Growing up, Rutherford Bulldogs Varsity Football Head Coach Steve Dunn played every sport practically, whether football, basketball, baseball, or swimming, and even earned a black belt in taekwondo.
"There's an old saying where the idles hands are the devil's playground and I do believe in that," Dunn explained. "A lot of times when you're a kid the more you do the more you want to do and sometimes the less you do the less you want to do. Staying busy to me was the best way to stay out of trouble and do the right things."
Moving on to Rutherford High School, Dunn followed a similar blueprint participating in all athletics. After a four-year letter in baseball and playing a couple of years of basketball, Dunn's favorite sport was football. Dunn ended up a two-way starter on the varsity football team.
"There's no better feeling than on a Friday night and running out on the field and playing in a football game," Dunn explained. "I think it's the ultimate test of who you're as a person and it's a tough sport. It takes a specific type of kids to play it and always kept my eye on the prize."
After graduating from Rutherford High School in 2003, Dunn attended Kings College, earning a degree in Math. Dunn returned to Rutherford in 2007, where he was the JV Football Head Coach, then named the varsity football team Offensive Coordinator in 2010. The Bulldogs won back-to-back sectional titles in 2018 and 2019.
An opportunity came knocking at the door in 2019 with Dunn taking over the reins as Head Coach of the Ridgefield Park High School Varsity Football Team.
"We had an outstanding group of kids there, were very young and started three freshmen and six sophomores," Dunn noted.
One year later, a lifetime opportunity was presented for Dunn with Andy Howell resigning as the Rutherford Bulldogs varsity football head coach to become the new vice-principal at Lakeside Middle School in Pompton Lakes.
"I don't want to overstate it, but it was a lifelong dream," Dunn remarked. "I came into the Rutherford Junior program as a seven-year-old in and football has been a great teacher and game of life for me. Some of my most trusted people and biggest mentors were coaches and why I got into coaching and to have the opportunity to come back in my hometown and being a Rutherford guy."
"I live in the town and raising children Rutherford is a very special place that does things the right way. We have a very good administration here; our principal Frank Rando was the head coach here and was a very special moment when you get announced as the head coach."
"Our athletic director David Fisher is an invaluable to us and he does everything and it's amazing the number of committees he runs and just named the Athletic Director of the Year which is pretty cool. He's been recognized nationally and always been a step or two ahead of the game."
"There's plenty of times where I go into his office and just seek his advice if I have an issue and he's dealt with, and he can guide me and he says let's do ABC to try to clear this up and it's worked out so far and a good guy to have in your corner because he knows all the right strings to pull at the right time."
"Assistant Principal Nick DeBari was a teacher of mine in high school and basketball coach for a long time." "Nick is one of my biggest influences and with his mindset he's a great Vice-Principal and a wise man and give me some very good advice over years on things to do and a good mentor to have."
However, Dunn's first year as head coach would hit a speed bump with COVID that forced a shortened season. Despite the setback, Rutherford finished the season with a 3-3 record and 3-1 in the NJIC-Colonial.
"With Andy (Howell) as head coach we won a couple of championships and I was his offensive coordinator for a long time," Dunn mentioned. "I knew the kids and coached them as sophomores. In the three games we lost we're tight games. We had a good freshman class coming in that was pretty good. COVID was definitely a challenge for everyone in a lot of different ways."
The Bulldogs flipped the script in 2021. Losing their first game of the season, Rutherford reeled off nine wins in a row, including defeating Park Ridge in the NJIC Championship game and defeating Pompton Lakes and Ridgefield Park in the North Jersey Section 2, Group state playoffs. Ultimately, the Bulldogs' season ended in a 28-7 loss to Jefferson in the sectional final.
"You learn about the kids and they got a really valuable experience," Dunn cited. "In 2021 we weren't really expecting all of that success and unexpected. I wasn't expecting to win the conference and make a deep run in the playoffs, but it made the kids ready for the big moments that were to come in the future. None of our kids were unfazed by some of those big games. We were a young team in 2021 and started six sophomores on that team, won the NJIC Championship and ending up losing to Jefferson in the sectional final."
The win over Ridgefield Park was a bittersweet moment for Dunn since Dunn knew plenty of people across the field.
