Women's Soccer
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- celestin@princeton.edu
- Phone:
- 258-4921
Ron Celestin is in his third decade as an assistant coach with the Princeton women's soccer team after joining the program in 1995. In addition to his coaching duties at the University, Celestin also teaches health and physical education at Riverside Elementary School in Princeton.
In February 2005, Celestin was honored by the Princeton Public Library as one of its “Unsung Heroes,” an award honoring members of Princeton’s African-American community “who in their own way have contributed vastly to the overall development and fiber of Princeton and the surrounding area through their profession, community service activities, talent or their everyday lives.”
Celestin received induction into the Mercer County Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012 and was inducted into the Princeton High School Hall of Fame in 2007.
As an undergraduate at West Virginia Wesleyan, Celestin was a defender on the 1984 NAIA national championship team. He also played at junior college soccer powerhouse Mercer County Community College.
Celestin played semipro soccer for Team New Jersey from 1985 to 1990 and was also instrumental in starting the New Jersey Wildcats, who compete in the W-League. His coaching experience includes stints with several N.J. Select teams and a 10-year tenure at Princeton High School, during which time he led the Little Tigers’ boys team to a state championship. Celestin was inducted into the Princeton High Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. He has also coached with the New Jersey ODP and was technical director for the F.C. Magic club.
In the summer, Celestin has served as an assistant coach for the New Jersey Wildcats, which reunited him with former Princeton pupil and the Tigers’ all-time leading scorer Esmeralda Negron.
He and his wife Annette have two daughters, Chantal and Ciara. Chantal is a midfielder in the Class of 2014 at Charlotte and has been a part of the New Jersey state ODP program at the state and regional levels.
