By TOM WILLIAMS

If the Cape-Atlantic League was ever to form a Hall of Fame, Jim Schafer would have to be under consideration to be among the first inductees.

Jim, who died last week, was a three-sport star at Egg Harbor City High School, one of the original CAL schools. They had no gym and he often talked about frequently practicing basketball outside. He went on to success at Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) and played semi-pro football.

He then returned to the CAL at Mainland Regional High School where he was an assistant coach in many sports before becoming head coach in three. He guided the football team to the South Jersey championship (the famous ‘Strang Gang’); had winning seasons in all three of his boys basketball seasons, including a trip to the South Jersey semifinals; and basically created the softball program that was one of the very best in South Jersey during his tenure. Very few coaches have had similar success in three sports.

He was also a respected umpire and became a successful broadcaster on radio and, later, live video. His broadcasts of Holy Spirit football with Alex Konick were some of the most entertaining in area history. He was also a very good interviewer and had a habit of getting right to the point. He not only did that with local sports people but at the higher levels, as well.

Here are two examples.

Pete Rose was batting third for the Phillies and struggling a bit. Beat reporters had been suggesting he shouldn’t be batting third and was having trouble hitting the fast ball. Jim was covering a game at Veteran’s Stadium which the Phillies lost and Pete was hitless. After the game, Rose was sitting in a chair in the middle of the clubhouse. No reporters were going near him. Jim walked up to him and said, “So, Pete, do you still think you should be hitting third?”

What followed was a brilliant combination of stats and circumstances from Rose about his value in the that position that was one of the great interviews. As he continued, other reporters started to slowly move toward him to take notes.

Another example did not work out as well. Jim was covering a Big Five doubleheader at The Palestra and Villanova had lost the first game to drop to 3-7. Rollie Massimino sat down in the press room afterwards waiting for the reporters’ questions. During that silence, Jim said, “So, Coach, did you think you’d be 3-7?”

Massimino blew up. He screamed a few things at Jim and walked out of the room. Later, during the second game, he was walking with his wife and pointed to Jim – “that’s the guy”, he said.

Here are some thoughts and memories about Jim from some people you might know.

Steve Parker (Hall of Fame athlete, broadcaster): “I first met Jim as a freshman and he gave me an opportunity to play JV basketball as his point guard. He showed confidence in me and it definitely helped me develop my game at a young age. He was my backfield coach for three years in football and then became a good friend for the past 50-plus years through working with Prime Events. Jim was a very aggressive coach who pushed me to become a better player, no matter if it was basketball (which was his first love) or football, where he was the varsity assistant coach. I had the honor of playing for him for three years. He was a very heady coach who could motivate like no other coach I ever had. Jim was also a very good friend who will really be missed.”

Skip Castaldi (Hall of Fame basketball player): “Mainland Regional High School opened in September of 1961. Prior to that, Somers Point and Linwood students attended Ocean City High School, Northfield attended Pleasantville. As a result of needing to staff the entire high school, many of the teachers were young. Some were just a few years older than the students. Jim Schafer was a favorite teacher to many of the students. He was not only a teacher and coach, but a friend. We could go to him for advice. He would give his opinion and point of view. We valued him greatly.”

Jim Cooper Sr. (record-setting kicker and respected kicking coach): “When I look back over my career, the one coach that made the single biggest impact on my future was Coach Jim Schafer. I first met Coach when I was in seventh grade and he came to Jordan Road School to talk to us about our future career path. He asked every student in the room what they would like to be when they grow up. As an extremely naïve seventh grader, I told Coach I wanted to play professional football. He looked at me and, in front of the entire classroom, told me that I should focus on something more realistic – that, for the most part, it was a pipe dream.  I must admit I was a bit embarrassed.  

“Coach became my guidance counselor at Mainland Regional high school.  He was also my head football coach. He impressed upon me that an NFL career was a longshot and that I should have a more realistic plan to support myself and my family. Perhaps his most encouraging words were that if I worked hard with my grades and dedicated time to my kicking, he felt that I would have an excellent opportunity for a scholarship. And he was 100% correct. I brought up my GPA drastically and continued to hone my skills as a place kicker. Coach played a crucial role in my future and I will never forget that. I got a full scholarship to Temple University to play football and earned a degree in marketing and advertising. Coach was a very stern guy but treated every player like they were his son. I struggled in a few games and he was right there to pick me up and tell me he believed in me. I’ve played for many great coaches in my life, such as Wayne Harden and Bruce Arians. Coach Schafer was always my favorite coach and had the greatest impact on my career. I love you, Coach, and I will miss you. May you and your wife rest in eternal peace.”