"After the game, I didn't feel as well winning a sectional semifinal game because you know the kids and coaches personally on the other side of the field," Dunn described. "The head coach, Chris Rapp, and all the coaches were on my staff. Seeing them play their last game was a lot tougher."
Rutherford could have done better at getting off to a blazing start winning their first ten games. The Bulldog's offense proved to be a juggernaut amassing 40-plus points in five games.
In the NJIC Championship Game, Rutherford defeated Woodridge 24-10. The Bulldogs dominated in the first two rounds of the state playoffs crushing Mahwah 42-14 and Dumont 39-13 before falling in a heartbreaker to Westwood 21-20.
"We've been blessed over here in Rutherford, and we have tremendous kids with their work ethic and attention to detail and kids that are very coachable," Dunn said. "We have a great group of parents that allow their children to be coached hard by us."
"I knew we had a chance to do something special and the team showed it. We played 11 games and in nine of those games we had a running clock. We ended up winning our conference which is a pretty big deal and only team to win back-to-back. I still have a little chip on my shoulder these last two years we came up a little bit short."
"I'm very pleased what we have done, frankly and more excited what we can do in the future. We lost two straight sectional title final games at home, and last year being brutal. We went for two after scoring with 22 seconds left and came up an inch short."
On a personal level, Dunn received a prestigious honor named the Lou Rettino High School Coach of the Week by the New York Giants.
"They had a dinner at Met Life that was very impressive," Dunn explained. "A great honor, but it's a collection of how our program is running right now, and we're on the right track, and all about the good people in this program, and that was a very award, but it makes me proud of the program."
Playing a critical role in the success of the Rutherford varsity football program, Dunn points to the hard work of his assistant coaches Sean Ryan, Sil Bastiao, Curt Arsi, Rob Councilor, and Shaun Bach. Furthermore, the pipeline starts with the Rutherford Junior Football Program.
"The feeder program run by Michael Paskas is one of the most important things a high school coach can have, and our success is a product of theirs," Dunn noted.
Heading into season four as the head coach of Rutherford Bulldogs, varsity football coach Steve Dunn has an unmistakable and concise message on what he wants the Bulldogs uniform and helmet to represent every time the players take the field, whether at home or away.
"What we want to represent is a lot of toughness and pride and we use the word tough every day and multiple times because we're almost trying to create the adverse situations and we demand that form and practice also in the classroom. The kids represent Rutherford inside and outside and I tell them football is a unique sport and gets the most attention and reason why the stands are packed on Friday nights."
"Everyone would do it if was easy, but we only carry about 40 to 50 kids on our roster so it's not that I cut anybody but that's all the work it demands and not everyone is willing to do it. Our kids in the locker room I tell them are the special ones and willing to do all this stuff we're asking and decide to be part of this program and held to a higher standard they do in their life. They're just not John Smith, they're a football player from Rutherford and a whole different kind of ballgame and we try to hold them accountable for everything they do."
When it comes to preparing for an upcoming football season and then during the regular season, Dunn says they're regimens in place that play a critical role in the success.
"The locker room is kind of a sacred place and pregame a lot of nervousness and football is an all-year-round sport. We have kids in the weight room all year and have lifts at 6 a.m. in the morning and there's a lot of effort and energy that goes into one game a week and what makes football unique. Here at Rutherford, we're blessed with kids that play multiple sports."
"Those moments before a game, you only get ten of them and you can kind of cut the tension with a knife and feel the anxiousness from the kids." "It's the coaches job to kind of settle everyone down and this is just a football game and we're going to go out there and compete as hard as we can and at the end of the day the biggest thing we demand are the kids best effort."
"All the execution with the X's and O's and that on the coaches to correct all that stuff and put the kids in good places. On game day I'm focusing on the kids and their frame of mind and putting their best foot forward and let's leave nothing in the tank and all out there on the field."
"When you get to halftime, you're talking adjustments and what things we can do better. Leading up to the game it's the game planning and watching film but at the end of the day if your kids are tough, willing to work together which our kids have been and sacrifice for each other and good things usually do happen."
Rutherford's varsity football team 2023 roster will look different when they play their first game in September. Several seniors graduated, including a prolific dual-threat quarterback in Van Weber, passing for over 3,000 yards last season. In addition, Danny Carr and then Zach Herniko Herniko placed second on the team in tackles in 2022 with 79.
