Jack Kaley believes his first game and first team as NYIT coach set the tone for the rest of his 17 years.
His Division II men’s lacrosse team opened up against a Division I opponent and trailed 9-1 at halftime, with their starting goalie benched for the first half for missing practice and one of his 15 players injured. Kaley persuaded one of two backup keepers to play midfield and with the starter back in net NYIT rallied to win 12-11.
“It was the most remarkable comeback I’ve ever seen,” he said.
NYIT, which has campuses locally in Columbus Circle and Old Westbury, finished 8-3 that season with a team of what Kaley called renegades. The next year the Bears, who practice on open fields like the Indians according to Kaley, lost in the NCAA national championship game as the No. 1 team in the country.
It was the start of an amazing run from 1993 to 2009. He restarted the program after it was disbanded in the early 1970s, amassed a record of 185-33, the highest winning percentage ever at the Division I or II level and led the Bears to four national championships. NYIT finished ranked in the top five in the country all 17 years.
“It looked like the cards were stacked against us, but I was able to get kids who were good, lacrosse players who were overlooked by other programs,” Kaley said.
Kaley’s distinguished career earned him induction into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame on Oct. 30. Before coaching at NYIT, he had stints at Lynbrook and East Meadow high schools, at the club level, as an assistant at St. John’s from 1986-92 and he is in his ninth year as coach of Team Germany at the international level. Kaley said he never thought about the Hall of Fame until some of his ex-players began to bring it up. During his time at NYIT he was a part-time employee and also taught in the East Meadow public schools.
“When it finally happened it was a great surprise and a great honor,” he said. “It really brought my career to a happy conclusion.”
Kaley noted he had an advantage being on Long Island, a lacrosse hot bed. He had coached there at the youth level, had contacts and never had to leave for recruiting. Kaley considered himself a salesman, selling the game that he loved. A job he did all too well.
“I was able to sell kids, don’t come here for facilities, don’t come here because of the college social life, come here for two reasons,” Kaley said. “Number one, you’re going to get a quality education that’s affordable and number two, you’re going to have on opportunity to play in the national championship game.”
And to play for him.