Ken Frank retires as Toms River South head baseball coach, marking the end of an era

It is the end of an era for both Toms River High School South and Shore Conference baseball as Ken Frank has retired after 46 legendary seasons as Toms River South's head coach and 54 seasons with the program.

Both Frank and long-time assistant coach Mitch Powitz announced their joint retirements in a post on X, formerly twitter Thursday night.

Frank, known as "The Big Chief'' to those around the Toms River South program, retires as the state's all-time winningest coach with 934 wins.

His teams won a Shore Conference-record five NJSIAA Group championships - all in Group 3 - a Shore record 10 sectional championships, a record 12 Ocean County Tournament titles, seven Shore Conference Tournament championships and 22 Shore Conference divisional titles for 56 overall titles.

Toms River South, with its consecutive state champions in 2002 and 2003, was the first Shore Conference team to win consecutive state titles. Those teams were led by shortstop Todd Frazier.

"It's been a great run, with a lot of great ball players, great assistant coaches, great teachers and a great administration, who let me coach after I retired (Frank retired as Toms River South's Vice Principal in 2008),' Frank said Thursday night.

Frank was involved in a car accident last fall and he said he is about 80 percent recovered from that.

"It's time for me,'' Frank said. "The accident woke me up. I'm feeling the aches and pains.''

Frank, 77, said retirement is something he has thought about in recent seasons. Toms River South had two of its three under .500 seasons during Frank's tenure the last two years It went 5-18 this past season, which concluded with a 7-1 defeat to Delsea in a NJSIAA South Group 3 first-round game. Delsea is coached by former Toms River South assistant coach Joe Smith.

"I wasn't going to come back after the accident,'' Frank said. "I knew we were going to be young. We had the whole team graduate last year. We had two returning starters. I knew it wasn't going to be easy because the A South was loaded this year, and we were young. But, I've never ducked a game or an opponent. They can put that on my tombstone: I'd play anybody and everybody.''

Frank, who was an assistant coach for eight seasons at Toms River South under the late Al Fantuzzi, began his head coaching career on April 1, 1978. Shore Conference baseball changed the second his head coaching career began.

Toms River South always emphasized fundamentals and defense. It would scratch out runs by moving runners along, either via sacrifice bunts or stealing bases. Those were lessons taught to him by his late father, Bill Sr., and Fantuzzi.

Some of the legendary players in the history of the Shore Conference played for Frank, including Frazier, who had an 11-season career in the Major Leagues with six teams, including the Yankees and Mets. Frazier's older brothers, Jeff, who also played briefly in the Major Leagues with the Detroit Tigers, and Charlie, who was in the Miami Marlins' organization for several years, also played for Toms River South.

"We've had some great players. What we've done in the past, I appreciated this year more than ever,'' Frank said. "We won 60 championships (actually 56) in 46 years. It's a compliment to everyone who put the Toms River South uniform on.''

One can never mention Toms River South in any context without thinking of Frank.

"My family went to Florida for Easter and I stayed home. That's how loyal I am to baseball and that's how much I love Toms River South,'' Frank said.

Many have said Frank has been a role model or a second father. The lessons and his sayings he has imparted on all who have played, coached or grew up with him have left a lasting impression.

One of his frequent sayings is: "You never know who's watching''.

Powitz, who played for Frank and graduated from Toms River South in 1986, was an assistant to Frank for 30 seasons.

Frank's younger brother, Bill, and close friend Ted Schelmay had legendary head coaching careers of their own after serving as assistant coaches at Toms River South.

Bill Frank, who was the head freshman coach for his brother from 1978-84, had a 30-year stint as Toms River East's head coach from 1985-2014. The Raiders won 520 games, the NJSIAA Group 4 championship in 2001, four South Group 4 sectional titles, eight OCT championships and nine Shore Conference divisional titles under Bill Frank.

Schelmay was on Toms River South's staff until 1993, mainly serving as the pitching coach, before he had a 20-year stint as Toms River North's head coach from 1994-2013. Toms River North won 346 games, three NJSIAA South Group 4 sectional championships, two SCT titles, two OCT championships and three Shore Conference Class A South titles under Schelmay.

"The Shore is the best baseball in the state now,'' Frank said. "Everybody does the same thing.''

Frank was one of the leaders of a Golden Era of coaches in the Shore that also included the late Al Kunzman of Central; Stan Liptzin of Lakewood; Larry D'Zio Jr. of Jackson Memorial; Marty Kenney Sr. of Christian Brothers Academy; the late Rich Veth of Middletown North; the late Bernie Goldwater of Freehold Township; his brother, Schelmay and Ted Jarmusz of Monmouth.

"It's a great complement to the Shore,'' Frank said. "To the young coaches coming through the Shore, the last few games the teams knew I was going out and showed a lot of class. They all came over to me and said, 'Thanks for all you did for the conference.' I'm very proud to have been a part of the Shore Conference. ''

And all of them respected Frank - even if the teams were rivals on the field.

Frank grew up in Jersey City and played for Snyder High School and played at Montclair State before he came to Toms River South to be a teacher and assistant coach

For many years, a constant presence at Toms River South games were father and his late mother Julia

His wife Cecila was always at her husband's games. In recent years, his four daughters and 12 grandchildren have been consistent presences at Toms River South games.

"I have to thank my family most of all - my wife, we've been married 53 years, and she bought into the whole thing,'' Frank said. "She never once stopped me from coaching. ''

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore NJ Baseball: Ken Frank retires as Toms River South head coach