One is a native son and the other an adopted son, but both Mike Stricklin and Tom Bayless have made a huge impact on soccer in Hamilton Township.
Both will be rewarded for that when they are inducted to the Mercer County Soccer Hall of Fame on Nov. 4 at the Hibernian Athletic Association in Hamilton.
Stricklin is a 1969 Steinert High graduate who played for the Spartans 1966 state co-championship team.
Bayless went to Lawrence High but has lived in Hamilton for the past 35 years and has been president of both the Hibernian Athletic Association and Jersey Area Girls Soccer (JAGS) for most of the past 15 years (taking a year off here and there). His daughter Kim played for Hamilton West and his son TJ played for Hun.
Both men are flattered to receive soccer’s ultimate honor in Mercer County.
“This is an absolute thrill and honor,” Stricklin said. “I credit my brother Ron in getting the wheels turning on this nomination. I was very resistant to the nomination if it didn’t include the ‘Stricklin Brothers’ as a duo for possible entry but he had convinced me otherwise.
“It does mean a great deal to be associated, years later, with so many great individuals who made their own mark on the game.”
Bayless has made a mark as a player, coach and administrator.
“This is huge, it’s quite an honor to tell you the truth,” he said. “I’m pretty amazed that I got it. I don’t do the things I do for the awards. I do it for the kids and the sports. But to be in this group with these other great people, it’s just huge.”
Both inductees played in Mercer’s golden era of soccer and each were surrounded by Hall of Famers during their playing days.
Stricklin was teammates with such luminaries as Bobby Smith, Mike Rasimowicz, Tom Armenti and Ken Hess. They were coached by Hall of Famer Bob Pivovarnick and during Stricklin’s sophomore year, the Spartans were 1966 co-state champions.
It was a memorable day for Stricklin, in more ways than one.
“My main memory is I was very sick prior to that match,” he said. “I had a food poisoning, and I know I wasn’t 100 percent but I played the entire match and fortunately it ended in a tie, not a loss.
“That team had Ken Hess, Richie Borland, Richie Schnell, Smitty, George Caruso, Frank Fraticangeli, Danny Knox, Joe Timko and Wolfgang Von Kornya. What a team that was.”
Steinert got beaten in the state semifinals during Stricklin’s final two years, but it was through no fault of his.
“We were both forwards,” said Smith, who was best friends with Stricklin growing up. “He was a left footed player, and he was great to play with. He could serve to me from the left side and I’d serve to him from the right side.”
Both players were offered scholarships to Rider, but Stricklin opted to serve his country and joined the marines. He saw combat action for one year in Vietnam.
Upon returning to the States, Stricklin enrolled in Mercer County Community College and scored 25 goals in two years while playing with Rasimowicz and the late, great Glenn “Mooch” Myernick.
From there he was recruited to the University of Rhode Island by former Steinert star Steve Collis. He was an attacking midfielder for two years and team captain as a senior. He went on to play for the Rhode Island Oceaneers of the American Soccer League and enjoyed much success playing with New England club teams.
After earning a USSF “A” License, Stricklin eventually became an assistant coach at Harvard with former Spartan Kevin Welsh.
Stricklin still laughs at that irony.
“I was hired by George Ford to be the second assistant coach at Harvard,” he said. “What I didn’t know was that George had his eyes on someone for the number one job. He had no idea I was from Trenton and he was elated when he told me who he hired – Kevin Welsh.
“I just laughed and told him his entire staff is from Steinert High. Two guys from Hamilton Township coaching at Harvard! He couldn’t get over it. Kevin was two years younger than me, and what a talent.”
Stricklin made quite an impact in Cambridge, as he was inducted to the New England Hall of Fame three years ago. He has hung up the soccer cleats and says his passion these days are surfing and stand-up paddle board.
“I love the challenge of each and every wave,” he said.
Professionally, he manages a Macintosh Digital Production environment for Adidas, where they design headwear for the NBL, WNBA, MLS and NHL.
Like Stricklin, Bayless played within a galaxy of stars for Lawrence High in the early 1970s, listing such legends as Tim Murphy, Myernick, Mike Angelotti and 2011 HOF inductee Tom Bartolino as his teammates.
“Half of my high school team is in this hall of fame,” Bayless said. “It’s kind of nuts.”
Bayless was a starter for the Cardinals 1969 and 1970 state championship teams, earning All-County honors as a senior.
He went on to Quinnipiac College, where he was team captain and Most Valuable Player in 1975. Tom graduated as the school’s eighth all-time scorer.
But his induction has as much to do with what he does for soccer now as it does with what he did back then.
Bayless moved to Hamilton Township in 1977. When TJ began playing travel soccer in 1997, they approached the Hibernians, who were down to six teams at the time.
“We were the youngest team, people were stepping away from positions and I was thrown into presidential position,” Bayless said. “I hooked up with some great soccer people who had kids growing up and playing with the Hibos, so we were able to maintain a high level of soccer.
“I got a lot of help from Ray ‘Spider’ Raider and Rich Garton. Those guys gave me a lot of tutelage.”
His presidency with the JAGS occurred the same way at around the same time. The president was leaving and the vice-president did not want the job.
“It was like ‘Does anyone around here want this thing?’” Bayless said with a laugh. “I said ‘Well, I guess I’ll be president.’”
The Hibernians went from six teams when Bayless started, hit a high water mark of 14 and is now solid with 12 squads.
“The finances weren’t real strong back then, we were on a little shaky ground,” Bayless said. “Some Hamilton teams were breaking up, but we were fortunate the Fink brothers (Joe, Tom, Harold and John) had kids who were getting old enough to play travel soccer.
Those guys were looking to coach at a higher level and a different level than the rec stuff. And we had some guys who were playing for the Hibernian adult teams who brought their kids over. That built it up. We had a couple of fundraisers that did real well, and it went from there.”
Bayless has not only rebuilt the HAA, he has served as one of its more successful coaches. His Heartbreakers won the New Jersey State Futsal title three times and the regional title once, and last summer the AA U16 Fusion won the U.S. Futsal National Championship, becoming the first Hibo team to ever win a national title. The Heartbreakers are ranked No. 16 in the country and are a perennial State Cup power.
Moving beyond the Hibos realm, Bayless has helped the JAGS grow from 60 to teams to over 300, and has been co-director of the renowned JAGS Tournament since 2004. He has also been on the Board of Directors of New Jersey Youth Soccer for 10 years.
And while Bayless and Stricklin may have gotten their starts in different towns, they will both be a source of pride for Hamilton Township on Hall of Fame induction night.
