Rigorous offseason training plans lead to New Jersey high school football coach getting fired

Jim Cleary, the football coach at Park Ridge High School in New Jersey, was recently dismissed following a disagreement with school administrators over his offseason training program.

Cleary, who had served as the high school’s defensive coordinator before taking over as head coach, led the team to a respectable 4-4-1 record in the 2024 season.

The decision to terminate Cleary’s position came after a meeting where the school administration expressed concerns about his expectations for offseason workouts. His proposed plan, which centered on weightlifting, was aimed at players not participating in winter sports.

Cleary was taken aback by the outcome.

“I was in utter shock,” Cleary told NJ Advance Media. “I mean I don’t believe anything I did was a fireable offense. I was just asking, we had a disagreement on the level of commitment from the players who are not involved in a winter sport.”

During the meeting, administrators revealed that some parents had criticized Cleary for being unapproachable, a claim he said he had never heard before.

Cleary clarified his approach, stating:

“We were discussing offseason weightlifting programs, and I laid out in the interview process that I expect all the boys who are not doing a winter sport to work out,” Cleary said.

“We put together a weightlifting program for them. I’m working with a strength and conditioning coach, and pretty much the administration said that they did not want me to be pressuring the boys to work out. If they didn’t want to work out they didn’t have to."

Park Ridge High School has a strong football tradition, including a sectional championship in 2019 and three appearances in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference championship game.

Fired Park Ridge High School football coach defends his actions

Cleary expressed disappointment over his removal as Park Ridge’s football coach after just one season. He said that he was willing to engage with parents but wasn’t afforded the chance.

"I disagreed with it. And I was called into a meeting and was told my expectations were too much for a small Group 1 school. That I would be a better fit at a Group 4 or a parochial (school), and they didn’t want to make that commitment.”

Park Ridge High School athletic director Chris Brown declined to comment on the matter. Superintendent Robert Gamper did not respond to a request for comment.

This was Cleary’s first role as a head coach, though his coaching experience spans over 30 years in North Jersey. He emphasized that the offseason workout program he implemented adhered to established guidelines.

“I’m extremely disappointed that I’m no longer the head football coach at Park Ridge. I loved the kids. I loved the town. I thought we were building something really, really good there. I put together one of the best staffs in Bergen County."

Among his staff were Hall of Fame coach Craig Nielsen, former Pascack Hills head coach Brooks Alexander and longtime assistant coach Brian Doyle.

The 2024 Park Ridge Owls football team finished with a 4-4-1 record, including a 3-1-1 league performance in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference. Notable victories included 34-0 wins against Wallington and Bogota.