May 16, 2001
50th Anniversary Brings Together a Showcase of Sports People
By TOM WILLIAMS
Sports Columnist
It will be quite a gathering this weekend.
Ocean City wrestling legend Pat Lynch is expected, along with former Raider field
hockey stars Jodie Edwards, Megan Edwards and Cathy Shallcross. Former football
players Earl Tarves, Jay Toscano, Jim Bennett, Tony Galante and Doug Dannehower
should be there. Basketball players Bob McAllister and Joe Farina, baseball players
Sam Picketts and Jim Nickles, plus coaches John Bruno and Mike Pellegrino. Abbey
Woolley sends her regards from Argentina, where she is playing for the USA Field
Hockey Team.
And they won't all be from Ocean City.
Mainland football star Doug Strang, Cumberland softball pitcher Meg Knudsen, Oakcrest
basketball player Joe Mohr, Mainland football star Rob Higbee, former Holy Spirit star
Bob Coffey, now the Mainland football coach. They are among many others on the guest
list. (And don't be surprised if Flyers announcer Steve Coates and a few of his friends
show up.)
Must be a sports hall of fame dinner, you say. Not exactly. In addition to being great
high school athletes and coaches, this group has one more thing in common.
They all worked for Joe DiOrio.
It was 50 years ago this month that DiOrio opened a little café just off the circle in
Somers Point. And, in the years since, it has become an institution in the area.
Joe's father, Fred, owned a little place just before the fishing bridge between Somers
Point and Longport. Joe took over and decided to move to a lot on what is now
MacArthur Boulevard. He only paid $600 for the property and, before opening, turned
down a $10,000 offer from the Howard Johnson Corporation.
One of his early menus offers shrimp cocktail for 75 cents, prime rib for $3.00 and a
roast beef sandwich for 65 cents. There was some thought about offering those prices
this week. That thought lasted about 30 seconds.
But they are celebrating. They are celebrating Joe DiOrio's contributions to this area
over five decades. A three-sport star (football, basketball, baseball) at Atlantic City High
School, DiOrio went on to success at Pennington Prep, now The Pennington School. In
fact, he has recently been nominated for the Pennington Hall of Fame.
After that, he moved on to Princeton and Rutgers (they were combined during the war)
where he played the same three sports, and also earned All-American status in
lacrosse.
After college, DiOrio taught at Ocean City High School for a few years and then made the
decision to get into the hospitality business. After living in an apartment behind the café
with his family for a number of years, he eventually bought that large home down the
street that became well known for its beautiful lighting at Christmas time.
Through the years Joe hired a number of athletes to work for him. He was, after all, quite
an athlete himself. And, this week, many of them are returning to honor him on this
special anniversary.
His kids pretty much run the business now. Son Joe Jr. was a football and basketball
player at Mainland. Son Dennis played football, basketball and baseball at Mainland
and later coached at Williamstown. Daughter Terri played field hockey at Mainland. And
daughter Janet was a Mainland cheerleader who is the mother of two of the
Cape-Atlantic League's top wrestlers - Joe and Mike Galante.
On Thursday night, at DiOrio's, there will be a party for past employees. There will be
another celebration on Saturday night. And, on Sunday afternoon, a special cocktail
party is scheduled to honor Joe.
For nearly three generations Joe DiOrio and his family have been a positive influence
on this area and, in particular, the sports community. He deserves every handshake,
every hug and every toast that will be coming his way this weekend.
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