As the head coach of a North Brunswick Township High School football program that has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence, Mike Cipot teaches his players about the importance of giving back.
“There’s more to life than football,” Cipot said. “Being kind to people and doing good deeds goes a long way. When you show action and do something for your community or an organization, you’re a better person for it.”
Cipot practiced what he preached, using his touchdown club’s recent annual golf outing as a fundraiser, not for just his football program, but for The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, as well.
North Brunswick donated $1,000 from the event to the foundation, whose mission is to help pediatric patients and children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.
The gridiron program’s golf outing was held at The Meadows Golf Course in Plainsboro on July 30, the date on which Marisa Tufaro would have turned 18 years old.
“That was the best thing,” said Cipot, noting he was fully aware that North Brunswick’s event coincided with the birthday of the foundation’s namesake.
Marisa, who would have graduated this year from Edison High School, was born with a complex cardiac defect that required six open-heart surgeries. Despite being hospitalized for more than two years and maintaining hundreds of doctor’s appointments, she lived a vibrant life that inspired. After her sixth surgery, Marisa developed two life-threatening conditions that necessitated a heart transplant. A postoperative complication developed into a rare form of cancer – known as post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) – that riddled her brain and body. Marisa succumbed to her illness on Jan. 30, 2017 following a valiant battle. She was just 13 years old.
Marisa’s parents, Greg, a former sportswriter for the Home News Tribune, and Cyndi, a longtime Edison Township Public Schools educator, founded the nonprofit in loving memory of their daughter.
Since its inception four years ago and through the remarkable generosity of countless others – including many from the North Brunswick school-community – The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has donated nearly $225,000 to assist children in need.
The foundation, which makes community service an integral part of its mission, has also spearheaded multiple initiatives, resulting in the collection of thousands of toys, nonperishable food items, winter coats, baby supplies and other items for donation upon which the nonprofit has placed no monetary value.
The foundation has awarded 31 college academic scholarships in Marisa’s name to high school seniors – including recent North Brunswick Township High School graduate Darcy Fruhschein – and an additional 13 scholarships for middle school and elementary school students to attend a weeklong summer art camp at Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Art Museum.
Cipot wanted to conduct a fundraiser for The Marisa Tufaro Foundation last year, but the coronavirus pandemic canceled the event.
The fifth-year head coach took over the gridiron program in 2017 at his high school alma mater and immediately engineered one of the fastest turnarounds in Greater Middlesex Conference football history.
Inheriting a team that finished 2-18 over the two previous seasons, Cipot guided North Brunswick to a 6-4 record as a rookie head coach, helping the Raiders win as many games in 2017 as they did in the previous four years combined.
As a second-year mentor, Cipot elevated the program to unprecedented heights. The Raiders set a single-season school record for wins in 2018, compiling a 10-2 mark while reaching a sectional final for the first time since 1979. North Brunswick won as many playoff games that year (two) as it did in all the school’s previous seasons combined.
North Brunswick has continued its winning ways, compiling a 16-3 record over the past two years.
The football program’s recent success has generated interest throughout the school-community, creating palpable enthusiasm township-wide, such as that which Cipot experienced along with participants and volunteers at the touchdown club’s recent golf outing.
“This was a chance for the alumni to feel like they are a part of the program and to get them back out to meet some of the (recent graduates) and old captains,” said Cipot, noting Faith Garbolino and the touchdown club worked tirelessly to make the event a success.
“We received so many compliments (from older alums) who said they feel like I’m a part of it. They feel like North Brunswick football is back. We felt like we were welcoming in guys from four or five decades back.”
Cipot said reconnecting with alumni and connecting with the community – including representatives from the township and state police departments, as well as other North Brunswick sports programs – “is sometimes better than the golf outing itself.”
One hundred and thirty golfers – approximately 50 of which were football alumni – participated in the event.
“This was our most successful outing,” said Cipot, noting the football program was honored to share some of its good fortune with The Marisa Tufaro Foundation to help children in need.
“We are proud,” he said, “to donate towards the foundation.”