RICH    LOUGHLIN

1965-1998

"Do something you love and you won't have to work a day in your life." This relatively recent radio commercial pretty much sums up Rich Loughlin's teaching and coaching career at Nanuet High School. He loved coming in and working with the kids.

A Rockland native, Rich grew up in Piermont and attended the great old Tappan Zee High School in Piermont. He played football, baseball and basketball all four years and earned All-County in all three sports. After high school Rich attended Fairfield University in Connecticut, where he played baseball. During his college years he also played semi-pro baseball during the summers for the old County Welders baseball club out of New City.

Upon graduating from college, Rich served in the U.S. Army, mostly at Fort Benning, Ga. While at Fort Benning he played regimental level sports. He also coached a youth basketball team to the Fort Benning post championship. The team continued on to win the city of Columbus, Ga., championship as well.

In the fall of 1965, Rich joined the faculty of Nanuet High School. Just prior to that, both during his college years and after his Army years, Coach Loughlin had worked at St. Agnes School for Boys in Sparkill as a counselor, coach and substitute teacher. While at St. Agnes he worked under a truly great man, Mr. John Glynn, who was the school's athletic and program director. He assisted Coach Glynn in two undefeated football seasons and numerous CYO basketball games. During those years Coach Glynn was a mentor to a number of young counselors and guided all of them into teaching and coaching careers. And it was Coach Glynn who was directly responsible for Rich being hired by the Nanuet Public Schools. His recommendation to Superintendent MacArthur Barr was acted upon immediately. Soon after, Nanuet's head football coach, Mike Achille, hired Rich to coach the freshman football team. Coach Loughlin went on to coach football for 32 consecutive seasons, all but five as either junior varsity or freshman coach. During those 27 seasons he and his co-coaches (Frank Fitzpatrick, Jerome Bonomolo, Joe Speechley, Mike DelliPizzi, Jamie Barry and Rich King) compiled a 152-51-12 record. That translated into 25 out of 27 winning seasons, 5 undefeated seasons and 5 one-loss seasons, and during one seven-year stretch they had a .900 winning percentage. During the five years as a varsity assistant, Coach Loughlin was able to aid head coach Dale Abeling to achieve Nanuet's first winning seasons in the old Rockland County Public School Athletic League (PSAL).

Coach Loughlin served as assistant varsity baseball coach under Coach Chuck Holland in 1967 and 1968 and became head coach of baseball in the 1969 season. Over the next 14 years the baseball team had nine winning seasons (including the program’s first winning seasons) and they won 172 games. They won the Rockland County PSAL championship in 1978 – Nanuet’s only county baseball title – and played in a second Rockland County championship game a few years later in 1980, losing by one run in extra innings. During Coach Loughlin’s tenure, the baseball team played in six Section 9 tournaments, winning 3 championships. (Section 9 consisted then of Rockland, Orange, Ulster and Sullivan counties.) They also won three Rockland American Division championships when the league structure was changed.

During this period Coach Loughlin had many very good players and even some great ones. Many went on to play college baseball at a very high level and two players, Kurt Lundgren and John Panaro, played professionally after college.

The concept of “team” has always been important to Rich and he wants people to know that the credit for what success they had belongs to many: the fine Nanuet Little League organization, the great Nanuet Junior High coaches, Chuck Adrian and Kevin McKenna, who sent scores of well-schooled players to the high school, and especially the junior varsity coaches, Jerome Bonomolo and Rich Conklin, who really prepared the players for success. He also gives credit to Nanuet's many wonderful families who taught their sons the game and supported them along the way.

Although basketball was not his best teaching sport by any means, Coach Loughlin served as freshman basketball coach under head coach Jerome Bonomolo for about a dozen years. During that time Coach “B” had a number of excellent teams, Section 9 championships, etc., but Rich is quick to point out that his contribution was only in teaching the ABCs of the sport – and not much else.

Whenever he is asked about his years at Nanuet High School, Coach Loughlin uses the word “blessed.” He feels extremely lucky to have found his way to that school. He and his wife of 40 years met each other as new teachers in September of 1965. Rich says that Ellie always supported and encouraged him way beyond what was necessary. He couldn't have found a more perfect wife especially for a life of coaching and teaching. He says he isn't sure how much Ellie knew about sports when they first met, but she sure has become an expert and would make a terrific baseball or basketball coach.

Ellie taught in the high school and in SAT programs for a number of years and spent the last 14 years of her teaching career in New Jersey, first at Montclair State University and then Bergen Community College.

Rich feels doubly blessed in that he was able to be in the same school district with his children and see them grow up as they moved from one activity or sport to another. Among other activities, daughters Jennifer and Pamela were members of Mrs. Karen Achille's great cheerleading squads and, as such, took part successfully in both regional and national competitions. Both Jennifer and Pam are married and are teachers in New Jersey.

Rich also had tremendous satisfaction seeing his son, Mike, play sports all the way from Pop Warner and Little League, through summer leagues, through high school and then on to Nichols College in Massachusetts where he played four years of football. Presently, Mike lives in Westchester County and is director of sales for a sports marketing firm.

Coach Rich Loughlin loved his Nanuet years, calling them “pretty much perfect.” He says his colleagues were “the best.” They were wonderful teachers and wonderful people. And he especially loved all the young men who played on his teams. Their talent level didn't matter. He loved them all.