Jack Curran, 82, Led Stanners For 55 Years
“Legendary” was a word often used by athletes, alumni, educators and elected officials in describing the life of Jack Curran—the longtime head coach of Archbishop Molloy High School’s basketball and baseball programs who made a commitment to “Stanner” success that spanned five decades— following his death last Thursday morning, Mar. 14, at the age of 82.
Curran had been with Molloy since 1958, one year after the high school operated by the Marist brothers and previously known as St. Ann’s Academy relocated across the East River from Manhattan to Briarwood. Curran became the winningest coach in the history of New York State high school athletics, with his teams consistently competing for league titles.
Over his 55-year career, Curran’s Stanners (the team name reflecting the school’s original title) won 972 varsity basketball games, 1,708 varsity baseball games, five CHSAA city basketball championships and 17 CHSAA city baseball championships. He won a combined 47 CHSAACoach of theYear awards— 25 for baseball, 22 for basketball— and achieved the honors for both sports in the same year on two occa- sions (1988 and 1990).
The Stanners won CHSAA city titles for basketball and baseball in the same year four times under Curran— 1969, 1973, 1974 and 1987. It was a feat which, as noted in a Molloy press release, “no other coach had ever accomplished.”
As Lou Carnesecca—the former St. John’s University men’s basketball coach whom Curran succeeded at Molloy—told The New York Times in 2008, Curran “won everything except World War III,” adding that “No one in the country has Jack’s record in both sports—no one.”
Many of the players mentored by Curran went on to some of the top college programs in the country, with a few of them reaching the professional ranks later in their careers. They include former New Jersey Net Kenny Anderson, former Houston Rocket Kenny Smith, current Indiana Pacer Sundiata Gaines and current New York Met Mike Baxter.
Some of the country’s most elite colleges even tried to recruit Curran to coach their clubs, but the Bronx native turned down every offer to remain at Molloy.
Just as Carnesecca, Dean Smith and John Wooden became synonymous with St. John’s, North Carolina and UCLA, respectively, Curran became known to sports fans in New York City as Molloy’s ambassador. Some of the school’s graduates—including those who didn’t play for him—said Curran was as much a part of the school as its blue and white colors and its motto, Non scholae, sed vitae (Not for school, but for life).
‘It was always about the kids’
In many respects, some observers would say, Curran was the embodiment of the school motto through the loyalty he demonstrated to both the institution and his players over the years. As a result, Molloy President Richard Karsten said in a press release, Curran built “a legacy that transcends any traditional notion of coaching high school athletics.”
“To him, it was always about the kids,” Karsten said. “They were the reason for his success. His passing will not only be felt by today’s students, faculty and staff, but generations going back over 50 years.”
“Coach taught us all how we should act on and off the court or field,” added Molloy Athletic Director Mike McCleary. “Not being around such a great man is going to be difficult for all of us.”
Even a Molloy graduate who didn’t get a chance to play for Curran more than likely crossed paths with him at some point in their four-year tenure, as Curran also served as a physical education teacher.
Along with scores of police officers, firefighters, doctors, lawyers, teachers, actors, scientists, journalists and other professionals, a number of notable alumni attended Molloy during the Curran era, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, State Sen. Joseph Addabbo, actor David Caruso and astronaut Charles Camarda.
The Curran era also witnessed the transformation of Molloy in 2000 from an all-boys school to a co-ed institution.
Cuomo said in a statement issued last Friday, Mar. 15, that Curran “molded young minds and great athletes” and was “a New Yorker through and through.”
“He was the basketball and baseball coach during my years at Archbishop Molloy and was known for not only caring about the students’ athletic ability, but their academic, family and personal lives as well,” the governor added.
Kelly and Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued a joint statement last Thursday calling Curran “an institution in the world of New York City sports.”
“While Jack was known for basketball and baseball victories at Archbishop Molloy, his even more impressive achievement was helping to shape the lives of thousands of students he taught over the past 55 years,” they stated.
Addabbo, in his own statement, remarked that Curran was “larger than the school where he coached and guided students for over a half-century.”
“He made an everlasting impression not merely on the athletes of Molloy, but on every student, past and present, who has walked through its doors,” the state senator added. “Jack’s dedication, commitment and drive not only made him the winningest coach in New York State and legendary at Molloy, but also a life example of successful perseverance and determination.”
