New Harrison head football coach Rich Glover Jr. (c.) leads his new team through a blocking drill during a workout last
week.
HARRISON –
Rich Glover Jr. is too young to remember the incredible athletic exploits of his legendary father. At age 32, the younger Glover can only read about his father, the College Football Hall of Famer, the 1972 Outland Trophy winner as the nation’s top lineman out of the University of Nebraska, the former New York Giant, the former high school football coach.
But there’s no question that Rich Glover Sr. blazed the trail for his son to get involved in the game of football.
“He definitely inspired me, that’s for sure,” Rich Glover Jr. said.
In fact, the elder Glover was the defensive line coach at New Mexico State when the time came for Rich Glover Jr. to play college football. The younger Glover had a fine career as a linebacker at New Mexico State, eventually signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent in 2005.
Glover Jr. was released right before the Bucs broke training camp. He had a handful of workouts for other NFL teams.
“But nothing worked out,” Glover Jr. said.
Glover Jr. moved to Las Vegas and worked in the hospitality business for four years.
“I started traveling,” Glover Jr. said. “I went abroad. I enjoyed life for a while.”
But when the elder Glover went back to his hometown roots of Jersey City to become the head football coach at Dickinson High School, the younger Glover decided it was time to explore a life in coaching.
“That’s when the bug bit me,” Rich Glover Jr. said.
Father and son spent three years together at Dickinson, then two years at Ferris.
During that time, the Glovers developed a relationship with Pete Carroll, the Super Bowlwinning coach of the Seattle Seahawks, who was then at the University of Southern California.
“Dad and I flew out to USC and clicked with the USC staff,” Glover Jr. said. “I got to shadow Ken Norton Jr. and worked with their linebackers. I sat down with Pete Carroll and just talked football. He would tell us about his coaching style and philosophy.”
Glover Jr. was so impressed with Carroll that he volunteered as an assistant coach as a graduate assistant.
“It made me a better coach,” Glover Jr. said.
From there, Glover Jr. moved to Iowa and became the defensive line coach at Iowa Western, a strong junior college program.
Last year, Glover Jr. was a volunteer assistant coach at Union City High School.
At that time, he heard from a handful of people about the opening at Harrison High. Matt Gallo, who ran the program for the past two seasons, had moved on to become the head coach at St. Anthony in Jersey City.
“I knew the school was looking for a head coach,” Glover Jr. said. “I reached out to (athletic director) Kim (McDonough Huaranga) and she gave me the opportunity to apply.”
With that, the journey to become a head coach was complete. Glover Jr. has taken over the head coaching reins at Harrison.
College Football Hall of Famer and former Outland Trophy winner Rich Glover Sr. (c.) will serve as an assistant coach this season at Harrison, with his son as the new head coach.
“The facility is great, but that wasn’t really the selling point,” Glover Jr. said. “I have such a competitive spirit and I always liked being the underdog. I know that the program has had its struggles. But if I can prove myself and win here, that would be perfect. The kids really want to win, so that went hand-in-hand.”
The Blue Tide won just two games last year and two the year before.
In fact, Harrison has won just 21 games and lost 87 over the last 11 years, going back to their last .500 season (5-5) in 2003. They haven’t won more than three games in a season over the last seven years. It’s a major challenge indeed.
So to tackle the challenge at Harrison, Glover Jr. has gone to a reliable source – his father. The elder Glover will serve as an assistant coach and is already working with the prospective linemen.
“The kids didn’t know who he was,” Glover Jr. said of his famous father. “I told them to look him up, so they went and Googled him. They came back, saying they saw a lot. It’s a great feeling to be with him again. He’s my best friend. I get the best from him. He’s a positive role model to a lot of these kids.”
It’s not every day that a member of the College Football Hall of Fame joins the Harrison coaching staff.
“He brings a lot to the table,” Glover Jr. said. “I’m very excited to have him with me.”
The younger Glover is ready to take on the world, as long as the players keep coming to summer drills and workouts.
“The kids are working hard,” Glover Jr. “You can’t deny it. They’re working hard in the weight room, on the field, everything. The one thing I like about these kids is that they have bought into the change and have accepted it all. They’re lifting and learning. The motto I try to tell them is to just try to do things better than they have ever done them before. That’s all I ask. The kids believe it.”
So the Glovers – father and son – will man the Harrison sideline this fall.
“It’s a great feeling for me to be back in New Jersey as a head coach,” Glover Jr. said. “It’s great to be with my Dad. We’re taking on the challenge of turning this program around, just like he was asked (to do) at Dickinson and Ferris. Having him here with me makes the challenge a little easier. I’m very excited. I can’t wait until the season starts. It’s going to be a challenge, but it’s a challenge I’m going to tackle fully.”
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Jim Hague | Observer Sports Writer
Sports Writer Jim Hague was with The Observer for 20+ years — and his name is one of the most recognizable in all of sports journalism. The St. Peter’s Prep and Marquette alum kicked off his journalism career post Marquette at the Daily Record, where he remained until 1985. Following shorts stints at two other newspapers, in September 1986, he joined the now-closed Hudson Dispatch, where he remained until 1991, when its doors were finally shut.
It was during his tenure at The Dispatch that Hague’s name and reputation as one of country’s hardest-working sports reporters grew. He won several New Jersey Press Association and North Jersey Press Club Awards in that timeframe.
In 1991, he became a columnist for The Hudson Reporter chain of newspapers — and he remains with them to this day.
In addition to his work at The Observer and The Hudson Reporter, Hague is also an Associated Press stringer, where he covers Seton Hall University men’s basketball, New York Red Bulls soccer and occasionally, New Jersey Devils hockey.
He’s also doing work at The Morristown Daily Record, the very newspaper where his journalism career began.
During his career, he also worked for Dorf Feature Services, which provided material for the Star-Ledger. While there, he covered the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets.
Hague is also known for his announcing work — and he’s done PA work for Rutgers Newark and NJIT.
Hague is the author of the book “Braddock: The Rise of the Cinderella Man.”