Bob Coffey (great athlete, retired Hall of Fame coach): “I remember Jim so fondly. He was always so positive when covering our games for the radio. I always will appreciate how he supported me and our team. Such a good man. All of us at Mainland will miss him dearly.”

Mike Gatley (award-winning Mainland AD): “He was as much ‘Mainland’ as any person that’s come through here. I played at Mainland and, when I returned to the local high school sports scene as the Hammonton AD, we reconnected. Jim offered me the opportunity to work alongside him and his wife, Peg, in organizing ‘college days’ during which local high school students could meet with college representatives. I said, ‘Coach, absolutely, man.’ It was very well organized. After that we stayed friends throughout the years. When a Mainland team did well, Jim would shoot a quick text or give the coach a call. We have a saying around here about bleeding green. He was one of those guys. We’re losing icons – Jim, Frank Campo, Lou Paludi, Nuncie Sacco – in this area when it comes to how they impacted kids.”

Jim Gallagher (great athlete & coach): “Great man and great husband, father and coach. He will be missed.”

Bud Rinck (broadcaster & retired coach): “Played for Jim as a sophomore and really enjoyed working with him for the Prime Events Sports Team. Great guy.”

Fred Dalzell (Hall of Fame athlete): “We have lost another CAL great. I had the opportunity to play for him, against him but especially enjoyed him as an umpire when I was catching. You always were treated with respect. He had a great sense of humor, loving the give and take.”

Doug Strang (all star QB who went on the throw for 3,000 yards at Penn State): “It was an honor to play for Coach Schafer and I know my teammates feel the same. Personally, I benefited greatly from playing for Coach – we had some great athletes on our championship team but he was able to mold us and leverage his great offensive mind to build a great team.  On a lighter note, I still remember our pre-game conversation before our season opener against Atlantic City in 1979. He told me our first offensive play call was a quarterback sneak. I recall whispering to my teammates what a bad call I thought that was. Well, needless to say, the play went for a 64-yard touchdown run and I went untouched the entire way. I still don’t understand how he drew that one up. We all vividly remember our careers in sports from pee-wee football to the last snap we take. He certainly was a big influence on my career and I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to play for him.” 

Tony Blum (award-winning broadcaster): “I got to know Jim through our sports broadcasting collaboration. I did the play-by-play and Jim gave his analysis. It worked really well, as Jim not only knew both football and basketball so well and did such a great job of breaking down what was happening and why it was happening – but he also had a great sense of humor. So, we could go back and forth about something we said or our opinions about various things related to sports and non-sports.  And Jim did have opinions which made the broadcasts so interesting.

“But I have to say that one of my all time best memories was doing a game in Vineland with Jim that featured the great Pleasantville basketball team with Reggie Miller against a very good Sacred Heart team, coached by Jim Mogan. Coach Mogan’s strategy was to slow the pace down on offense to the extent that he played for one shot per quarter.  Neither of us had ever experienced anything like that and there was literally nothing for me, as the play-by-play announcer, to do. But because of the stories Jim told and our interaction we were able to get through that game. We were a perfect fit and I will never forget him.”

Joe Fussner (Hall of Fame coach & retired umpire): “My memories of Jim go back a long way. I first met Jim in the mid 1960’s as an umpire. I was also a young umpire in the Atlantic County Umpires Association. This developed into a “love, hate relationship”, all in good faith. Back when Jim coached softball he had some amazing teams. They were as good a softball program as you could find in South Jersey. For an umpire, let’s say Jim was a little demanding as a coach. If you were not on your game, you would absolutely know it. We could go through a game and have some disagreements on out, safe, ball, strike and the next day we were umpiring together in a baseball game like nothing happened. He was just as intense as an umpire and it was always enjoyable to work with him.
“As a coach at Atlantic City and Stockton, I knew Jim as a radio personality. He would
work our games, do post-game interviews and was just an overall fan. As a former
coach, he understood the ups and downs of coaching and he respected the job. Jim
had a long and varied coaching career at Mainland Regional. He always stayed around
basketball, His son, Jim, assisted Gene Allen at Atlantic City and Jim Sr. was always very
supportive of his son. Both Jim and I retired from umpiring but remained friends and
always had conversations about the area sports teams. Condolences to his family and
may he rest in peace.”

