'Coach Pat' Kicking Clinic Set
For May 31st At Bonnel Field

WEST CALDWELL- ‘Coach Pat’ as he was frequently addressed by his kickers and their families; or the ‘Kicking Guru’ which was another moniker which New Jersey football aficionados also referred to him as, always did what he did for free, and he would drive his trusty Toyota all over North Jersey in the process of looking to do whatever he could to help kickers learn more about the process while having fun at the same time.

Following his passing in 2022 The Pat Sempier Foundation was formed with leadership provided by daughter Patty Sempier and granddaughter Kerri O’Connor, who have helped administrate what remains both a fitting tribute and current-day quest to help provide opportunities for young kickers to learn more about what Coach Pat loved to teach; and now his devoted kickers who were pupils of his in years past now share their knowledge of a unique and vital aspect of the sport with all interested youngsters.

In that on-going quest to carry on the positive spirit of Coach Pat while also teaching the art of the all-important specialty to a new age of placekickers and punters, The Pat Sempier Foundation Kicking Clinic will be held on Sunday, May 31, 10.am. to 1 p.m. at James Caldwell High School’s Bonnel Field.

The event is open to all kickers whether they be from Junior Football, high school or flag football, including beginners or more experienced kickers.

And, in the ever-present spirit of Coach Pat, who always volunteered his time and expertise, the May 31 clinic is ‘free.’ Donations will be appreciated as the foundation continues to try and plan future events and clinics.

Those interested can scan the QR Code to register on line for the May 31 event. The deadline is Friday, May 22.

"This free clinic is important to the Foundation because it represents everything Coach Pat believed in,” said Kerri O’Connor. “We want kids of all ages to not only learn the proper technique and skills, but we want them to know the man behind those techniques and skills.

“For beginners learning in a positive way, even if you make mistake after mistake, alters how you view the game and yourself and It could put you off from the game and quit.

“We want beginners to understand what Coach Pat stood for and the methods in which he taught. For the more experienced kickers, we want them to fully understand why they may still hear Coach Pat’s name and why his mantra "Head Down, Drive Up" is still used by so many coaches.

“We want to align with Pat's beliefs that you give back much more than you take.

“Kickers that attend this clinic will without a doubt leave with much more knowledge and understanding than before."

Coach Pat’s kickers in the high school ranks date back to Bruce Nugent at Cedar Grove in the 1960s and continued to build in numbers around the state for more than 65 years.

The people in the sport of football Coach Pat touched form an endless list.

He worked with football folks such as special teams coach Tom Ferlauto and numerous kickers through the years at Seton Hall Prep; former NFL kicker Blake Costanza at St. Joe’s of Montvale, coach Frank Davide at both Caldwell and Montville; coach ‘Coz’ at DePaul, former Rutgers kicker David Bonguora at Ramapo High School; Aidan Murray at Don Bosco Prep, Nick Delcalzo and his staff at Hasbrouck Heights, the Northern Highlands coaching staff and John Fiore when he was at Montclair winning state champioknships are just a few of the North Jersey coaches who made sure that their kickers kept progressing while also welcoming Coach Pat for providing a lending a hand whenever he could.

Among the kickers from Bergen County who shined also included Aidan Labell at Ramapo, Connor Friedel at Hasbrouck Heights and Andrew Haas at Northern Highlands. 

In Essex County there were top kickers he worked closely with such as John Gallagher of Caldwell who kicked for four years at Elon University and Gage Hammond at Montclair, who was one of the state’s top punters along with being a superb placekicker who has proceeded to have an outsstanding college football career at Wesleyan in Middletown, Conn.

“All the coaches, and also other guys who simply give their time away from other jobs to work with kickers, have been sensational,” Coach Pat once sadi. “It’s something that didn’t really exist very much many years ago, where so many people who both value and love teaching kicking stay involved in the game, and that’s been something I feel so great about because I know that no matter if I am around the kids each day or not, that they are getting great coaching, and that tradition will be passed on for generations to come, which is incredibly reassuring to me because coaching kickers has been such a big part of my life!”

One of Coach Pat’s most successful kickers was former Ridgewood star Young Hoe Koo, who went from the Bergen County school to an All-American career at Georgia Southern and then was an All-Pro kicker with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.

Most of Coach Pat’s kickers through the years wound up in other professions, from being doctors, lawyers or teachers and coaches themselves.

Then, there are even those who turn their kicking skills to other sports, such as former Cranford standout Valentino Ambrosio, one of the state’s best placekickers who became a standout men’s soccer player at Rutgers University before transitioning back to football and becoming a superb placekicker at both Rutgers and then Tulane University.

There are just too many ‘Coach Pat’ kickers through the years to mention them all; however, the main intention now for The Pat Sempier Foundation is to help promote what the Kicking Guru would relish still happiening, which is the emergence of new kickers, whether they be in a high school’s feeder system of junior football, at the high school level, or perhaps now part of the burgeoning sport of girls flag football where punting will be important in how that growing game is played in years to come.

A next generation can begin to emerge including at the upcoming May 31 free clinic at Bonnel Field in West Caldwell. The rain date is June 7.

The web site can be reached at http://www.thepatsempierfoundation.org

The email is info@thepatsempierfoundation.org