"Van is a winner, and we kind of coined the nickname "Van The Man," Steve Dunn stated. "If you came down to Tryon Field on a Friday night during the fall, you would see Van before the game with the (offensive) line getting them going and pumping them up."
"He was such an integral part of our success the past two years and four years in the program and he's been the quarterback. More than just his arm, he can make every throw on the field and it's just the little things with his leadership and command of the huddle and presence and all the things he did right. It goes a long way when your best player is your hardest worker and most coachable and makes the coaches job easy and everyone kind of falls in line and Van was really absolutely a joy to coach for these four years."
"We're going to look different and do things differently and what are you going to do in replacing a quarterback that comes around every 20 years," Dunn remarked. "We're going to tailor an offense that best fits our kids and puts them in the best position to succeed. We do have kids back that contributed a lot to this program the last couple of years."
"Nick Lora and Cole Goumas are our two leading backs and we got three of our five lineman back and Ryan Ward just committed to UNC(University of North Carolina). Chris Gioia is probably the best athlete in the school and three sport kid. Luke Cerulli and Matt Scheibe are terrors on defense and most of our kids go both ways so we're excited for this year."
"We have college recruiters coming through these halls all the time and telling us they're looking for the type of North Jersey tough guys and that's what North Jersey football is about." "It's about putting your head down and working hard." "We play a specific brand of football and take a lot of pride in that." "Somebody told them that the NJIC is one of the two conferences in the country and that has a legit conference playoff system and champion before the state playoffs."
"Our kids every year talk about we have to win the division to get into that playoff and when you get in, you're the game of the week and want to be in the NJIC Championship. There's only one team in New Jersey holding up a trophy and it's going to be someone from our conference. It's a good structure and setup and you're playing the best of the best and it's just not the teams at the top and we've been luck and fortunate enough to be on top and win a couple of these things and won three altogether."
For Dunn, there's more than just the varsity football coach. He has placed significant emphasis on helping the kids realize the importance of being a student-athlete. For the past 16 years, Dunn has been a math teacher at Rutherford High School and has been coaching the swim team for over a decade.
"It's every coaches job to make sure the kids are doing the right things and where are they sitting in class and putting time in their schedule to study," Dunn mentioned. "When the kids grades maybe start to slip to have a little intervention and kind of attack the problem before it becomes bigger. We talk about school a lot and you got to do the right things in the classroom."
"There are good teachers here that, as well as the kids, are giving effort, and teachers are willing to work with our boys. We have a lot of steps in place if something isn't going the way academic-wise and try to get the kid back on track. 999 out of 1000 kids that go into this program may never play college football, but we got to set up these kids for success in life."
"Coaching swimming is another big part of my life and not as much time as the football season but nonetheless any sport you coach, and you get in front of group of kids they're expecting your best." "That's what I try to give the kids all the time and we had a lot of success over ten years." "We have won a few NJIC titles and the boys won four in a row and girls one."
"I'm very fortunate that I'm teaching and coaching in a district and town I love and grew up in. I'm raising a family in a great place and has a lot of support from the community. The coaching staff is second to none. Sean Ryan and we're best friends growing up and we played football through every year of high school and same age. I'm fortunate enough to coach with him, and my other guys on the staff do a great job."
"It takes a village to run a successful football program and from a lot of different angles whether it's the parents, the kids, the coaches and community and to me I'm blessed as any coach out there with a great village behind."
For Dunn, the most important people during this football coaching journey have been the support from his family, especially his wife Jennifer Dunn.
"The fall is tough on any marriage for a coach, and she's been excellent and understanding," Dunn said. "She understands what it means to me, our school, community, and it's paramount because it could go south."
In closing, Dunn offered valuable advice for people wanting to break into the coaching ranks. If you wanted to start coaching, I would ask yourself why you are getting into it in the first place and look deep down within yourself.
"If you intend to mentor and teach kids, teach them how to become men because that's the business we're in and turning boys into men."
"That's my number one goal is when these kids leave the program they're men and ready to handle life and life throws a lot of curveballs and a lot of bad things and they're tough enough to handle the game of life. If they're ready to model that and put in a lot of work then coaching is a very rewarding profession."
"Simply the amount of time and willing to put in the work effort you put in, you truly get more out of it. A lot of time, the kids teach you some things. Being in it for the right reasons and the wins and losses come and go, but it's really about turning the boys into men, and that is goal number one."
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