Brentwood boys soccer coach Ron Eden, one of the most decorated varsity boys soccer coaches in Long Island history, died Sunday evening, according to a social media post from the Brentwood athletics department. He was 72.

“For many years, Coach Eden dedicated himself to the Brentwood community, leaving a lasting impact on generations of student-athletes, colleagues, and families,” the post’s caption read. “Through his passion for the game, unwavering commitment to his players, and devotion to Brentwood, he built a legacy that will be remembered for years to come.”

Brentwood assistant coach Joel Iglesias joined the varsity team when he was 15 in 2006, later joining the staff in 2011.

“He’s been in my life for half my life,” Iglesias said. “We had a great relationship. ... The biggest thing with Coach, if you needed anything you could call him. I could call him at 3 in the morning, 6 in the morning, anytime and he would pick up.”

Iglesias said Eden would lead a group prayer before every game, asking to keep everybody on both teams healthy.

“He always told us, since I was a senior up until this past year, that you’re going to meet your best friends on this field,” Iglesias said. “And for me, it’s true, because the guys I graduated with, I’m going to their weddings, their baby showers, their housewarmings.

"He wanted these guys to be good fathers, husbands, brothers and good people in society. And I think that’s what we’re going to miss the most.”

Section XI executive director Tom Combs said he first met Eden 25 years ago when Combs was the head football coach at Harborfields High School and remembers Eden as "a class act and a good friend."

“I’ve always admired and respected him for what he accomplished at Brentwood,” Combs said. “How he’d take a group of raw talent and always make it into a team game. It's something everybody could learn from.”

Eden took over Brentwood’s boys soccer program in 1996 and built it into one of the most competitive public school programs on Long Island. During Eden's tenure, Brentwood won 17 league titles, 11 Suffolk championships, 10 Long Island championships and state titles in 2008, 2010, 2019 and 2023. Brentwood finished as a state finalist three other times.

Eden had a 484-70-32 record as a coach, second only to Robert Muir of Mattituck for most wins among Suffolk head coaches in Long Island history. He also was an assistant coach at Brentwood for 16 seasons, going 182-83-23. Eden led Brentwood to a 17-1-1 record this past fall and finished as county finalists.

Few high school soccer rivalries reach the level of Commack-Brentwood, with the two sides often clashing deep in the playoffs. Commack coach Dave Moran described playing Eden’s Brentwood as every team’s “World Cup Final,” even if it was just in the regular season. He said Eden “created an atmosphere which demands excellence.”

“I’m lucky enough to say that Ron has always been a mentor, a friend, a staunch competitor and my biggest and best rival,” Moran said. “In the coaching realm, I don’t know if there’s a better compliment than any of that.”

He was picked as United Soccer Coaches’ National High School Coach of the Year in 2023 as Brentwood completed a 22-0 season. Eden was also New York’s Coach of the Year in 2005, 2013 and 2023. He was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.

Eden played professional soccer from 1976-1981 with the New York Apollo and New York United of the American Soccer League.

By Michael Sicoli

michael.sicoli@newsday.com

Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.