After transferring from Lea College to SU, Jeff Goria earned three letters in football. He captained the team as a senior and was a two-time All-MAC halfback/safety as a junior and senior. A defensive leader in tackles, he also was 2nd in rushing yardage for SU in both his junior and senior years. Jeff was co-captain of the much-celebrated 1970 MAC North Division Championship Team that was inducted into the Ring of Honor last year. The 1970 team also won the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bowl against Georgetown. As a junior and senior, Jeff started both defense and offense. He was a strong safety/rover on defense and a running back on offense. He was selected All-MAC Conference for both years, and recognized as 2nd team AllLutheran 1969/1970, 3rd team All State Pennsylvania 1970, and in 1970 received the Kiwanis Club: Defense Award. Most notably, Jeff was known for his emotional leadership and confidence in his team.
Jeff was inducted into the Susquehanna Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. In 1999, Susquehanna University honored him as One of the Top 100 Football Players in the First 100 Years of Crusader Football. Jeff feels he could never have achieved these football successes without his talented and dedicated teammates and coaching staff – a very special and close group of guys even to this day.
Jeff has spent a great deal of time on the field after graduation from SU, coaching hometown baseball and football. It began with pee wee baseball and went right up to 8th grade football. He has enjoyed passing on the expertise he gained from his coaches and fellow teammates at SU. Over the years, the Gorias have continued financial support to the university, the football program and other SU projects. Jeff and his wife Angela have contributed to Susquehanna University with the Jeff and Angela Goria Endowed Scholarship, and Jeff was one of the retired fraternity members called upon by SU management for feedback regarding the inception of the Bond and Key/Lambda Chi Alpha Scholarship Endowment Fund, which was created out of the proceeds from the sale of the fraternity property. The fund provides financial aid and has helped dozens of students attend SU. Their support and service extended to their local community, including supporting education and sports programs.
Jeff and Angela have been happily married for over 40 years.
As noted above, during that time they continued to support the university and football program. Jeff retired in 2020 after a 47-year career as a financial consultant. At the height of his career, he was chosen as one of Barron’s top 100 financial consultants. In retirement Jeff very much enjoys keeping in touch and reminiscing with his SU friends and teammates, especially via the monthly Zoom meeting “Huddles.”
