Hall of Fame
Ron Atanasio’s soccer odyssey began in Nassau County, at Oceanside High School. He began playing the game at a young age and by the time he reached high school, he was a goal scorer starter for the Sailors. As a senior Atanasio was part of arguably the best soccer team Nassau County has ever produced, helping Oceanside out score its opponents, 100-4 on the way to an unblemished record of 18-0.
The Sailors were so dominant in the fall of 1973, that they topped Farmingdale, 7-0 in the Nassau County Championship game and shut out West Islip, 1-0 to capture the Long Island Championship. Atanasio would depart Oceanside in the spring of 1874, but did not travel far to continue his stellar career, heading a few miles north to Adelphi University.
The success that marked his high school years followed Atanasio to Garden City. As just a freshman, Atanasio was instrumental in the program changing success of 1974. He finished second on the team in points with 31, scoring 11 goals and racking up nine assists, while pushing the Panthers to a record of 16-1-1, a national ranking of five, a New York state rank of one, and a NCAA Division II Tournament berth.
The Brown and Gold ripped through the first three rounds, outscoring their opponents, 7-0 on the way to a National Championship game match-up with Seattle Pacific. Atanasio and the Panthers would trump the Falcons, 3-2 in the title game, earning Adelphi University’s first Division II National Championship.
1975 marked Atanasio’s most successful season in a Panther uniform. He was second on the team in points, with a single season career high of 57 on 19 goals and 19 assists. Adelphi finished that fall ranked ninth in the country and first in the state of New York, after Seattle Pacific exacted some revenge, flipping the score and stopping the Brown and Gold, 3-2 in the National Semifinals. However, Adelphi took out their frustration on Wisconsin – Green Bay in the third place game, 9-1.
Atanasio’s efforts that season earned him National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Region status and put him in the men’s soccer single season record books. He is currently fourth in points, sixth in goals and has the top mark for assists in a season.
The following fall marked Adelphi’s first at the Division I level, and Atanasio and the team continued to find success, finishing the season, 11-3-2 and earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Brown and Gold were again ranked among the nation’s elite, at 10th and were ranked third in New York State.
In his final year in a Panther uniform, Adelphi posted a record of 8-3-2, including wins over Fordham and the University of Massachusetts, before bowing out in the first round of the ECAC Division I tournament. Atanasio was honored with All-Met honors and closed his career on several program top-10 lists. He is currently seventh in career points at 103, 10th in career goals (35) and second in career assists with 33.
Following his time in Garden City, Atanasio was drafted in the first round of the North American Soccer League (NASL) draft by the New York Cosmos. He spent two seasons with the Cosmos, playing alongside such soccer greats as Pele, Franz Beckenbaur and Carlos Alberto. During his two year stint with the Cosmos, the team would finish first in their division and conference, winning one league title.
Atanasio would go on to play for the Houston Hurricanes of the NASL, the Houston Summit and New York Arrows of the Major Indoor Soccer League, the Charlotte Gold and Fort Lauderdale Sun of the United Soccer Leagues and the Detroit Express of the American Soccer League. In all, Atanasio scored nine goals and collected 15 assists during his career, with his most successful individual season coming for the Express, scoring six goals and picking up nine assists.
Following his playing career, Atanasio became a co-owner of a Manhattan based women’s handbag company.
