ED POREDA
- mercertrackhall
- Sep 20, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 26, 2025
The Lawrenceville School -- Coach
It is difficult to quantify the impact that Ed Poreda had on the Mercer County track scene so vast was its scope in both success and time.
The first individual to be inducted into the Mercer County Track and Field Hall of Fame twice (as an athlete in 2024 and as a coach in 2025), Poreda is also the first to receive this honor for two different schools: for his alma mater Trenton High and the Lawrenceville School where he coached. Between the two, he was a mainstay on the Mercer track and field and cross country landscapes for roughly 75 years and incredibly that’s not even the most mind-boggling stat on his resume.
During his tenure at Lawrenceville, Big Red teams won a whopping 60 NJISAA state team titles, making him one of the most accomplished scholastic track gurus in New Jersey for the 20th Century. Coaching until his death in 2017 at the age of 90, Poreda either competed, officially coached or advised in almost 200 cross country or track seasons, a number that defies time if not logic.
His 1966 boys’ track team is considered one of the best in Mercer County history but Poreda’s legacy goes beyond winning. Over eight different decades in track, this classy gentleman became synonymous with Lavino Fieldhouse (one of New Jersey’s most famous track arenas) and both the Lavino Relays and Ed Poreda Invitational, two star-studded events on the track calendar and landmarks for a brilliant life of service.
Poreda was also inducted as a historical member of the hall of fame for his athletic accomplishments while a student at Trenton Central High School in the 1940s. Read his athletic bio here.
