Head Coach Rob Stern returned to Hudson Catholic for the second time as football coach in 2003, having served as Defensive Coordinator in 1996, and Head Coach in 1997 and 1998. Coach Stern also serves as the Hawk Athletic Director. During the 2003 season, Hudson Catholic enjoyed unprecedented football success, posting a 7-2-1 record and qualifying for the Group IV Parochial State Playoffs, where the Hawks fell to eventual state finalist Bergen Catholic.
Coach Stern has a history of successfully rebuilding programs. From 1988 to 1994, he worked as an assistant at parochial power, St. Joe's of Montvale, where he was part of a staff that advanced to four state title games and won six league and five Bergen County titles. As Defensive Coordinator at Fort Lee High School, he helped the program to its best record in 12 years and in one year lowered its points allowed total from 396 to 187. At Hudson Catholic, he inherited a defense that had surrendered 483 points the previous season and cut that total to 178 in one season. As head coach, he posted a 4-5 record in 1997, including an upset win over St. Peter's Prep, and 5-5 in 1998, which included the school's first-ever trip to the State Playoffs.
While at St. Peter's College, Stern turned around a program that had a long history of losing and had become the definition of "coach-killer". In 3 years he took a winless program to a 10-1 record and into the national spotlight. Besides entering the elite level of MAAC programs, the 2001 team had the #1 Defense in the country among all Division 1A & 1AA programs. Coach Stern was named MAAC 2001 Coach of the Year and was one of ten finalists for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award. |
