Centenary University has announced the appointment of
Pete Vincent as its new Director of Athletics, marking a homecoming for the former Cyclone student-athlete and long-respected athletics administrator. A 2007 graduate of Centenary, Vincent returns to his alma mater with over a decade of experience in collegiate athletics, coaching, and youth development.
Vincent, a native of Jersey City, N.J., has been a fixture in the New Jersey City University (NJCU) Department of Athletics since 2011. Over his 14-year tenure with the Gothic Knights, he served in a wide range of leadership roles that prepared him for this next step in his career. Most recently, he was appointed Assistant Director of Athletics ahead of the 2020–21 academic year.
"I am very appreciative and fond of my time spend at NJCU over these past 14 years, the administration, coaches, student-athletes, and support-staff will always have a special place in my heart. I am also grateful for the provided leadership and opportunity that my previous Directors at NJCU (Alice DeFazio, Ken Heaton, Shawn Tucker, Robert Cole and Jeff Jordan) provided me with over the years. I wish the entire Gothic Knight Family nothing but the best moving forward."
Vincent has worn many hats at NJCU, including co-founder and Assistant Director for the Rising Knight Institute, Coordinator of the Academic Retention Program in Athletics, and Sport Administrator for several programs including Baseball and Cross Country, and Track & Field programs. Previously he also served as Sport Administrator for Women's Bowling and Men's and Women's Tennis. He was a key operations figure at NJCU's Thomas M. Gerrity Athletics Complex, where he served as the outdoor sports site supervisor.
Outside the collegiate realm, Vincent has long been a mentor and leader in youth athletics. He is currently a Co-Director for UNITED AAU basketball program, coaching and managing multiple basketball teams, and was the head girls' varsity basketball coach at Hudson Catholic High School from 2013 to 2022. His coaching résumé also includes time as an associate Head Coach at Marist High School and Assistant Boys Coach at St. Mary's High School, where he also taught history prior to the school's closing in 2011.
Vincent has also contributed to the sport on a national level as assistant director of overnight camps for the Philadelphia 76ers since 2004 and has served as a coach for the renowned Five-Star Basketball Camps.
A former shooting guard for the Cyclones, Vincent was a three-year player after redshirting and serving as a student-assistant coach his freshman season. He won the Cyclone Award all four years, an honor given to student-athletes who exemplify commitment, sportsmanship, and leadership.
Vincent is a graduate of St. Anthony's High School in Jersey City, where he was a three-sport athlete.
Vincent and his family now currently reside in Hackettstown, NJ.
"I am honored that the administration at Centenary University and Vice President Kerry Mullins have selected me to be the next Director of Athletics. I am extremely excited to come back to Cyclone Nation and devote my time and energy to making the next chapter here one of the best ever written. As a student-athlete here, I had an amazing experience both on and off the court. My goal is that every student-athlete has the opportunity to feel the same way I feel about this wonderful place I call my second home. Go Cyclones!"
