Stan Fryczynski vividly recalls the first time he met Rich Terpak.
“It was 1989 and Rich was part of the football coaching staff at Secaucus,” Fryczynski said. “I knew who he was and I had heard that he was a nice guy. People had told me a lot about him.”
Terpak, a long-time teacher and coach in Weehawken, had just been named to the coaching staff at Secaucus High School, working under then-head coach Lou Giele. Terpak was already a well established and respected coach, having served as the head football coach at Weehawken from 1980 through 1986 and was the girls’ softball coach for over a decade.
“I knew who Stan was, but I didn’t know much about him,” said Terpak upon his first meeting with Fryczynski, who in 1989 had just taken over the reins as the Secaucus athletic director from the outgoing Tom Giorgio. “I knew he was a track person, but I was never really a track person myself.”
Fryczynski had already carved his niche as a fine cross country and track and field coach and helped to initiate the now-flourishing Hudson County Track Coaches Association.
A year later, Terpak turned his full-time attentions toward Weehawken athletics, when he was tabbed to replace Brian Long as the athletic director at Weehawken High.
At that point, Fryczynski and Terpak began a bond that would grow stronger over the last two decades. The two athletic leaders worked at neighboring schools that were in the same NJSIAA Group affiliation and same league.
There’s always been a close tie between Weehawken and Secaucus. After all, before Secaucus High School was formed in the late 1960s, Secaucus residents had to send their children to Weehawken High School. The two schools have also shared athletic cooperatives, such as wrestling, over the years.
So it was only natural for Fryczynski and Terpak to strike up a friendship. They were Hudson County athletic directors in a Bergen County league, the BCSL National. They were both ADs at Group I schools. It made perfect sense.
“We hit it off right away,” Fryczynski said. “We got along right away very well. We were able to able to help each other out. We always did things that fostered good sports and good relationships.”
“We started as athletic directors almost at the same time and we hit it off both professionally and personally,” Terpak said. “I think it helped that Stan is so level-headed and so well respected by everyone. The friendship definitely developed.”
It was also unique that Secaucus and Weehawken have evolved into natural rivals over the years. The two schools battled on all playing fields and would face each other in football on the night before Thanksgiving, a traditional gridiron tussle.
“They are our biggest rivals,” Terpak said. “But that’s part of the business. That never got between me and Stan. We might have been rivals on the field or on the court, but it never was with Stan. We had some really good heated contests over the years, but that was because Secaucus was always the model of excellence. It’s incredible what they’ve been able to do in terms of championships. In Weehawken, we had a few banners, but when you walk into Secaucus’ gym, the banners are everywhere.”
“I guess sometimes, I take that for granted,” Fryczynski said. “We had a lot of good championships.”
The two men who became close friends over the years coincidentally decided to retire at the same time. They both ended their administrative stints at their respective schools, with Terpak leaving Weehawken after 43 years and Fryczynski departing Secaucus after 33 years, although Fryczynski will remain as the Patriots’ part-time cross country coach.
Fryczynski will also stay on as the executive director of the new New Jersey Interscholastic Conference that houses more than 45 schools throughout Bergen, Passaic, and Hudson Counties.
“I certainly didn’t know it was going to happen like this,” Fryczynski said. “It certainly wasn’t planned that way. We’re both going out at the same time and in a way, it’s fitting. We came in together as ADs and now we go out together.”
“It’s a little different for me than Stan,” Terpak said. “I’m a little older [Terpak is 64, Fryczynski 58]. He’s still young and wet behind the ears. I was a little surprised when I heard he was retiring.”
Terpak said that saying goodbye was very emotional for him, especially when he spoke at the school’s annual athletic awards banquet.
“I told them all that they were my extended family,” Terpak said. “It’s a little bittersweet. It really seems like it was yesterday when I started at Weehawken. It’s hard to believe that it’s over. I developed so many professional and personal relationships that are unforgettable. I met so many good people through my involvement in sports. I’ve been really lucky.”
Fryczynski said that he was also emotional, thinking that his tenure as an athletic administrator had come to an end.
“I loved being the AD at Secaucus,” Fryczynski said. “I loved dealing with the kids. But I’ve been on a treadmill for a long time and it’s time to step off the treadmill for a while.”
Fryczynski will also step away from running the Hudson County Track Coaches Association and thought his tenure as the executive director of the new NJIC would come to end with his retirement.
“It was definitely humbling that they asked me to stay on,” Fryczynski said. “I didn’t expect it. I had no plan of staying on.”
Terpak was asked if he had plans about his retirement.
“Whatever the Mrs. [Kathy, a long-time Weehawken educator, who also retired this year] has planned for me,” Terpak said. “I can walk away with my head held high, but still with some unfinished business. I wanted to start boys’ volleyball. I wanted to have a better use of the new waterfront park. I wanted to see a few more people get in the school’s athletic Hall of Fame. But it was a good run.”
Fryczynski reflected a bit on his tenure.
“Arthur Couch [the late Superintendent of Schools in Secaucus] brought me in to Secaucus in 1978 and went in thinking it would be a great place to coach track,” Fryczynski said. “I loved every minute of it. I never thought it would have led to all it did. I only tried to make things better. I feel good about my career and I hope the community feels I made a significant contribution.”
Stan Fryczynski and Rich Terpak were always two of the most cordial, efficient, and helpful athletic directors in every facet. Whether it was procuring a last-minute interview of a student/athlete, or learning about a schedule change, both were always there. They were just a phone call away. They were credits to their profession, through and through. It would be a major loss to Hudson County athletics to lose one to retirement, but two at the same time is a giant blow for everyone involved in high school sports in the area. They will be missed and their successors, namely Charlie Voorhees in Secaucus and Zach Naszimento in Weehawken, certainly have their work cut out for them.
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.
You can also read Jim’s blog at www.jimhaguesports.blogspot.com