Becoming a Stanner
Curran was born in the Bronx and grew up in the Kingsbridge section. After graduating from All Hallows High School in 1948, he attended St. John’s University and became a star baseball player. In his senior year, he was named the captain of the St. John’s baseball team.
Following graduation, he pursued a major league career as a pitcher, playing for the farm systems of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies. A back injury, however, ended his pitching career, and by 1958, he was working as a salesman of building materials.
That year, Carnesecca resigned as Molloy’s baseball and basketball coach to join St. John’s basketball program. He would go on to lead the Redmen (later renamed Red Storm) to 526 wins over 24 seasons, including a Final Four appearance in 1985.
Curran was hired as Carnesecca’s replacement in 1958, and began what would become one of the longest and most successful scholastic coaching runs in American history.
On top of the city CHSAA championships his Stanners earned, Curran led Molloy’s varsity basketball program to 21 Queens divisional titles and 14 Brooklyn-Queens divisional titles; they also appeared in, and won a host of invitational tournaments across the country. The baseball team won 24 Queens divisional and fall titles; they made 28 appearances in the CHSAA championship game in Curran’s 55 years as its manager.
In 1970, Molloy baseball enjoyed a perfect season under Curran, winning all 36 of its games. At one point, Stanners varsity baseball achieved the feat of winning 68 consecutive league games, a then-national record.
Curran’s success at Molloy garnered the attention of many collegiate programs over the years. Boston College tried to hire Curran as its basketball coach in 1969, and while he went to Massachusetts for an interview, he opted instead to remain at Molloy.
A few years later, the University of Texas also tried to lure Curran away from Molloy, but the coach also declined that offer.
As the years went by, the victories piled up and the high school’s trophy cases filled—yet Curran remained loyal to Molloy, and that loyalty was reciprocated by its students, faculty, administration and alumni.
Legacy ‘forever’ a part of Molloy
The coach would receive a host of accolades from his peers in high school athletics and other organizations. He was inducted into the Halls of Fame for National High Schools, St. John’s University, New York State Basketball, CHSAA, Westchester County Sports, All Hallows High School, Basketball Old-Timers of America, New York City Basketball and—naturally—Molloy.
The high school renamed the gym in Curran’s honor in 2000, and repeated the ceremony eight years later when the coach marked his 50th anniversary with Molloy.
Joseph Sommo, Molloy’s communications director, told the Times Newsweekly that the high school had planned to hold a third ceremony honoring Curran’s 55th anniversary earlier this year, but it was cancelled due to a snowstorm.
Well into his 80s, Curran had reportedly been battling lung cancer and kidney ailments. He took a fall in mid-February while on his way to church near his home in Rye and broke his kneecap, Sommo stated.
The coach had been in rehabilitation and recovering, and Sommo noted the Molloy faculty, staff and student body had expected Curran to return to the sidelines within weeks (McCleary coached the basketball team in his absence).
Word of Curran’s death last Thursday stunned everyone at Molloy. Brother Thomas Schady, Molloy’s principal, broke the news to current Molloy students, remarking that “Coach Curran has been a loyal, prominent member of the Molloy family, and though he will be missed, [his] legacy and his spirit will continue to nurture the Molloy community and to be a living part of us forever.”
Paying tribute
Curran is survived by his nieces Maria and Donna, nephews Gerard Jr., Andrew, Matthew and Thomas Jr., great nieces Geralyn and Mary Paula and great nephews Cole, Ian, Vaughn and Tommy Jr.
A wake for Curran was held on Tuesday, Mar. 19, at Graham Funeral Home in Rye, and a Mass of Christian Burial was offered the following day, Wednesday, Mar. 20, at the Church of the Resurrection in Rye.
Archbishop Molloy High School was closed on Wednesday “out of respect for the memory of Curran,” as noted on its website.
Molloy will once again rededicate the Jack Curran Gymnasium with a special Players Day ceremony scheduled to take place, rain or shine, on Saturday, Apr. 27, from 11:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. at the high school located at 83-53 Manton St. in Briarwood.
The event will begin at around noon with a special tailgating event at Stanner Field, with guests watching Molloy’s varsity baseball team take on Chaminade High School. Following the game, the guests will be invited into the Curran Gym for the rededication ceremony. There is no registration fee for this event.
For more information, contact Sommo at jsommo@molloyhs.org; to RSVP, visit www.molloyhs.org.
Editor’s note: Biographical information on Curran was provided by Archbishop Molloy High School.
