has nothing to do with the team,” said Red Bulls team president Marc de Grandpré. “A few weeks ago my daughter, who has special needs, was at a surf event for those with disabilities called Walk on Water in Spring Lake. I had just mentioned to Matt that I would be there with Julia - and Matt showed up to cheer her on and support her and support us.
“That is the type of human being he is. Really selfless, committed and just a good person. He’s still a lifeguard in Sea Girt and anyone who does that is selfless.”
Stephen Edelson is a USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey sports columnist who has been covering athletics in the state and at the Jersey Shore for over 35 years. Contact him at: @SteveEdelsonAPP; sedelson@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Matt Harmon as NY Red Bulls play-by-play man has deep Jersey Shore roots
Category: General Sports