Mike Bergen (athlete, reporter & retired businessman): “I knew Jim as a customer on my boyhood paper route, my high school guidance counselor, a coach, a broadcast colleague, a mentor and a friend, for than more than fifty years. Growing up in the Mainland communities of the late 1960’s and 1970’s was a very special time – most of the teachers and coaches lived in the towns and they knew you or your brothers and sisters, and of course, your parents. And they were engaged. Mainland was fortunate to have a cadre of educators – George Evinski, Nuncie Sacco, Frank Schiavo, Tony Galupo and Jim – to name just a few – who influenced so many students in a positive way. The great mentors have a way of striking a balance between encouragement and discipline and Jim exercised those principles as well as anyone I ever knew. While encouragement builds confidence and motivation, discipline provides structure and accountability.”

Tony Surace (retired Hall of Fame coach & athletics director): “Jim Schafer was the ultimate coach. The number of teams he coached and the incredible success his teams accomplished was truly amazing. A teacher, a coach, an administrator, an official and an excellent broadcaster. I probably missed a couple. Jim always greeted me with smile and a hearty hand shake.  Condolences to his family, I know his wife also recently passed. Prayers to all. R.I.P., Jim. The South Jersey community lost another icon.”

Mike Gill (award-winning broadcaster & talk show host): “I called many games with Coach Schafer in both football and basketball and he always educated the audience. But what I really enjoyed about Coach was talking about spring training. He loved going to Clearwater to see the Phillies, he covered them for many years, and he would record updates that we would air on the radio.”  

Gene Allen (retired Hall of Fame coach): “When I started coaching I got a wonderful opportunity to meet and converse with the legendary Coach Schafer. I immediately knew he was a passionate, intelligent, old school coach from whom I could obtain a wealth of knowledge. Over the years, a friendship developed. He was always there for me and was a needed sounding board. I was lucky to have a mentor who took the time and was personally involved. He was always ready with a kind, encouraging, or motivating word. He helped me understand that there is a difference between being a good coach and a championship winning coach. His son, Jim, was my talented assistant. Thank you, Jim, for sharing your dad with so many grateful people like me. We will miss him dearly.”

Dennis D’Orio (retired athlete & coach): “Jim Schafer was one of my favorite coaches. He always got the best out of us. He was successful and driven and we all learned from him. Good family man and great educator. Very sad for his passing. Will be missed by all that had contact with him from the classroom to the athletic fields. Loved playing for him.”

Tom Getzke (retired coach & broadcaster): “I first met Coach Schafer as a freshman football player at MRHS. I learned quickly that the coaching staff was solid, top to bottom, and Coach was tough, yet fair. As the school years passed, Coach became a daily positive influence and mirrored the attitude of the entire staff. Their eyes were always on you, their advice was helpful, their caring ways felt. Coach also became one of my classroom instructors and I admired his knowledge, classroom presence and challenging content. I learned from him again. I lost contact with Coach during college but, when I returned home, I began teaching locally myself. I applied many of Coach’s lessons to my new career. In time, we welcomed a new colleague to the staff and, as fate would have it, it was Jim Schafer Jr. Immediately, I was up-to-date with Coach and family again. Jim Jr. later moved on to another school system but as I was covering the games for the Sports Team, I would chat with Coach as he followed his son’s career. After a short time, Jim Schafer Sr. joined the Prime Events Sports Team and we were together again. We called games together, hosted sports talk programs, conducted coaches interviews and so on . He was so knowledgeable, kind, energetic and encouraging. I found myself learning from him all over again. His life is felt all over. His family, colleagues, students – all will share his stories, influences and more for years to come. Thank you, Coach – you’re already missed.”

Jim was already pretty sick when the Mainland boys basketball team won that three-overtime thriller over Ocean City in the South Jersey final. He never saw the game. Which is a shame. Because 45 years earlier, Jim and I broadcast another state tournament game between the Mustangs and the Raiders that also went three overtimes. It would have been a unique circumstance that he would have loved.

Jim Schafer was 87.