Christian Brothers Academy is excited to announce the dedication of two locations on campus in honor of legendary coaches.

On Wednesday, September 18, CBA’s well-known cross country trail will be officially named the Heath Cross Country Course, commemorating head coach Tom Heath’s historic career as the Colts’ coach.

Just three days later on Saturday, September 20, the Academy will rename the Varsity Gym to the Cox Gymnasium and the playing surface to the Coach Wiz Court, forever recognizing two basketball coaching legends. Coach Vinnie Cox was CBA’s first basketball coach in 1962, before handing the reins to Coach Ed “Wiz” Wiceliski in 1980.

The CBA community is welcome and encouraged to join us to celebrate these three CBA icons. Read each of their bios below!

HEATH XC RSVP | VARSITY GYM RSVP

THOMAS J. HEATH ’65

In 1970, Tom Heath ‘65 returned to his alma mater as a math teacher and took an assistant coaching role for the cross country team. The next year, Heath was named head coach of both cross country and track & field teams. He taught countless students the importance of hard work and that, in the pursuit of true excellence, “everything matters.”

For 45 years and 135 running seasons, Heath was at the helm of one of the greatest athletic programs in all of high school sports. He guided CBA Cross Country to 26 state championships, 21 Meet of Champions titles, 15 Eastern States Championship wins, and a Nike National Championship in 2011. He added three prestigious Penn Relays Championship of America Distance Medley Relay (DMR) championships with the track team.

And then there was “The Streak.” His Cross Country Colts lost in a dual meet against Raritan on October 20, 1973, and quite amazingly, never lost another during his tenure. It began with a victory on September 19, 1974 and quickly became a staple of tradition, a common link between every runner who has donned a singlet since then. On September 28, 2004, “The Streak” broke the national record with victory number 266. When he retired from coaching after the 2015 cross country season, “The Streak” sat at a commanding 343-consecutive dual meet victories. No one can mention Heath’s coaching legacy without mentioning “The Streak.” 

His legacy at the Academy is carried on through the annual Tom Heath Freshman Run, a 1.3 mile race around the campus at the start of each school year, a tradition every freshman has participated in since the founding of the school in 1959.

For his successes with the Colts, Coach Heath is a member of the CBA Hall of Fame, Manhattan XC Invitational Hall of Fame, Armory Track Coaches Hall of Fame, New Jersey State Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and the NJSIAA Hall of Fame.

VINCENT “VINNIE” COX

Head Coach Vincent R. Cox was the first head coach in CBA Basketball history. Accepting the position just three years after CBA was founded, his first team went an impressive 17-4 in 1962-63, setting the stage for future success. 

Cox’s 1965 team has the distinction of winning the Academy’s very first state championship, when the Colts captured the New Jersey Parochial A title over Don Bosco Prep. 

It was in the early 1970s when Cox’s teams simply dominated the New Jersey basketball world, winning three consecutive Parochial A state championships in 1971, 1972, and 1973. The 1973 state title capped off an unbeaten season at 28-0, receiving the Star Ledger award as the best team in New Jersey. CBA’s winning streak continued into the 1974 season, reaching a Shore-record 43 straight games.

Cox would lead the Colts through the 1979 season, in which he secured a fifth and final state championship. He won 350 games in 18 seasons as CBA’s head coach, amassing a winning percentage of .778.

Coach Cox will forever be remembered for building CBA Basketball into a powerhouse program, as well as his unwavering devotion to his student-athletes. He taught history and served as CBA’s first alumni coordinator until his retirement in 1997.

EDWARD “WIZ” WICELINSKI

Head Coach Edward Wicelinski, better known as Coach Wiz, took the reins from Coach Cox in 1980 and continued the tradition of winning basketball at CBA. Over the next 27 seasons, Wiz would win 625 games, which remains the most-ever for a coach at one school in Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

CBA was admitted to the Shore Conference for the 1982-83 season and immediately reached the conference championship game. After losing that first appearance, Coach Wiz’s program went on to win an unmatched 14 Shore Conference Championships.

He added three state championships to CBA’s record books, including back-to-back titles in 1984 and 1985, before a third victory in 1995. His teams also won nine state sectional titles during his tenure. CBA Basketball never recorded a losing season under Coach Wiz, earning a division title in 22 of his 27 seasons. 

Coach Wiz demanded excellence from both himself and his players, while remaining committed to their development as well-rounded young men. He taught physical education and health at the Academy until his retirement in 2008.