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- William Paterson University
Jeff Albies: Diamonds
are Forever
by Joseph Martinelli
Someone once said there are no final outs in a neighborhood ball game only a Mom's call for dinner. That statement rings true for every child, including Coach Jeff Albies, who has spent long days and nights on the ball field.
Now in his twenty-sixth
season at the helm of the Pioneer baseball program, Albies continues
to enjoy
the same game that captivated him as a child. The competition,
the camaraderie, the bond between players and coaches, all propel
this former professional second baseman to share his knowledge
of the game with today's potential baseball stars.
During his tenure at William Paterson, Albies has been named
Conference, State, Regional, and National "Coach of the
Year." He has seen his players win national championships
and move on to the professional ranks. His career record of 709-296
and counting is one of the best among NCAA baseball
coaches.
His objectives were simple when he took over as head coach of
the William Paterson baseball program in 1975: instill a sense
of pride, create team unity, and build a winning tradition. To
say he has been successful is to underestimate the magnitude
of his accomplishments. He has been a mentor, friend, and advisor
to hundreds of student athletes and alumni. He is the thread
that ties current Pioneers to those who came before them. He
is the personification of the word "coach."
On a warm, sunny April afternoon, William Paterson's Wightman Field is a magical place. Pioneer baseball fans are a special breed-they know the players, love the game, and enjoy the action. The stands are filled not only with parents, William Paterson students, and other baseball enthusiasts, but also with former Pioneer baseball players.
It's not unusual to see Carl Stopper '90, a pitcher from the mid-'80s, watching the game with his wife and young daughter. Or, look again, and you might see '92 Division III College World Series pitching hero Scott Farber in deep conversation with '96 Division III College World Series hero Mark DeMenna. Then you notice Bob Benkert '87, a catcher from '85, sharing a story with Alan Anderson '81, an outfielder from '81. What makes William Paterson Pioneer baseball different and more successful than other college programs is the bond between players and coaches.
"I
tell the kids that when you become a Pioneer baseball player,
you become part of a giant family," says Albies. The feeling
of extended family is so strong that Claude Petrucelli '90, former
All-American second baseman, got married at home plate in 1998.
"Coach Albies brought to the table a strong sense of team unity, which in turn created a family atmosphere among players, coaches, fans, and families," says another Pioneer, John DiGirolamo '92. "That atmosphere still exists today."
"For the first three years," as Albies recalls, "I worked 24/7 at building a program modeled after schools I respected. We enhanced our schedule and moved the team in another direction. We never played cupcakes-always Division I opponents and first-rate Division III teams. Everything our program has accomplished is a result of playing a strong schedule," he continues. "That's the only way to get stronger, build a program, and establish a winning tradition."
The results are impressive:
18 trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament, 11 New Jersey Athletic
Conference Championships, 6 NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional
Championships, one South Atlantic Regional Championship, 7 trips
to the NCAA Division III College World Series, and 2 National
Championships, in
1992 and 1996.
Albies' dream of playing professional baseball is a common thread he shares with many of his Pioneers. In the mid-1950s the neighborhood surrounding 73rd Street in Glendale, Queens, was alive with the sounds of youngsters playing ball. "The area cultivated competition," says Albies. "I would leave the house at eight in the morning, go to the park, and play all day long-taking only a break for lunch-and return home around five for dinner."
Although his first love was baseball, Albies' prowess in basketball earned him a trip to college. After a successful scholastic career at Bishop Loughlin High School, it was time for Albies to take his game to the next level. College scouts from the Ivy League to major NCAA Division I programs were all interested in the fleet-footed guard from Queens. Albies decided instead to travel six blocks to Long Island University in Brooklyn, where he could play both baseball and basketball.
As a freshman, he did just that, but soon left the hoops to fully dedicate his time to the diamond. For Albies, college was a fallback position. More than anything, he wanted to become a professional baseball player. His father Joe shared his dream. "My dad was my biggest fan and my toughest critic," Albies says. "He would sit in left field and watch every game I played. Afterwards, he would evaluate my play and offer me advice, which was always constructive. But essentially, he taught me not to make excuses; if something was wrong, figure out how to fix it."
Albies' dedication to baseball paid off. He soon hit a personal best .410, earning both All-Met Conference and Honorable Mention All-American honors. The Milwaukee (now Atlanta) Braves selected him in the seventh round of the 1965 Major League draft. "I remember sitting in my kitchen with my father and the famous Braves scout Honey Russell (the legendary Seton Hall basketball coach and member of the national Basketball Hall of Fame)," recalls Albies. "My dad and I both agreed that it was time to sign and I did. I was just 19 years old." His father made sure that the Braves would pay for the remaining years of his son's college education. Albies continues to urge that his drafted players demand similar arrangements.
