JOHN NIESZ Athlete, coach, leader, the schools superintendent uses his powers for good By Diana Schwaeble Photos by Victor M. Rodriguez
I
t would be hard to miss John Niesz. He’s a tall, strapping man, who doesn’t need the pigskin in his hand to convince me that he’s a former footballer. On a recent winter afternoon, Niesz agreed to meet me at Veterans Stadium while doing the workout of his choice. A lineman in college, Niesz thinks it will be a good idea to throw the ball to me. After some laughs and realizing that I am no match for his skills on the field, Niesz makes a quick call and gets a few of Bayonne High School’s best football players down to the field. Two seniors answer the call, Danny Mcauliffe and Amin Mimouali. Watching them play, I realize not only do the players know that this is a great thing to be doing in the middle of the day; they know who the superintendent is, and they genuinely like him.
Fortuitous Football Niesz says that the football team was the first team he met in August, when he was hired. He was walking his dog around
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the field as the team was practicing. He’s easygoing and affable, but more important to the team, he looks like he’s having just as much fun on the field as they are. Going to school events is a priority for Niesz. “I’ve been to plays, baking competitions, choir—all that stuff,” Niesz says. “Every kid is different, and every kid just wants to have fun and have a purpose, you know?” Hearing Niesz tell his own story is a little like watching a game highlight. You see the moments that changed the outcome, but not the nail-biting angst on the sidelines when the other team is ahead—those moments when it wasn’t clear if your team was going to win. He discloses almost as an aside that he was formerly a police officer and left because of an injury. It’s only later that he says his neck was broken after he was T-boned in a car crash while on duty. Most would tell that story with a moderate amount of drama. But Niesz doesn’t feel sorry for himself.
A Day in the Life Niesz has a lot in common with some of the students he mentors. While executing a few plays on the field, he was completely
focused on the moment. How many adults can manage that for even five minutes? “It’s really easy, have fun with what you do,” Niesz says. “I know that’s like a cliché. Dick Vitale says if you have energy, enthusiasm, and excitement—those three E’s—you’re going to be the happiest person in the world. It’s 100 percent true.” Niesz’s enthusiasm is palpable as he invokes the famed basketball sportscaster. Niesz’s day begins at 5 a.m. when he walks his dog. Then he returns to his home garage, which he’s converted into a gym. He works out on an Elliptical, rower, treadmill, and rack system—exercises required to maintain mobility of the spine. Before his injury, he was a competitive cyclist. He hasn’t been on a bike since 2001, because he can’t look over his right shoulder to see oncoming cars. He acknowledges that not cycling is the worst part of the injury but adds philosophically, “It is what it is.” After he left the Freehold Police Department, he worked for Homeland Security. Then he got his teacher’s certificate and began teaching law enforcement. Later, he went back to school for a certificate in administration.
