Van Etten remembered as great coach and friend
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
As a football coach, the late Jack Van Etten was called "a coach's coach" by Brick Township's Warren Wolf.

Coming from the winningest football coach in New Jersey, it doesn't get any better than that.

But, the highest praise for Van Etten, who died on Aug. 11 at the age of 87, came from his close friend, Lou Fontanez, who was coached by Van Etten at Freehold Borough High School.

"I had no intention to go to college," said Fontanez. "He [Van Etten] preached it [college]. If not for him, neither me nor my brothers would have had college educations."

Fontanez, who would get his bachelor of arts degree from Indiana University and his masters degree at Rutgers, pointed out that he was just one of hundreds of young scholastic students whose lives were made better because of Van Etten.

"He was such a positive, good person," said Fontanez. "He was great at instilling self-confidence."

Van Etten, a 1939 graduate of Lakewood High School, enlisted in the U.S. Navy out of high school. He was a decorated World War II veteran having served in both the European and Japanese theaters (he would later serve in Korea). After his naval career, he attended Monmouth College and Rutgers University, earning his bachelor of science degree in education from Rutgers.

Van Etten began his coaching career at Freehold Borough High School, where he coached football, wrestling and track and field. He was Freehold's first wrestling coach and had the distinction of coaching state champion Carlos Fontanez (Lou's brother).

He was an assistant football coach under Hal Schank from 1955-1963, when the Colonials won Shore Conference titles. When then Southern Freehold Regional High School (now Howell) opened its doors, Van Etten was appointed the school's first football coach. He led the Rebels to a Shore Conference Division title that first year.

Van Etten retired from teaching in 1980, having taught at Freehold Borough, Howell and Marlboro.

In retirement, Van Etten kept busy. He was Lou Fontanez's assistant wrestling coach at Marlboro and had assistant stints on the gridiron including Marlboro in 1994, the magic year in which the Mustangs galloped to the state sectional championships.

Championships, in fact, seemed to follow Van Etten. Besides his title at the three Freehold Regional District schools, he was on the staff of teams at Lakewood (1986 state sectional champions) and Toms River East 1985 SC division winners) when they won titles.

Van Etten was a line coach for the 1994 Marlboro team, the only Freehold District team to win a state title (Central Jersey Group IV) since the start of playoffs. Who else other than Van Etten could be linked to championships 30 years apart?

Larry Zdilla, the head coach of that 1994 Marlboro team, recalled Van Etten, as someone, who despite being retired from teaching, was still able to relate to his players.

"He was really good with kids," he said. "He had a great personality. He always had good insight into things and a great sense of humor.

"He'll be missed," he added. "He was a unique individual to put that much time into coaching."

Van Etten, who retired from coaching in 1996, was inducted into the Shore Conference and NJSIAA Region VI Wrestling Hall of Fames.