EB will take time-out to honor retired coach
BY BRIAN DONAHUE Staff Writer

EAST BRUNSWICK - It's only appropriate that tomorrow the community will say thanks to a man who has given so much to the school district during, and after, his 35-year career at East Brunswick High School *(EBHS).

William Dudley Tighe, who coached boys track and taught physical education at EBHS from the day it opened in 1958 until his retirement in 1994, will be honored during halftime of the Thanksgiving football game, when officials will dedicate the track in his name.

The ceremony will take place around 12:30 p.m., after the first half of East Brunswick's homecoming game against Old Bridge. He will also be present for the alumni reception from 9-10:45 a.m. The game begins at 11 a.m.

"Not only was Dudley truly a great teacher and a great coach, instructing thousands of students in the necessary physical skills, but he helped to make each one of them a better human being and a positive member of the community," Superintendent of Schools Jo Ann Magistro said at the Board of Education's Nov. 1 meeting, when the board recognized Tighe with a resolution of dedication. "We are honored by his ongoing presence on the track, where he continues to encourage our young athletes to be the best that they can be."

William Dudley Tighe (right) at work in his office at the newly built East Brunswick High School in 1959. Tighe retired in 1994 but has continued to support the school's track program over the years.

With Tighe as track and field coach, the EBHS teams compiled an unrivaled record of 238 wins and 52 losses, and he also had a hand in the development of seven individual state champions.

"I feel very proud," said Tighe, who lives in South River. "But if not for the other coaches in the program, and the talented athletes we had, they wouldn't be naming anything after me."

Tighe, who grew up in Millburn, Essex County, chose his career path after taking a Kuder preference test as a sophomore in high school. His answers to the questions indicated that he should become a teacher, according to the test. He studied physical education at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, and went to work at the soon-to-open East Brunswick High School along with two of his fraternity brothers.

He recalled the early days at the high school as a very different place.

"It was such a small school. We started out as a Group II school and ended up as a Group IV school, one of the biggest in the state," he said.

Tighe, who served as assistant basketball coach, recalled that the gymnasium wasn't finished when the school opened in September 1958, so the team had to practice at the Memorial and Irwin elementary schools.

Over the years, Tighe's commitment went beyond his responsibilities as coach and teacher.

In the mid 1980s, the original cinder track was replaced with an all-weather surface that, due to poor drainage on the football field, would bubble and crack on the surface. Tighe made repairing it his business.

"Dudley was not only a teacher and coach who made a difference in the lives of thousands of students and athletes, but a man who worked behind the scenes after practice - grating the cinder track, planting the evergreen trees you now see around the field, repairing hurdles and other athletic equipment, and always giving advice, encouragement and praise to those around him," recalled Jack Brophy, former EBHS physical education teacher and a longtime friend of Tighe's.

Tighe said he just felt responsible to do such things.

"I knew the grounds crew and maintenance workers, and I knew they had a full plate," he said, noting that the crew also did its share of work on the track. "Equipment is my thing, even with physical education, if they needed something repaired, I'd do it."

East Brunswick Athletics Supervisor Frank Noppenberger said the success of the track program is a direct result of Tighe's work, and added that the coach is still having an effect more than a decade after his retirement.

"Mr. Tighe was and continues to be an ideal role model for our young athletes and coaches," Noppenberger said. "His influence has guided many student-athletes into the coaching-teaching profession. On the personal level he has been a major positive influence on my career, and to this day he remains a tremendous resource of ideas. Naming the track after Dud Tighe is most appropriate."

Tighe said it has been worthwhile just to see the athletes succeed through the years, and noted how much he enjoyed his job. But he is thrilled with the recognition - and surprised.

"Track is very low key," he said. "If you get 10 to 15 people out to watch a meet, that's a lot. You work hard coaching and teaching, you see the athletes improve and it gives you great joy, a great sense of accomplishment.

"But it's obviously a very fantastic honor," he added. "And it's a fantastic honor especially since I'm alive to enjoy it."