Former BCC Head Coach Salvador Guillen Dies at 80

Bergen CC athletics department is saddened to announce the passing of Salvador Guillen, who was a former BCC M/W Tennis Coach, M/W Soccer Coach and a tennis adjunct professor at BCC. Coach Sal led BCC to two region men's tennis championships (2005 & 2013) & coached 10 All Americans. He also had several trips to the NJCAA Men's Tennis National tournament, most notably 2013 (3rd place) and 2014 (4th Place). He earned Region XIX Men's Tennis "Coach of the Year" in 2005 and 2013.  He also organized the intramural program at BCC for over 10 years.

Coach Sal began at Bergen Community College as an assistant men's soccer coach in 1994.  He then took over as the head coach in 2002 to 2010, a total of 9 years.  Along with coaching soccer, he began to coach men's tennis in the spring of 2004 and finished coaching after the 2015 season. He coached men's tennis for 12 years and received a "10 Years of Service" award in 2013.  He earned Region XIX Men's Tennis "Coach of the Year" in 2005 and 2013.

He had a major impact as a coach and mentor, one of his former student-athletes and former BCC men's soccer coach, Coach Fredy Herrera, led BCC men's soccer team to their first two region titles in 2015 & 2016. Coach Fredy was asked about his experience with Coach Sal and he said "I played for him, I learned from him, I'm a soccer coach thanks to him, and he taught me to believe in myself!  Thank you professor and God be with you".  

We are so truly privileged to have shared this time with Coach Sal and take some degree of comfort in knowing the positive impact he has had on college students for the last two decades remains immense.