SCOREBOARD

After flirtation with Paramus Catholic, long-time Hoboken coach realizes home is where the heart is

Ed Stinson called it “a very difficult time and a real tough week.” That is a mild understatement.

The long-time Hoboken High School football coach was faced with the toughest decision in his life and finally had made up his mind to leave his beloved Hoboken and venture off to another world, agreeing to become the head football coach and athletic director at Paramus Catholic High School.

It was going to be a totally different challenge for Stinson, leaving a place where he was totally comfortable and going into the world of the unknown, tackling the challenge of coaching in the toughest conference in New Jersey, the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League, in the NNJIL’s fiercest division (Division C, as in Catholic), where perennial state powerhouses Don Bosco Prep, St. Joseph of Montvale and Bergen Catholic already resided.

The Catholic Division of the NNJIL also housed three of the most respected coaches in high school football, namely Greg Toal of Don Bosco, Tony Karcich of St. Joseph and Fred Stengel of Bergen Catholic. Between those three, there are approximately 30 state championships and some 550 victories, so Stinson would have fit right in, with his 215 wins and six state crowns.

So Stinson weighed the offer from Paramus Catholic officials and finally decided to accept it. It wasn’t like Stinson campaigned for the position. He didn’t apply for it, didn’t ask for it. They came after him and wanted to know if he was interested. After weighing the options and thinking out the entire scenario with his family, Stinson made the emotional choice to sever his long-standing ties with Hoboken.

Sure, the opportunity to coach with and against the great coaches of the Garden State was a big time lure. So was the financial reward. Stinson was going to be able to put in for his retirement after 34 years in Hoboken, then accept a new salary from Paramus Catholic. His family would be set for life.

Everything seemed so perfect.

So when Stinson went to a scheduled press conference last Wednesday, he truly believed he was going to meet and greet his new players and get welcomed into the Paramus Catholic community.

But that’s not what happened.

Stinson went to the school Wednesday with the intent of accepting his new job, but when he arrived at PC, he was handed a contract to sign – one whose terms he didn’t agree with.

Included in the contract were demands on Stinson’s time outside of football, requesting that he handle scheduling and equipment, be on hand for the school’s other athletic activities – basically, handle the true role of an athletic director, something that Stinson wasn’t interested in doing.

So Stinson tried to extend the negotiations with the Paramus Catholic officials. Before he signed the deal, he wanted to make sure that he was going to do less work at Paramus Catholic than what he was already doing at Hoboken.

The school couldn’t agree to those terms, so Stinson didn’t sign the contract. As reported last week, Stinson walked out of the school while the football team awaited his arrival in the auditorium. While school officials maintained that the deal wasn’t dead when Stinson left the school, for all intents and purposes, it was.

“I didn’t have any discussions with those people after I left,” Stinson said. “I didn’t call them, and they didn’t call me.”

Last Friday, while Stinson was meeting with Hoboken Superintendent of Schools Patrick Gagliardi and City Clerk James Farina, who also heads the Board of Education’s athletic committee, Paramus Catholic was deciding to move forward in a life without Ed Stinson.

Paramus Catholic was announcing that Secaucus resident John Whitehead was being promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach. At the same time, Stinson was trying to get assurances that the Hoboken football program could survive, even with the declining enrollment.

“After meeting with Mr. Gagliardi and Mr. Farina, I felt really confident that we could continue the success of our program at Hoboken,” Stinson said. “I made my decision based on the discussions I had with the Hoboken people. Our enrollment continues to be the biggest problem, and we’re going to explore some possibilities to fill the void.”

There was a newspaper report that stated last week that the Hoboken officials were upset with Stinson because he actually considered leaving.

“I think the word used was ‘hostile environment,'” Stinson said. “Well, there’s nothing further from the truth. I spoke with Mr. Gagliardi before I went to the other school and kept him abreast of what was going on the whole time. I let them know all along what was going on. I have a long relationship with the people of Hoboken. I never thought anything was hostile.”

Stinson said that he met with some of his players Friday night during a weight-training session and informed them that he was staying where he belonged.

“I think they’re happy,” Stinson said. “They respect me as a coach and an educator and realize that I’m involved in all phases of their lives.”

So it was basically a flirtation with a job that would have represented a financial windfall. It didn’t happen. Stinson remains in the Mile Square City, his home, where he’s comfortable.

“I’ve committed my life to this community,” Stinson said. “I was born here and raised here. I went to school here and played here. I’ve taught here and coached here. I raised my family here. I have my blood in this program. I love this place.”

Stinson didn’t want to comment on whether he was embarrassed by the entire scenario. It’s safe to say that it wasn’t the way anyone wanted it to turn out – not Stinson, nor the Paramus Catholic people. It wasn’t pretty. That’s for sure.

But things worked out for the best for Stinson. He got assurances that he will get help in trying to keep the Hoboken program afloat. He’s staying home. Sure, the money and the challenge of taking another job would have been nice, but they didn’t materialize.

Sometimes, the fallback option is always the best choice all along. Sure seems that way in this case.