Zimmerman To Stay As New Castle Rec Football Coach

Pete Zimmerman, a longtime resident, owner of EZ Sports in Chappaqua and recreation football coach for children in New Castle for 18 consecutive years (about 25, including non-consecutive periods in the early 1970s and 1980s) will stay on as a coach again, New Castle's commission for the Recreation and Parks Department decided Tuesday at a special meeting.

"I'm glad I'm back, you know, coaching my kids," Zimmerman said.

Robert Snyder of the department, confirmed that Zimmerman was coming back to coach.

"He will be allowed to continue to coach in the program."

Zimmerman, however, will not act as the program's coordinator, which he did in addition to coaching. While he was happy that he will be coaching, he said he wasn't happy that he would not be running the program.

The commission had previously considered replacing Zimmerman, and announced at a March 23 New Castle Town Board meeting that it was in the process of interviewing people for heading the program, NewCastleNOW.org reported.

The local news Web site reported that an incident last fall that played a role in the March consideration - which Zimmerman acknowledged in an interview - where he got into an on-field argument with Aaron Podhurst, a supervisor for the recreation department whose job included getting referees for games. Referees were at first missing, which frustrated Zimmerman, and arrived an hour late, the site reported.

Zimmerman explained that he "paid a penalty," which included apologizing to kids and parents, as well as serving a one-game suspension. 

The possibility that Zimmerman would be replaced sparked a wave of support for retaining him in the program. Among the people backing him were Chappaqua Fire Chief Russell Maitland - who Zimmerman said played lacrosse for him in the early 1980s when he coached at the JV level at Horace Greeley High School - and Burke St. John, who helped run the program with Zimmerman for a number of years. Another prominent community member, Erik Nicolaysen, weighed in with support for Zimmerman.

Zimmerman also has a Facebook group in his favor, called "KEEP PETE As Rec Football Coach." It is run by a Greeley student named Jamie Nottingham, who also played on the program. The program includes 4th, 5th and 6th graders, Zimmerman said.