Coach who built Waldwick/Midland Park football into a contender steps down, blames BOE
The Greg Gruzdis Era at Waldwick/Midland Park is over.
But the winningest football coach in either school's history said his career is far from finished.
Gruzdis stepped away from the Warriors after 14 seasons, citing pressure from district Board of Education president Daniel Marro and others.
Under Gruzdis, the Warriors won five division titles and went 88-47. The success of his Wing-T offense helped transform the co-op into one of the top small-school programs in North Jersey.
"I'm proud of the consistency in our program," Gruzdis said. "I feel like we did it the right way. When I took the job, my friends who I've coached with in the coaching community said that you can't win in Waldwick. It's a soccer town."
"I only had one losing season and that was by one game in the 14 years. I'm super proud of that. We put Waldwick football on the map."
Waldwick/Midland Park finished 6-3 this season and qualified for the state playoffs, losing to Glen Ridge in the opening round.
Gruzdis came into season knowing that it would be his final year with the program, but said he didn't tell his players until after the last game to avoid being a distraction.
The 52-year-old called it "bittersweet" to walk away and said he didn't get an explanation from the Board of Education on their positioning. In an email to NorthJersey.com, Marro wrote "it's a personal issue that can't be discussed publicly."
"The Board of Ed, there's people apparently that don't want to hire me back," Gruzdis said. "I don't know why. I don't want to say they are forcing me out, but I'm not going to stay at a place when I'm not wanted."
Gruzdis is a Pequannock High School graduate (Class of 1990) who played on the last football team at Ramapo College. He served as an assistant at West Morris, Hanover Park and Waldwick/Midland Park before being promoted by the Warriors in 2010.
At the time, the co-op was in its infancy. Gruzdis inherited a team that went 11-29 in its first four seasons as a merger.
A turnaround quickly followed. Waldwick/Midland Park made back-to-back sectional finals in 2013 and 2014 and reached the NJIC's conference final in 2020. The Warriors made nine trips to the playoffs under Gruzdis after qualifying a total of four times in either school's history.
More: How 2 Bergen County football programs transformed a rivalry into a successful co-op team
"Even in our years where we're not competing for a state championship, you're still going to have your hands full with us on Friday night," Gruzdis said. "The kids bought into the program and the style of play, the X's and O's and what we do offensively."
Gruzdis is currently a physical education teacher in the East Hanover school district. When asked if he will get back into coaching, Gruzdis responded "100 percent" yes.
"Whatever the reason, I'm good," Gruzdis said. "I've come to terms. Whatever my next chapter is, I'm ready for it. I'm open for anything."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Waldwick/Midland Park NJ football: Greg Gruzdis steps down
