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Coaches' Corner: Jim Pugh

Wednesday, October, 03 By Mike Grenier
Staff writer

Masconomet football coach Jim Pugh moved to Massachusetts in 1973, but he could never abandon his New York roots.

Pugh, 57, grew up on Long Island and played football and basketball at Chaminade High School in Elmont, N.Y., where he was the All-Long Island quarterback his senior year (1967). He earned a basketball scholarship to Hoftstra University, where he also played football.

The bottom line is that he's a fan of New York sports teams, which could make him an unpopular guy in Red Sox Nation for the next few weeks. But he can't help himself. He followed all the New York teams when he was a kid and his allegiance remains strong.

"I was at the Bucky Dent game," said Pugh, referring to the infamous (if you're a Red Sox fan) one-game playoff in 1978 between the Red Sox and Yankees that determined the American League pennant. Dent, the Yankee shortstop who had a reputation as a banjo hitter, hit a three-run homer off Sox hurler Mike Torrez that keyed New York's victory. Since there was no wild card entry to the playoffs in those days, the Red Sox and their fans had a long, dark winter to contemplate what might have been.

"I didn't cheer (Dent's homer)," said Pugh. "I knew better. I kept my hands underneath my legs because I didn't want to be covered in beer. To this day, I root for the Yankees and all the other New York (pro) teams."

Pugh's commitment to Masconomet has been just as strong. He's been the Chieftains head coach since 1989 and his passion for the game hasn't waned one bit. Masco has been a Cape Ann League power for the last several years and with a 4-0 record so far, the Chieftains are aiming for a postseason berth.

1. What was it like playing two sports at a Division 1 school like Hofstra since that's rarely done these days?
"Well, they gave me the option of playing football even though I was at Hofstra for basketball. I ended up playing football my last two years. I enjoyed all of it. In basketball, we had a good schedule, playing teams like St. Joe's, Temple, LaSalle and American University. I played point guard."

2. How did you end up coaching at Masconomet?
"After I'd been teaching (special education) at Masco for a few years, I became an assistant football coach under Nick Consoles and then Frank Guerra (from 1979-82). I left coaching for a while after my daughter was born, but in '89 athletic director Jerry Plumley was looking for someone within the school to become the head football coach. The team had gone through some tough years and they just wanted someone who would see the kids every day in school."

3. Did you feel a little unprepared, taking over in that manner after not coaching for several years?
"You know what? I wasn't the smartest coach or the best coach, but we started youth football in the area and that made a big difference. We had some very good years in the 90s, but in the last five years the addition of Steve Bunker for our strength and conditioning program has been a major factor for us. We like to say that you lose in January and February if you don't have a strength and conditioning program. Our lifting program goes from the end of the season until August of the following year. That kind of stuff can make a head coach look smarter."

4. You're close to your brother, who is a head football coach in New York. How much of an influence has he been in any capacity?
"My brother Tom is three years older than me and has coached Holy Cross High in Flushing, N.Y. since 1973. We talk all the time. He's been my mentor and he's a hero to me. I'm shocked sometimes that coaches don't have a person they can call and talk to. When he was coaching Triton, I used to talk to Ron Corcoran all the time. It's not that I was trying to find out stuff about other teams (in the Cape Ann League); that's not my style. Sometimes you just need someone to talk to, to get some feedback about what you're doing."

5. Who else has shaped your outlook as a coach?
"My two coaches from Chamidade High, Joe Thomas (football) and Jim Swartz (basketball), have been really important. Joe Thomas is one of the greatest men you could ever meet. He's 90 years old and he can remember details of things that happened many years ago."

6. What did you take from those two high school coaches?
"I really absorbed the lessons they taught me. One thing is that coaching is not about making one kid a (star), it's about being a team. Even more important than that, it's about doing it the right way. When I see my brother's team play, for example, the team is always disciplined and respectful. I'm embarrased if we don't do things the right way."

7. What do you enjoy most about coaching?
"The best part is dealing with the young people we've had at Masco. I'm talking boys and girls (Pugh is also Masco's part time athletic director). We've had a lot of outstanding kids go through here. Great kids and great families. My first year coaching, we were lucky to have two assistant coaches. Masco had been losing and you didn't get many volunteers. But we've since found a lot of good people and the camaraderie has been outstanding."

8. Is youth football still a big key for Masco?
"We have 250 kids playing football in grades 3 through 8. I'm not naive enough to think it's all us. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have something to do with it. You see seven million Patriots jerseys out there, so kids want to play football. The great thing about Masco is that they also play soccer and other sports."

9. What is one of your best moments in coaching?
"My first year, in '89, we were 0-8 when we beat North Reading, 14-13, in overtime. They went for a 2-point conversion and we shut them down. That was so big for the kids because the team's losing streak had reached 25 games. Another big one was in 2003 when we beat Duxbury, 7-0, in the playoffs. No one gave us a chance against them."

10. How much longer would you like to coach?
"I'm not counting the day towards retirement. I still feel enthusiastic about coaching and being around kids."