A Tribute to 'The Man who Bled Green and Gold'
Honoring the late Frank Salvano Sr. (1950-2024), a man dedicated to bettering the lives of others.
Exactly two months to date, on the morning of Sept. 23, the New Jersey baseball world received crushing news- legendary Coach Frank Salvano Sr. passed away at 73 years old.
Salvano was the all-time winningest coach in NJ high school baseball history with an impressive 630 career wins. He was the longest tenured coach in Green Knights history, and his decorated 28-year-career lasted from 1988-2015.
Salvano left behind a legacy that consisted of three NJ state championships, six sectional titles and almost a dozen Bergen County tournament victories.
He cultivated hundreds of talented young ballplayers and prepared them for collegiate, and even professional success. Some of the most notable names being; MLB veteran utility-man Tommy LaStella, former Cardinals’ flamethrower Rob Kaminsky and Tigers’ rookie sensation Justyn Henry-Malloy.
Salvano’s reputation spoke for itself. He earned the respect of coaches, players and even umpires throughout the decades he spent coaching the Green Knights.
It speaks volumes that many of Salvano’s closest friends during his career were his competitors.
One of the men who befriended Salvano over the years is Mike Rooney, head baseball coach at Don Bosco Preparatory high school. Rooney’s Ironmen frequently matched up against Salvano’s Green Knights for almost a decade. Historically (especially from the years 2010-2015), Don Bosco dominated the matchup. However, no matter the final score, it was a 100% guarantee that Rooney and Salvano would meet behind the plate immediately after the final out was recorded- a sign of mutual respect.
Another person who became close to Salvano over the years is NJ Veteran Umpire, Edward “Eddie” Ahearn.
Ahearn worked a respectable amount of Coach Salvano’s games; including notable competitions in both the Bergen County and New Jersey state tournaments. He was also a good friend of Frank’s off-the-diamond, and knew him very well on a personal level.
“I’ve never seen a coach that genuinely loved every player he coached as if they were one of his own kids, and that feeling was mutual,” Ahearn said. “Coach Salvano was much more than just a baseball coach to the young men at St. Joes. He was a mentor that shaped them as much off the field as he did on the field.”
“Bergen County high school baseball lost an absolutely iconic LEGEND today.”
An iconic legend.
That’s the only pair of words that truly represent how much Coach Salvano meant to the entire NJ baseball community.
He took pride in using his profession to mentor his players into becoming not only excellent players, but more importantly excellent young men.
Everyone close to Salvano also knew him as a family man.
“Nothing meant more to Coach than his son Frankie and three grandchildren,” Ahearn said. “Every time I would see Coach he would always brag about what a great Coach Frankie was becoming and all the success his grandchildren were having in sports!"
“Frankie” is the nickname Ahearn was using to refer to Salvano’s son, Frank Salvano Jr.
Salvano Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps, and took up baseball as a passion at a very young age. Salvano Jr. won a sectional title in 1999 under his dad at St. Josephs, and he currently coaches at Dwight-Englewood high school in New Jersey.
As a head coach, Frankie continuously relied on his father’s guidance.
Since Salvano Sr. couldn’t completely keep his nose out of baseball even after retiring, he worked alongside his son as a temporary assistant for Dwight Englewood in 2016.
“I get the same butterflies that I used to get during games, but now it’s not for me and my team, it’s for my son and his team,” Salvano Sr. told The Record in 2017.
Coaching alongside his son was a full-circle moment for the entire Salvano family. The pair essentially switched rolls, letting Salvano Sr. take a back seat away from the pressure of making decisions, and giving him an opportunity to admire his son’s craft.
However, as Salvano Jr. claims, his father also wanted to “enjoy retirement” which he achieved by “watching his grandkids’ games.” So he stepped away from Dwight Englewood shortly after.
Salvano Jr. claimed that his dad’s character is one of the most lasting aspects of his legacy.
“His passion for New Jersey baseball was second to none. His love for his players lasted until today,” Salvano Jr. said. “Players from 30 years ago have been reaching out and visiting [...] I think that describes him best.”
After Salvano stepped down in 2015, he was replaced by coach Mark Cieslak, who still serves as the head baseball coach at St. Joes.
Cieslak gave a few remarks on behalf of the entire St. Joe's community to honor his late friend and mentor.
“You had to play for him or work with him to understand,” Cieslak said. “He was everything to this program and he’ll truly be missed.”
Two months is hardly enough time for the community to process, let alone accept the fact that Salvano is no longer with us.
Instead, maybe it’s easier to embrace the ways he still is.
Hundreds of Salvano’s former players are still out in the baseball world competing, relying on the principles he taught them at St. Joes.
Frankie Jr. and all of Salvano’s three grandchildren get to more forward knowing they carry the legacy of one of the most influential, generous, hardworking and loving people, that so many members of the NJ baseball world were fortunate enough to have befriended.
A coach. A father. A grandfather. A mentor.
A Legend.
It may be two months since he passed away, but Coach Salvano never actually left. He’s still here in the hearts of every single person who had the privilege of knowing him- and even those who didn’t.
It’s only fitting that Coach Salvano gets the last word.
“I want to thank all my family, friends and ex players and students,” Salvano said after receiving his induction to the St. Joes Hall of Fame in 2021. “I am both honored and grateful. All of you are the reason for any success I’ve had.”
“I love you all.”
Truly a legend in his own right!