Legendary Seton Hall Coach John Moon Is Retiring

Jan 17, 2025

Legendary Seton Hall University Coach John Moon, an iconic figure in New Jersey track and field and cross-country for more than a half century, is retiring.

The 86 year-old Moon, who once shared a world record and has coached an Olympic gold medalist, 19 Olympians, 7 NCAA champions, 6 BIG EAST championship teams, several Penn Relays championships, served as the U.S. Olympic sprint coach and so much more, will retire as Seton Hall head men's & women's cross country coach, effective June 1, 2025, the school announced.

"Simply put, John Moon is a legend. For 53 years, he has mentored Seton Hall student-athletes and put them in a position to succeed, and not only have they succeeded, they have flourished," Bryan Felt, Seton Hall's Director of Athletics, said in a story on Seton Hall's website. "Our students have not only learned how to win from Coach Moon, they've learned how to become better versions of themselves, become servant leaders and become professionals. Coach Moon has had a remarkable career at Seton Hall, we have been blessed to have had his wisdom and knowledge here, and we congratulate him on reaching retirement and going on to enjoy time with his family."

"Seton Hall has been my home for 53 years," said Moon, who lives in Franklin and is originally from Linden. "I am going to miss Seton Hall, but what I am really going to miss are the athletes. Watching them develop for four years, growing up in front of my eyes, has truly been rewarding for me. They're the ones who have kept me going all these years, and I've been blessed that so many of them continue keep me part of their lives after graduating. Thank you to all my athletes, it has been an honor to be your coach.

"It's going to be tough living my life away from Seton Hall," continued Moon, "but knowing myself, I'm going to be following everything that the school does, watch as much and go to as many events as I can. I've enjoyed my time at Seton Hall so much, my blood will forever be blue and white. And I hope Seton Hall keeps remembering me."

Coach Moon dressed to the nines

Moon, also a retired commander of the U.S. Naval Reserve, is a Jersey guy through and through.

He was an All-American sprinter at Linden High. He went onto earn All-American honors at Tennessee State University where he was one of the top sprinters in the school's history. His time of 9.3 in the 100 yard dash in 1960 tied the world record at the time. While at Tennessee State, the lightning-quick Moon won the 100 at the NAIA and placed third in the NCAA Championships.

Moon is the last man to ever beat 1964 Olympic 100 dash gold medalist Bob Hayes in a race, accomplishing the feat in the 100 in 1964. At the National AAU Championships at Rutgers Stadium in 1963, Moon finished second. He also dropped times of 20.3 in the 220 and 46.2 in the quarter mile. He was elected to Tennessee State's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988

After he graduated from Tennessee State in 1961, Moon returned to NJ and eventually landed at Rahway High, where he turned the Union County program into a national powerhouse!!! At Rahway, Moon compiled a dual meet mark of 99-11 over a six year period and captured 33 championships.

In 1972, Moon was named the head coach of Seton Hall's track & field/cross country programs, taking over for another legendary Hall of Fame coach, John Gibson. Gibson once held the world record in the 440 yard hurdles and made the 1928 U.S. Olympic team.

With huge expectations and the pressure of filling Gibson's big shoes, Moon delivered by taking the Pirates program to new heights with immediate success. In his first season in South Orange, he coached the men's mile relay team to the NCAA Indoor Track Championship title.

From there, Moon elevated Seton Hall to prominence as he carved out a Hall of Fame career!

Moon would have most certainly racked up numerous more accolades as track and field coach at Seton Hall, but the school abruptly cut the program after the 2010 outdoor season. That's a decision that will always remain unfathomable when you consider that Moon had built the men''s and women's T&F programs into national powers.

Here's a look at Moon's remarkable resume while at Seton Hall:

Won the men's mile relay NCAA indoor national championship again in 1974 and 1981
Won four BIG EAST Men's Indoor Track & Field championships (1981, 1982, 1984, 1993)
Won the 1993 BIG EAST Women's Outdoor Track & Field championship
Won the 1994 BIG EAST Women's Indoor Track & Field championship
Finished third in the nation at the 1994 NCAA Women's Indoor Track & Field Championship
Won individual women's NCAA national championships in the 400 meter and 4x400 relay both indoors and outdoors in 1994
Won eight Championship of America races at the Penn Relays
Won the Metropolitan championship 14 times
Won the ECAC and IC4A championships seven times
Won the Collegiate Track Conference six times

The strong tradition of Seton Hall track excellence that Moon developed is accented by the individual achievements of his student-athletes. His resume includes 87 BIG EAST champions, 71 All-Americans and seven NCAA Champions. Moon has tutored 19 Olympic athletes during his career, including four runners that competed in the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, one in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and one in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. One of those athletes, Andrew Valmon, won Olympic gold medals on the men's 4x400 relay at the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games.

And the accolades for Moon himself are lengthy:

2021 U.S. Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Hall of Fame inductee
1997 Seton Hall University Athletics Hall of Fame inductee
2006 New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee
2001 Linden High School Hall of Fame inductee
d1988 Tennessee State University Athletics Hall of Fame inductee
1996 Seton Hall University McQuaid Medal recipient for distinguished service
2002 recipient of the Legendary Coaches Award by the Newark YMWCA
Assistant coach of the U.S. Track and Field team at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney
Head coach of the U.S. team at the 1995 Pan American Games
Head coach of the U.S. team at the prestigious 2001 U.S. vs. Great Britain dual meet
Assistant coach of the U.S. team at the 1999 World University Games
Head coach of the U.S. team at the 2008 World Junior Games and the 2012 World Senior Games in Poland
1994 USTFCCCA National Women's Track Coach of the Year
Seven-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year
11-time Metropolitan Coach of the Year
Seven-time USTFCCCA District 2 Coach of the Year
Past President of the BIG EAST Conference, the IC4A/ECAC and the Metropolitan Track Conference

Seton Hall will recognize Moon at an upcoming men's basketball game and will continue to recognize him at events throughout the spring semester. There will be a retirement party for Coach Moon in June with details to come.

Legendary Seton Hall University Coach John Moon, an iconic figure in New Jersey track and field and cross-country for more than a half century, is retiring.