Former UConn soccer coach Joe Morrone dies at 79

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Former University of Connecticut men's soccer coach Joseph Morrone (mohr-OH'-nee), a Hall of Famer who led the Huskies to the 1981 national title and the national semifinals the following two years, has died. He was 79.

UConn officials said Morrone died Wednesday night at his Mansfield home after a long battle with cancer.

Funeral plans are pending. UConn is planning a remembrance Saturday at the team's game against Rhode Island.

Morrone led the Huskies from 1969 to 1996. He previously coached at Middlebury College in Vermont from 1958 to 1968. When he retired, he was only one of four collegiate head coaches with at least 400 career victories. His record was 422-199-64.

He was inducted into the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame in 2002.