In 1965 the war in Vietnam was escalating as a young, nervous kid named Albies was beginning his professional baseball career in Yakima, Washington. He only hit .188. "It was a very frustrating time for me," Albies says. "I was sweating out the Vietnam draft by staying in school at LIU. I had to go to school the entire year or my name would be put into the draft. As a result, I missed spring training in each of my first three years with the Braves." He would join the team in mid-May, and after having the best year of his career in 1967 (he batted .268) was anxious for the start of the 1968 campaign.
It may have been 32 years ago, but Albies remembers it as if it were yesterday. He was 22 years old, six credits shy of a college degree, in shape, and ready to begin what he thought would be the breakthrough season of his professional baseball career. Then came the letter. A simple letter from the Braves informing him that the organization was no longer interested in his services. It was over, just like that...no trips to the big leagues, no National League pennants, no World Series...just over.
Albies spent the next two years playing semiprofessional baseball in Canada. Each fall, he would return to college; he graduated from Long Island University in 1968 with a bachelor of science degree. "Being released from the Braves woke me up to the value of an education," says Albies. "I knew that I wanted to teach and coach, and that by being a teacher I could do both."
In 1970 Albies went headfirst into his new career-he started teaching gym and fourth grade at P.S. 6 on East 81st Street in New York and began graduate school at Hunter College, where he earned a master of science degree. Life was changing for Albies. He married Andie, his college sweetheart, and bought a house in Hillsdale, New Jersey, where they still reside today with their two daughters, Erika and Ashlee.
Albies commuted to New York for his teaching job at Bishop Loughlin High School, while attending Fordham for a professional diploma in administration/ supervision. His free time was spent playing baseball with the Westwood Merchants of the semi-pro Metropolitan Baseball League in New Jersey. While in the Met League, he heard of a part-time head coach position at William Paterson College.
"The competition for the job was tough and it came down to me, and former Major Leaguers Jim Bouton and Curt Belfrey," recalls Albies. But he made the cut and was hell-bent on making it work. In just his first season, he led the 1975 Pioneers to a 13-8 record and a post-season trip to the Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament.
Albies continued to be a star in the Met League; he was twice named "Most Valuable Player" and was a four-time All-Star. He quickly realized that the league could be a great recruiting tool for William Paterson and the Pioneer team. "I knew that with the amount of talent in the area and my contacts, the Pioneers would be okay." One of the first players Albies recruited was Alan Anderson, who played right alongside Albies in the outfield on the Met League team. "During a game one day, I pulled him aside and asked what he thought about coming to William Paterson and getting a degree." Albies recalls. Anderson agreed and quickly became one of those players upon whom great teams are built.
Success, both on the playing
field and in the classroom, has always been stressed by Albies.
Under his tutelage, three Pioneers have been named Academic All-American
by the College Sports Information Directors of America. In 1981,
Anderson became the first to achieve the honor, followed six
years later by outfielder Tony Listro '87. In 1993, second baseman
Dan Bartolomeo '94 joined this exclusive group.
What makes Albies different from other college baseball coaches?
Former assistant coach Sean Rooney, now a scout for the Kansas
City Royals, says Albies brings something unique to the game.
"He treats people as human beings first, and baseball players
second," Rooney explains. "He is a better person than
a coach, which says a lot considering he is one of the finest
in the country."
Long-time Pioneer Assistant Coach Bob Lauterhahn says, "He makes the game fun. It's a learning experience for the student-athlete as well as for assistant coaches. Albies manages to guide a top-level program, while not allowing any of the pressures that come with success to creep in. As a result, former players always want to come back and be around him."
Lauterhahn, in his twenty-first season with the team, knows what he's talking about. He was a pitcher for the team in the early 1970s. Both his sons Michael and Danny grew up around Pioneer baseball. When it came time to choose a college, Danny was torn between Division I schools Fairleigh Dickinson and Seton Hall, and Division III William Paterson. His biggest concern was not whether or not he could play at the Division I level, but whether he was good enough to play for the Pioneers. That proved never to be an issue as he went on to earn All-America honors. When the Detroit Tigers drafted him in 1997, Danny became the twenty-sixth Pioneer to sign a professional contract.
The Lauterhahns provide just one example of the legacy Albies has created for Pioneer baseball. The thread that ties players from earlier days to those who currently take the field grows stronger and longer with each season. After the last out of his last game at Wightman Field, Albies will walk off the diamond secure in the fact that he has met if not exceeded the goals he set for Pioneer baseball in 1975. WP
