JOE WROBLEWSKI
- mercertrackhall
- Sep 21, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 30, 2025
Notre Dame High School -- Coach
The legacy of Notre Dame High track coach Joe Wroblewski cannot be limited to championships or the victories counted on a scoreboard. How can character be described in a sentence or lessons of life that transcend sport be encapsulated by a plaque or on a dais?
He was dynamic, intense and engaging, even intimidating to some. A huge fan of the Green Bay Packers, Wroblewski embodied the Vince Lombardi spirit and tireless work ethic which he fit into the track and field mindset in a unique manner.
Hired at Notre Dame in 1985, Wroblewski sought to blend the on-the-field habits of his most respected peers like Al Jennings and Anthony Genovesi, while instilling the work ethic of a Thomas Edison. Consequently several of his track athletes went on greater successes beyond high school including international standouts Todd Matthews, Deirdre Mullen and Ed Moran.
At Notre Dame, Wroblewski was named Star-Ledger 1996 New Jersey Outdoor Coach of the Year by fielding one of Mercer County’s greatest teams, one that won seven straight Parochial A state championships, four consecutive New Jersey Catholic Track Conference titles and a bevy of individual county, sectional and state winners.
In dual meets, Wroblewski was a complex strategist, called by one writer ‘’one of the greatest track minds the state has seen.’’ Taken at the age of 37 in 1998 by leukemia and cancer, he left his school, program and county with a lasting commitment to success and respect.
MAJOR TITLES
5x Girls Parochial A State Track Championships (Outdoor) 1993 to 1997
2x Girls Group State Track Championships (Indoor) Group III1996, Group II '97
3x Boys Parochial A State Track Championships (Outdoor) 1992, '96', '97
2x Boys Group State Track Championships (Indoor) Group II 1997, Group III 1998
8x Girls Mercer County Track Championships (Indoor) 1995. '96, '97, '98, (Outdoor) 1994, '95, '96', '97
9x Boys Mercer County Track Championships (Indoor) 1991, '92, '93, '96 '97 (Outdoor) 1991, '92, '96, '97
