Hall of Fame Laurels McCaffery After Championship Season

Serious about the game he loves, but humble about his success.

That sums up Cranford High School baseball coach Dennis McCaffery, who has continued to build on the CHS diamond tradition while reaching  unprecedented heights.

2010 marked his fifteenth year at the helm of this storied program, and it couldn't have been a more satisfying season – the Cougars finishing the campaign with the conference, county and North Jersey titles, while adding the state sectional crown and the Group 3 state championship as well. McCaffery has led Cranford to five Union County crowns and has averaged 20 wins per season since he took the helm in 1999.

"The expectation is that we hope to win five championships every year – the conference, county, section, the North Jersey championship and the state championship. It was the first time in all of Cranford baseball history that a team won all five. In that regard, it's obviously special, it's obviously a tremendously successful season. And that is what I say to the kids every February at the meeting. Anything that falls short of that, we would be surprised. But this year was the first time we accomplished all five," he said.

It was a journey that began on the clay fields of the tiny Union County town of Roselle Park, and continues with a resume full of championships.

"I've played baseball since I was three or four years old," McCaffery added. "I was told by somebody in the state, I'm the first person to win the state championship as a player, win it as an assistant and win it as a head coach. It's pretty fortunate, pretty lucky."

McCaffery, who honed his skills on the little league fields  and later graduated in 1987 from Roselle Park High School, went on to become a star performer at Villanova University, where he was named the Big East Player of the Year in 1990.

While Villanova was a great academic school, McCaffery noted that great baseball players emerged from the institution as well, and the school was ranked in the top 20 national college teams, and three players reached major league heights after graduating.

"When I was playing college, I was pretty demanding of myself. I don't think anything I ask of the players, I didn't expect of myself as a player and I hold myself to high standards as a coach too," he explained.

McCaffery played professionally at the minor league level for three years, signing on with the California Angels in 1991 as an outfielder. His first stint was in the Arizona Rookie League, where he totaled an impressive 71 hits and 37 RBI in 54 games while batting .323. Defensively, he never made an error.

"What I always try and tell the kids -- and I can say it about myself – is that I gave it everything I had. I didn't fall short," he said.

McCaffery decided to bring his passion for the game and attention to detail to the high school level, and his new role as an assistant coach. He joined the CHS coaching staff to learn the ropes alongside the successful Jamie Shriner, and he watched how a team was developed as the Cougars won the state championship in 1997.

McCaffrey noted that he was flattered to be working alongside Shriner, who has the highest winning percentage of any high school coach in the state. He added that Shriner was his role model while growing up.

"He was a guy that was two years older than me, who I watched as a high school athlete. The guy rushed for a thousand yards, led the state in hitting, and he took third in wrestling in one year. That's what I watched as a freshman in high school," he said. Later on, he said Shriner became one of his best friends.

"When I became a sophomore and he was a senior, he totally took me under his wing. He would throw batting practice to me anytime," he said.

When it was McCaffery's turn to take the helm, he knew he had to build on the foundation already established over the years. Leading the team into battle, McCaffrey said the Cougars garnered a record of 28-3 that first year. 

With the kind of resume McCaffery has amassed over the years, it's no wonder he was recently inducted into both the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Hall of Fame and The Roselle Park High School Hall of Fame.

"The Roselle Park Hall of Fame is a dream come true," said McCaffery. "My whole goal as a young kid was to play varsity sports for Roselle Park. It was a wonderful town to grow up in and be a part of, and to be inducted into their Hall of Fame was surreal."

Recently, McCaffery organized a celebrating the championship teams over the past 15 years. The event drew several hundred people – parents, players, friends and fans – who came from all over to share in the memories. During the celebration, McCaffrey greeted various alumni.

"We have a statement in our program called the alumni clause – where an alumni can come back and they have total treatment. Any alumni that comes back is always introduced to the team. We've had former players come back and work out with the kids. We try and get it that the kids can understand that the prior success has created that level of expectation."

Meanwhile, there's already plenty of buzz regarding next season -- and while the Cougars will lose a number of key starters due to graduation, there's a good young nucleus who will be looking to build on the programs' impressive legacy.

"I tell the kids, don't worry about next year. If you're playing a fall sport, focus on that. Whatever sport you're going to playing in, compete – put yourself in the best position to win. Don't worry about baseball. Work hard at what you're doing and take it one sport at a time. Take care of the moment."

And that is something Dennis McCaffery has always done.