DUNMORE, Pa. — On Monday night, the respected head football coach of the Dunmore Bucks, Jack Henzes, passed away at the age of 87.
Some of his colleagues shared their remembrances of the coach with Newswatch 16.
His coaching career spanned more than five decades.
After being an assistant coach with the old Blakely Bears, coached by his father, Jack Henzes Sr., known as the "Papa Bear," Jack Henzes became the head coach at Wyoming Area in 1966. In his first game coaching the Warriors, Jack lost 27-13 to, of all teams, the Dunmore Bucks.
The following week, Wyoming Area won over GAR, and in four seasons under Henzes, the Warriors went 30-12.
In 1971, Jack Henzes became head coach of Dunmore. The Bucks won their opener against Tunkhannock and quickly began winning games and championships.
From 1973 to 1975, Dunmore won three straight Big 11 titles. During this period, Jack became a mentor to three players who later had long careers coaching in the NFL—Tony Marciano, Joe Marciano, and Vic Fangio.
Fangio, who became one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL with the 49ers and Bears, converted those Dunmore dreams into defensive nightmares.
"I was fortunate enough to play and coach a couple of years with Coach Henzes who, as we all know, the success that he has had. And while he has been able to do it for such a long time, and I think fundamentals are a big part of it. I still preach to the players, even at our level, that the technique is so important. The fundamentals are so important," Fangio said.
The 1980s were also good times for Henzes and the Bucks. The 1985 team led by twins Bobby and the late Billy Ruddy went 13-0 and won the Eastern Conference Class A title.
In 1989, Dunmore, led by future Notre Dame and Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Tim Ruddy, lost a muddy 6-0 struggle to Berwick on WNEP-TV.
But the Bucks bounced back to win their first state title, a 57-18 rout over Keystone in the Class A championship game.
In 1995, Coach Henzes collapsed on the sidelines of a game, but without their head coach, the Bucks beat Wyoming Area for another district title.
A new millennium meant new hurdles to clear. In 2000, Coach passed 251 wins, the plateau set by his revered father, Papa Bear.
"I am very happy. I think that my dad is looking down, looking and saying some nice things. And our kids played very well tonight, and I can't ask for anything more. We had a terrific game," Coach Henzes said after the win.
In 2007, 2012, and 2014, Dunmore made it to the state championship, only to finish second in the state.
In 2015, it was 400 career wins.
In 2016, Jack Henzes Jr. became a head coach for over 50 seasons.
As the signs say in Dunmore, it's God, family, and football. Coach Henzes wouldn't have it any other way.