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Rodger Blind was a legendary New Jersey high school basketball coach and was always assisted by his wife Debbie. Now, the couple can use the support of those able to help defray some of their immense expenses as Debbie goes through many health challenges throug a GoFundMe page that has been set up (see link in story below). In second photo, from left, are former Millers star Ross Gang, Debbie, ex-standout Max Jacobs and Rodger. (Sideline Chatter photos and also courtesy of Millburn alumni)
Rodger Blind was always so much more than a member of the 300-victory club among New Jersey’s high school basketball coaching fraternity, and the former Millburn High School head hoops honcho always had a certain someone right by his side, whether she was doing scorebook duties, checking statistics for the team page on nj.com or simply providing moral support for her husband’s teams.
Debbie Blind, that devoted and very vital member of the outstanding Blind family coaching tandem, is currently facing some mighty health challenges and a group of former Millburn players are looking to rally to the cause of trying and help defray some of the enormous medical expenses facing the Blinds.
“Rodger and Debbie are faced with high medical and assisted living costs,” said former Millers player Will Spelman. “Senior class members of the 2009-2010 Millburn boys basketball team have started a GoFundMe page to show our love and support for Coach Blind and Debbie.”
Among the Millburn players from that memorable state sectional finalist squad of 15 year ago who now involved in the very worthy effort to help their beloved coach and his wife are the Spelman triplets: Andrew, David and Will, Jacob Weissman and former All-Essex performers Joey Kizel and Alex Rosenberg.
Visit the GoFundMe page link below for Rodger and Debbie and please consider donating to help a special coaching couple.
When it comes to his coaching career Rodger Blind was certainly an extra special individual in Millburn where he achieved the majority of his high school victories and captivated the community with the way he helped inspire a group of suburban basketball players to love the game and perform at a high level as well.
It was February of 2018 when Millburn defeated Montclair in the first round of the Essex County Tournament when the coach earned his 300th win.
The former collegiate assistant and then head coach at St. Peter’s University, started his high school head coaching career in what is now the Seton Hall Prep Frank J. Tracey Gymnasium, which back in 1979, during his rookie season as the head coach at the old West Orange High, was that public school’s home court.
After earning 79 wins at West Orange, he moved on to St. Peter’s, first as an assistant to Whitey Dukiet, and then, when Dukiet went to Marquette, he worked under Ted Fiore before the latter also moved on, and Rodger then became the Peacocks' head coach before arriving for 17 enjoyable seasons at Millburn where he made the sport vital to a community where soccer, tennis and baseball have much more of a historical context.
“Beyond the wins and losses what’s so special to me, beyond the great kids and the terrific school that Millburn is, was that we have also made basketball important to our community,” Blind said during an interview seven years ago following his 221st triumph as the Millers’ head hoops mentor and 300th overall.
One of the prime reasons that Millburn basketball continued to produce solid teams is that there was a continuation of bona fide ‘go-to’ guys to count on in terms of top 10 type players in the county, whether it was Kizel (later Division III star at Middlebury and then a college coach) and Rosenberg (Columbia University) from that 2009-2010 squad, then later with standouts such as Zach Ravitz or Ross Gang, the Rochester-bound do-everything point forward.
There simply always seemed to be a top individual player to build a cohesive and cerebral quintet around and breed success in a conference like the Super Essex where basketball talent is everywhere.
Now, their old coach and the woman who is his right hand need some help in trying times, and his players haven’t forgotten about one of the special men in their lives who helped make them the people they are today.
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Rodger Blind has been a huge part of Millburn basketball history and his wife Debbie has always been by his side. Now Debbie, seen with Rodger when he reached the 300 win plateau in 2018, is facing some challenging medical expenses and a GoFundMe page has been made to try and help.
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