Longtime Port Jeff track and cross country coach Rod Cawley passed away recently. Section XI is sad about the loss, and our thoughts and prayers are with Rod’s family and friends.
Cawley coached from 1981 through 2021 in various capacities: Port Jefferson Boys Cross Country (1994-2020), Port Jefferson Girls Winter Track (1987-1989), Boys Winter Track (1990-2021), and Port Jefferson Boys Spring Track (1987-2021).
In his 30-plus years of coaching, Cawley had successfully kept the long tradition of Port Jefferson excellence alive on both the track and the cross-country fields.
As a cross-country coach, Cawley’s teams were 142-18, resulting in 18 League championship titles, 6 Division/Conference titles, and 16 County Class titles.
While coaching at Port Jefferson, Cawley’s individual runners also experienced success. In 1999, Eric Fleckstein was an overall County Champion; in 2001, Brendan Sullivan was a Footlocker National finalist. Winter track teams recorded seven league titles and three Small School County Championships. James Burke was a standout runner for Cawley, setting county records in the 1000m (2:26.75) and the mile (4:08.48) in his senior year (2015).
Spring Track teams under Coach Cawley were 195- 34- 1 in dual meet competition and earned 19 League titles. They also won five County/Division titles during this time. In 2001, “small school” Port Jefferson was crowned Long Island Team Champions by winning an end-of-the-year meeting consisting of the top five schools from Nassau County and the top five schools from Suffolk County. Quality prevailed over quantity there.
Cawley was named League Coach of the Year 44 times and County Coach of the Year 24 times. For his Long Island Championship in 2001, he was named Overall County Coach of the Year for his efforts.
While Cawley was busy running his own team, he found time to help promote track and field overall in Suffolk County. As head coach, Port Jefferson High School was the site of the Section XI State Qualifier Meet for 17 years. Being in charge of running a 1,000-plus-athlete meet for two days while coaching your own team is an overwhelming task. Cawley did it successfully and was always a great host to all participants, coaches, and spectators.
For many people, the marinated steak sandwiches prepared by PJ Track Parents were an annual delight to purchase after their events or while watching the meet on Friday evenings.
The memories of the meetings at Port Jefferson were very special and will live on for all those who attended.
One athlete who returned year after year to the State Qual Meet said it was like going to a game at Yankee Stadium and being in that atmosphere was special in itself.
So, just in case we did not say it enough over the years, thank you, Coach Cawley, for hosting all those great meets.
