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For Patrick “Rick” DeBonta ’95, William Paterson University has never been just a chapter in his life; it’s a throughline.
Rick arrived at WP as a first-generation college student and multi-sport athlete, drawn to the institution by the philosophy and leadership of late football coach Gerry Gallagher ’74. Rick wore the Pioneers uniform both on the football field and baseball diamond for two years, playing baseball for legendary WP coach Jeff Albies before deciding to focus solely on football. He was part of WP’s celebrated 1993 football team, still the only one in school history to reach the NCAA playoffs.
More than three decades later, the impact of WP Athletics is still unfolding – not only in Rick’s life, but in his family’s. As he reflects, Rick says he hopes others will help ensure today’s student-athletes have the same opportunity to grow, compete, and discover who they can become. That spirit is behind Fuel the Win, WP’s Athletics Giving Day on March 25, a chance for alumni, families, and friends to come together in support of every team and every future Pioneer.
“Most of us at WP, we were working, playing, and going to class,” Rick recalls, noting how he commuted to campus for two years before saving enough money to move into the residence halls. “We weren’t just students or athletes; it was a real working environment on the campus, and it still is today. You had to figure things out; your parents weren’t paying for everything.”
Rick DeBonta coaches the Montville Mustangs football team.
That experience, he says, was formative. Amid the “Can I handle it?” self-questioning, Rick learned the importance of building relationships – a lesson he carries with him today as a physical education teacher, head football coach, head lacrosse coach, and assistant wrestling coach at Montville Township High School, where he has worked for more than 25 years.
It’s a multifaceted job he adores and one he only considered thanks to WP Athletics.
In his fifth year on campus, Rick, a sociology major, served as a graduate assistant for the Pioneers football program, helping to coach many of his former teammates on the defensive side of the ball. The experience inspired him to pursue both teaching and coaching.
“I’m really a relationship guy,” he says. “I love the relationships with kids. I enjoy the process, from when they come in as freshmen and there is a lot of work to do there in terms of maturity and skills … I see them getting into sophomore year and starting to develop ... come spring of junior year, you’re building a different kind of relationship and talking to them about life and where they want to go … and by senior year, you really get to know them, and it becomes a lifelong relationship.”
That belief in relationships was shaped at WP off the field, too. William Paterson is where Rick met his wife, Heather Hewitt DeBonta ’94. The two first crossed paths in Heritage Hall and eventually built a life together – one that now includes three daughters and a deep family connection to WP.
The DeBonta family celebrates Homecoming on campus in October 2025. From left are Haley ’24, Heather ’94, Noel ’27, Rick ’95, and Chloe.
Their oldest daughters, Haley and Noel, both attended William Paterson as Honors College students and student-athletes. Haley ’24, played field hockey and now works as a dialysis nurse; Noel, a current physical education major, has been field hockey team captain. Youngest daughter Chloe is a student-athlete, as well, at Kean University.
Watching his oldest daughters compete as Pioneers brought everything full circle for Rick and Heather.
“Putting on our black and orange and sitting in the stands to watch them on campus, that was awesome,” Rick says, getting choked up with both parental and Pioneer pride. “It’s like being home for us.”
He is also proud of the evolution of WP Athletics, pointing to many teams’ impressive records and the recent investments in campus facilities like the renovated fieldhouse and new Stephen Adzima ’75 Strength and Conditioning Center.
Alumni who played football for the Pioneers come together at Homecoming 2025. From left are: Jack Dowd '95, Dave Ryerson '99, Deacon Truesdale '97, Aaron Stanley '98, Dan Comune '97, Al White '95, Steve Brown '74, Andre Taylor '97, and Rick DeBonta '95.
“We’ve always been great at baseball; in 2021, field hockey won the conference championship, our volleyball team last year was outstanding making it to the tournament semifinals, the men’s and women’s soccer teams are always doing a fantastic job, and the women’s basketball team is nationally ranked in the Top 20 right now; that’s incredible,” Rick says, smiling. “Athletics is moving forward, and the University is recognizing how important that is.”
For Rick, that progress underscores the importance of supporting today’s student-athletes –many of whom, like he once did, are balancing academics, athletics, and jobs while figuring out who they want to become.
“It’s about giving these kids the chance to succeed, on the field and beyond,” he says. “No one is getting paid to play in D3 sports; they are playing for the love of the game.”
More than three decades after first stepping onto campus, Rick DeBonta remains a Pioneer in every sense – shaped by WP, devoted to its mission, and proud to see the next generation carry its legacy forward.
In the same spirit that shaped Rick’s life, Fuel the Win invites the WP community to stand behind the next generation and help them write their own stories of perseverance, pride, and possibility.
