By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer 
Association
June 13, 2023-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is mourning the passing of longtime coach George Vizvary who died on June 10 at the age of 87.
“We at the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association are very sad to hear about the passing of George, who did so much for the game,” ENYYSA President Richard Christiano stated.
Nicknamed “the Maestro,” Vizvary is best known for his tenure as the head men’s soccer coach at Ulster County Community College from 1968 to 2010. During this time, he created and coached teams that were nationally-recognized as perennial powerhouses, winning two National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association (NJCAA) national championships and earning a place in 17 national tournaments. Vizvary’s record at SUNY Ulster was a remarkable 534-159-28, the most wins by a single coach in junior college history. The Highland resident also coached his Ulster teams to 24 Mid-Hudson Conference titles and 17 Region XV titles. In 2007, Vizvary was inducted into the NJCAA Soccer Coaches National Hall of Fame.
Vizvary stated that Ulster’s consecutive national championships in 1977 and ‘78 were his greatest moment ever on a soccer field.
52 of his players were named All-American by the NJCAA and the United Soccer Coaches, 45 went on to play in the professional ranks and four (Tom Mulroy, Njego Pesa, Niels Guldbjerg and Joe Ulrich) were selected as members of the NJCAA Millennial Team of the Century.
Vizvary also coached the University of Albany women’s soccer program (1996 to 99), was the men’s assistant coach of SUNY-New Paltz (2015) and the first head coach of the minor league Kingston Stockade FC (2016).
On the youth side, Vizvary served as Eastern New York Olympic Development Program (ODP) Director from 1983 to ‘89. He coached Eastern New York youth teams from Westchester to Albany, including Alleycats, FC Somers, New York Scorpions, Quickstrike, Soccer Plus Academy and Washingtonville.
At the 2015 United Soccer Coaches Convention in Philadelphia, he received the prestigious Walt Chyzowych Lifetime Achievement Award.
Vizvary emigrated from Hungary in 1956, leaving behind a promising soccer career as a player for Tatabanya FC and even the Hungarian National Team during the magical years when Hungary was a world power. They were so good that Vizvary could only earn one cap for Hungary, playing left defender in a 1955 game, one year after his native country played in the World Cup final. He completed his US Soccer coaching licenses in 1974 and was immediately named a member of the coaching staff of US Soccer coaching schools. While at Ulster, Vizvary was an engineering professor and department chair, having earned his engineering degree from the Technical Institute in Gyor, Hungary. He also served as interim coach of the 1973 Ulster CC baseball team.
“George Vizvary was a brilliant coach and teacher. He was rarely satisfied, believing a player or student always had more to offer and was never reluctant to call them out if he felt they were cheating their talent. He used sometimes scathing but always humorous metaphors as motivation and he reveled in the success of the players and coaches he mentored,” Eastern New York Hall of Famer Ken Gulmi stated. “I will always treasure his counsel and friendship during my 22 years as East Hudson Youth Soccer League President. Rest in peace, Maestro!”