We Lost a Legend
Written by John Van de Vaarst
It is with profound sadness we announce the passing of long time NISOA family member and Hall of Fame inductee, Kenneth Andres.
Ken joined NISOA while attending law school at Capital University Law School. Upon completion of law school, he returned to New Jersey and continued to referee and become involved with the administrative staff of ISOA-NJ and at the National level. In 1984, Ken accepted the voluntary position as legal affairs council for NISOA and continued in the position until his passing. As legal counsel he provided interpretations on the constitution, by-laws and policies of NISOA both for the National office and local chapters. Ken was instrumental in reviewing the revised constitution and by-laws so that they could be passed at the general membership meeting.
In 1994 Ken became a National Clinician and in 1995, when Bob Sumpter retired, Ken accepted the position of National Rules Interpreter for NISOA. Not only did he provide interpretations for chapters, he also participated in almost every National Referee Clinic and presented up-to-date information on the rules. In addition, Ken developed the first critical incident training video and provided the interpretations on the clips. He participated in numerous regional clinics and was recognized for his teaching skills by receiving the Robert Sumpter Excellence in Teaching Award in 2001.
“Ken was simply a gift to collegiate soccer. He taught me to always looked at the pros and cons of any rule or policy proposal. Ken loved the game and had an innate ability to develop visions for the betterment of the game.”
Ken represented NISOA as part of the International Exchange Program and traveled to Russia and met with the Russian officials. He conducted clinics while there and provided insight into the NISOA philosophies to the Russian delegations. The following year, Ken assisted in hosting representatives from the Russian Referee Association in the United States.
“I was privileged to know and work with Ken Andres before and during my tenure as a senior leader in NISOA. He was an imposing figure with a larger than life presence. I frequently relied on him for counsel and advice when I was the NISOA President. He always had time for me and listened thoughtfully. Many times, he was a step ahead of me but never made it seem like I was a step behind. He represented the finest ideals of our organization and his name will always be a large part of NISOA history.”
As a national referee (which he became in 1984), Ken was well respected by coaches and players, especially at the Men’s Division I level. He worked the matches that had the potential of being the most difficult and always did an outstanding job. As a result, Ken was selected to numerous post season and National Championships including 49 National final or semi-final matches, eight trips to the NAIA Men’s National Tournament and four championship matches, numerous NJCAA National Tournament assignments and finals, selected six times for the Men’s College Cup, four Women’s College Cup Finals, and several invitations to the Division II and III championships. He was part of the referee team for two world intercollegiate cup matches.
When Dr. Bernabei passed away, Ken accepted, with no fee, the position of Interim Executive Director. During this time Ken worked on improving the already positive relationship with the NCAA. This period also resulted in the creating of the Director of Operations position and the adjustment of duties for the Associate Executive Director position. Ken coordinated with John Van de Vaarst and Mario Donnangelo and the transition of records from Florida to New Jersey and Pennsylvania was seamless. John and Mario conducted the day-to-day operations and Ken focused on how to make NISOA the organization of choice for college officiating. Ken also served as the chairperson for the search committee to select a new executive director and his efforts resulted in the selection of Cliff McCrath.
“Ken was always a professional on the field. I had the opportunity to work numerous assignments and post season matches with him. In the locker room he had a dry sense of humor and often times would convince a young referee that he had to polish his (Ken’s) shoes before the match. He gave countless hours to NISOA and always put the organization and what was best before anything else. He was true blue NISOA”
From 2003-2004, Ken served as president of NISOA, 2001-2002 Vice President, 1999-2000 secretary. This was in addition to his duties as Rules Interpreter and legal affairs.
Ken began a new role in 2009, when he was selected by the NCAA to serve as Secretary Rules Editor for soccer. In this position, Ken served on the rules committee and had to make numerous rulings on protests that were filed in a timely manner. Ken also provided detailed interpretations on any play situations or questions from referees, coaches and administrators. Ken also presented rules information at the National Soccer Coaches Convention.
For his efforts and dedication to intercollegiate soccer, Ken was recognized at numerous levels. They include: 1987 - NJCSCA - College Referee of the Year, 1987 - NJGC on PF & S Recognition Award-High School Soccer, 1989 and 1997: NJISOA - Man of the Year, 1994 - NJCSCA - College Referee of the Year, 2002- Mercer County Hall of Fame, 2002- inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame as a NISOA member, 2005 – Raymond Bernabei Honor Award.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday July 10 at 2:00 pm at;
Scottish Rite
315 White Horse Pike
Collingswood NJ 08107
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ken’s honor to benefit his beloved alma mater soccer team at Swarthmore College. Gifts will support the Swarthmore Men's Soccer Endowment. Please make gifts payable to Swarthmore College and mail to: Swarthmore College, Attn: Gift Records, 500 College Ave, Swarthmore, PA 19081. Please include Ken's name on the memo line of the check. If you'd prefer to make your gift online, please visit https://swarthmore.advancementform.com/campaign/menssoccerendowment/mini-give.
