Schools
Coaching Legend Monica is a Big Fan of Kubik, Current Dodgers
Borough resident led Madison to 9 state championships.
A win by over Summit in the North 2 Group II state football championship tonight at Kean University would give head coach Chris Kubik his second state crown in as many years, stamping him as one of the brilliant young scholastic coaches in New Jersey and earning an enduring place in the borough’s sports pantheon.
Not many coaches win even one title, much less two in a row.
But that would still leave Kubik seven championships shy of the total won by Ted Monica, one of the great coaches in the history of New Jersey football, who led Madison to an improbable nine titles in 27 years – or one championship every three years – while on the Dodger sidelines.
But Kubik’s already passed muster with Monica.
“I think Kubik is a hell of a coach, one of the brightest young coaches in the business,” Monica said. “His staff are just great people and they do a great job. I am really proud of them.”
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Monica, who stepped down as coach in 1980 but still lives in town, had generous praise for the Dodgers and Kubik. He said this year’s team “ranks right up there” with his championship squads.
“It is a thrill for me because they are so well-coached, have a lot of talent, and are such good kids,” said Monica in an interview in his basement, every inch of the walls covered with team photos, plaques and newspaper clippings from his coaching days. “Win or lose, they are doing a hell of a job.”
Monica missed most of the 2010 season while caring for his wife, Lee, who died in March. He returned to the stadium bearing his name this fall and found himself more than ever a fan of the latest crop of Dodger stars.
“I never wanted to leave the game too early because [Justin] Goodwin was likely to break a long run. And that other kid, [Shone] Register, I saw him run 30 yards with two kids on him and he never broke stride. The quarterback (Carson Lassiter] is a very good runner, does a good job. So, there are three real good threats there.”
Kubik and Monica are good friends, and the elder coach sees little difference between his methods and those of the current staff.
“We did a lot of things that they are doing now, at the time, that no one else did,” he said. “You had to stay ahead of the game.”
A native of East Orange, Monica played football at Panzer College (now Monmouth University), joined the Marines and was awarded the Purple Heart after being wounded in Korea. Discharged and still in his dress uniform, he went straight to an interview for his first coaching job at Jonathan Dayton High School in Springfield. After moving to Madison, Monica coached his three sons, along with countless players who went on to major college programs. One, Neil O’Donnell, quarterbacked the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX. His 1979 Dodger team was ranked first in the state by the Star-Ledger.
One of the first things Monica did when he arrived in the Rose City was to set up a junior program. Many of his former players-turned borough dads have coached in the program, a crucial link in developing new talent for the high school.
“The people that took it over were a group of energetic young people that played for us, and they really set the stones for us to step on,” he recalled. “There are kids who played on state championship programs who are coaching now. We won five state championships in the Sixties, and they take a lot of pride in that.”
He recalled borough businesses would close up shop on game day. “We packed them in,” he said.
But Monica, who served as athletic director after stepping down as football coach in 1980, said the tradition of success long ago spread beyond the gridiron, to field hockey and other sports, with many more Dodger athletes going on to success at Division I colleges.
He said part of the football program's success was fostered by coaches who also taught at the school. It's important, he said, for coaches to get to know players, the better to get the most from them on the field.
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“You have to give the kids coaching points, that’s the big thing,” “You always have to ask ‘What if?’” he explained. “You don’t want to defend against ghosts, but you have to be ready IF somebody does something. Keeping an eye on details is something that never changes.”
Monica wasn’t at Kean for the Dodgers’ 28-21 triumph over Caldwell in 2010 and, ever the superstitious fan, isn’t sure he’ll attend tonight’s game (“I don’t want to jinx them”), despite friends’ urging him to attend. He’s savoring the storylines in a rematch of bitter rivals from the old Suburban conference; Summit was the last foe to defeat Madison, in the 2009 state playoffs, before the Dodgers began their 24-game unbeaten streak, and is favored on Friday night. No matter, Monica said.
“The bottom line,” he said, “is you pay attention to detail, and you put the kids in the best possible position to meet any situation on the field.”
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