JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | The New Jersey City University athletics department is saddened to announce the passing of legendary Jersey City State College Hall of Fame football coach Jack J. Stephans. By far the most accomplished football coach in the university's history, Stephans passed away on September 29, 2020 after a lengthy battle with ALS. The Montvale, N.J. resident  was 81.
 
Stephans, the program's founding coach in 1966, guided the Gothics for eight seasons (six varsity) through 1973 and his teams posted a 48-15 record during his eight-season tenure — a .760 winning percentage. He was inducted into the Lawrence R. Schiner Athletics Hall of Fame on October 1, 1983.
 
Under his leadership, the Gothics enjoyed the three winningest seasons in school history, going 7-2 in 1971, 8-1 in 1972 and 9-1 in 1973 for an astounding three-year stretch of 24-4. JCSC never lost more than three games in any of his eight seasons at the helm.
In 1966, the first-year club team went undefeated (6-0) and he coached the 1972 team to a three-way tie for the New Jersey State Athletic Conference championship. That same 1972 club was listed 10th in the     Lambert Bowl rankings and ranked seventh in NCAA Division III in total defense (169.9 total yards per game) and ninth in pass defense, allowing a meager 71.4 yards per game. His final team in 1973 produced the winningest season in school history and was No. 4 in the Lambert rankings. The club ranked third in the country in passing offense (208 yards per game) and fourth in points scored per game (34.9 average).
 
As successful as his teams were, his legacy of coaching and mentoring remarkable players will stand the test of time. In all, Stephans coached 13 men who were elected to the Hall of Fame, including current Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo — the greatest quarterback in school history, Bruce Naszimento — the program's all-time greatest running back, and Edward J. Stinson, who built upon his successful playing career by becoming one of the most successful high school football coaches in North Jersey and several schools including Hoboken High School where the Red Wings won six NJSIAA state championships. One of his former players, Roy Miller, would eventually serve two stints as Gothic Knight head coach.
 
Stephans came to JCSC from Saint Joseph Regional High School in Montvale and coached both teams simultaneously for multiple seasons. He later served as Assistant Athletic Director at JCSC under Thomas M. Gerrity. He earned a Master's Degree in Education from Jersey City State.
 
After leaving Jersey City State, he served as head coach at William Paterson (1975-77) before becoming head coach of Fordham University (1979-80). Stephans was later inducted into the Hudson County Sports Hall of Fame in April, 2006.
 
Born March 31, 1939, Stephans was a Group IV all-state football player at Memorial High School in West New York, N.J. at center and middle linebacker and helped the Tigers go 67-0 in his four years. He earned a Division I scholarship to South Carolina before ultimately playing at Boston University.

NJCU Athletics Hall of Fame Football Players Coached by Jack Stephans

• Raymond M. Bohn
• William E. Byrne
• David L. Crist
• Dennis P. Cunningham
• Joseph DiVincenzo
• Michael Drennan
• Vincent J. Guglielmotti
• Michael F. Jacobson
• Robert E. Maslo
• Roy L. Miller
• Bruce Naszimento
• Edward J. Stinson
• Charles W. Tyburski

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PLAYER TRIBUTES:

The Honorable Jose L. Linares `75, former Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and All-NJAC player for Coach Stephans:
 
"I had the distinct honor and fortune of playing football for Coach Jack Stephans during his last three years as a coach at Jersey City State. Coach Stephans was not only a superb coach who took the Jersey City state football program to its zenith — making it a recognized powerhouse in Division III football — not only in New Jersey but throughout the nation, but he was also a leader with the unique ability to lead, teach and meld together young men of many different personalities, backgrounds and skills into a cohesive unit. He treated us all as family and we became one as a team. We were all blessed to have played for him and learned from him . All of us whose lives were touched by Jack Stephans became better men because of it. He will be sorely missed."
 

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Edward J. Stinson `70 
"On behalf of all former players, thank you for allowing us a moment to honor our mentor, our friend, Coach Jack Stephans.
 
For most of us, our relationship with Coach began nearly 55 years ago. Coach Stephans was a players' coach. He cared deeply for his players academically, socially and athletically. Coach did not always have the most talent, but he clearly did a great job molding those he had into winners as his outstanding record attests.
 
In those days, many of us came with circumstances, which required Coach Stephans to be more than a football coach. At times, Coach needed to also be a guidance counselor for our academics and a social worker as well because of the various situations from which we came.
 
Coach was very successful in this regard. As a result, there are countless men out there who owe him a debt of gratitude, not only for our college degrees, but for putting us on the road to success in life.
 
From the middle of the 1960s into the mid-70s, Jersey City State College football was very successful. In their initial season of 1966, the Gothic Knights were the No. 1-ranked club football team in the country. Effectively, this team was National Champions that season.
 
In 1972, after having become an NCAA Division III football program, Jersey City State won the New Jersey State College Conference championship, a great accomplishment.
 
What makes those achievements even more significant is that while Coach Stephans was the head football coach at Jersey City State, he was also the head football coach at St. Joseph Regional High School in Montvale.
 
Wait! What?
 
Yes, that's right. And you are correct! St. Joe's is located just off the last exit in New Jersey on the Garden State Parkway North and Jersey City State College is in the heart of Hudson County. Think about it – two practices a day. Every day!
 
Two different locations that are very much detached from each other. Two games a week – every week. Two different game plans because each had a different opponent. And, oh yeah, one is a high school team and the other is a college team.
 
As unlikely as it seems and the records verify, both teams were outstanding.
 
However, the greater accomplishments are found in the many players Coach Stephans developed. By developed, we are not referring to Coach Stephans' ability to refine the football skills of his players. Again, check the records. In this reference, for us "develop" represents the progression of young men to mature adults possessing the skill set to not only function as college educated professionals, but also as husbands, parents and contributing members of society.
 
Many of us – without Coach Stephans' guidance and concern – would not have had the opportunities we've enjoyed. The most obvious of these – the opportunity to extend our athletic careers and play football on the collegiate level. The truth be told, most of us had run out of options.
 
To the point and more importantly, we went on to productive careers as a result of our academic and football college experiences.
 
Whether one chose education, business, politics, law, etc., we now had a template for success and a path to pay it forward.
 
Coach Stephans' career validates and epitomizes an interesting statement that was passed on to me some years ago. The statement was made by the Chairman of the English Department at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn.
 
The Chairman said, "Football may be the best taught subject in American high schools today because it's the only subject we haven't tried to make easy."
 
Whenever I think of that quote, I am reminded of Coach Stephans.
 
While he coached hundreds of kids over several decades, each group was taught that discipline, commitment and teamwork are the qualities essential for success.
 
Along with those intangibles, Coach Stephans had the highest regard for loyalty. Coach Stephans authored a manual for coaches. In fact, in the section identifying the characteristics of a successful coach, he valued loyalty as No. 1, followed by enthusiasm for coaching and only third did he list knowledge of the game.
 
So, all the while, we young men thought Coach was teaching us football.
 
Now, as we've grown and moved away from those years, we have come to realize that he was teaching us about life – and of how good he was at it.
 
Finally, I am sure that when the Chairman from Erasmus Hall made his bold statement about football being the best taught subject in America, he had a vision of Coach Stephans as the teacher.