Never Stop Coaching: Jack Kaley's Influence on Athletics at EMHS

His coaching just simply never stopped.

Jack Kaley, 73, has the highest winning percentage (.844)  in Division II sports history, and he is a staple in the history of .

After starting his career as a coach for Lynbrook High School in 1964, Kaley found himself at East Meadow in 1968. Little did he know that his tenure at East Meadow would last 17 years, as he amassed an impressive 227-90 record while coaching East Meadow's boys lacrosse team.

Kaley wasted no time getting the ball rolling at East Meadow, as the team went undefeated in 1968.

"We were knocking on the door as soon as I got there," Kaley said. "I was at the high school for six years during my first run, and we had a phenomenal amount of success." Kaley led East Meadow to three straight Long Island Championship wins from 1971-73.

Kaley went on to coach middle school lacrosse before coming back to East Meadow six years later, and he picked up right where he left off. In his 17 years with the Jets, Kaley led East Meadow to nine conference championships, and he's confident that his teams were among the best in the country.

"We would have been top five," Kaley said. "We just knew how to take care of business."

It went beyond the game of lacrosse for Kaley, as he took extra time outside of practices and games to make sure his players were doing the right thing in terms of their education and building their character.

"That's something we took pride in at East Meadow," Kaley said. "Education comes first."

One of Kaley's former players, Neil Koenig, who graduated in 1968 from EMHS, praised Kaley's character and gives a lot of credit to Kaley for helping him get into a good school.

"I wish I could go to work with the same passion as he did," Koenig said. "Jack helped kids into college. He got me a full tuition scholarship to Fairleigh Dickinson. It’s really what these coaches do for the kids outside the game. He just didn’t give up."

One common tradition that took place during Kaley's early years at East Meadow was a weekly meeting at , where the players would go through some drills together. Even some former East Meadow High School students that were in college would come back to aid in the development of the younger players. But, in 1972, the team was forced to stop meeting there because it was deemed "too dangerous."

"It was a great tradition that the kids had," Kaley said. "The fact that they stopped allowing it really set my program back."

After leaving East Meadow, Kaley spent six years as an assistant coach at St. John's University. After that, he took his first college head coaching job at New York Tech in Old Westbury. He was there for the beginning of the  school's lacrosse program, and over his 17 years there he has led his teams to a 175-31 record. He won the National Championship four times, and his teams have come in second twice. He has also coached a whopping 79 All Americans in his time with New York Tech. He also has led by example in terms of lifestyle.

"It’s like the guy never aged a day," said Tom Zummo, a 2005 graduate of NY Tech. "He is the healthiest human being I ever met, and it just rubbed off on his players."

Kaley says it's first nature to be involved in the other aspects of an athlete's life, as coaches need to make sure that their players are doing the right thing.

"You have gotta be in the building to be an effective coach," Kaley said. "It’s not a part-time job. You are coaching them in academics, nutrition, lifestyle and commitment to education. You are getting them in the right frame of mind."

One player that he was particularly close to in his East Meadow days was Richard Woerner, who recalled Kaley as being both demanding and understanding.

"We called him 'Hawk'," Woerner said. "The guy didn't have the best vision at all, but he would see if you made a mistake from across the field. He would never call anyone out, but he demanded the absolute best from everybody."

Kaley was honored with an induction into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in October, and now he also serves as the coach of the German National Team.

"I love it," Kaley said. "I love lacrosse, and I love coaching."

As for retirement, the 73-year-old has no immediate plans on doing so.

"As long as I can keep coaching, I will," he added.