Former Ocean City coach Jack Boyd impacted lives simply by being himself

By GIUSEPPE UNGARO Managing Editor Before I knew that the late John “Jack” Boyd was an inspiring teacher at Ocean City High School and a legendary basketball coach for the Red Raiders, he was simply Mr. Boyd. He was the proud father of two fellow Northfield boys, one a few years older and another a few years younger than myself. Mr. Boyd, which I always called him no matter how many years passed, always had my respect and admiration. Both became stronger the more I found out about his life and the more I spoke to him. I first remember meeting and speaking to Mr. Boyd at Birch Grove Park for one of the many practices he and I would attend throughout the years. He was one of many fathers lining the border of the parking lot, speaking to each other, but always keeping a least one eye on their kids competing or practicing on the nearby fields. Jack Boyd coaches up his team during a game early in his career. The legendary former Ocean City basketball coach passed away in January. He finished his career with more than 200 wins. (Photo provided by Boyd family) From that first meeting more than 25 years ago, before I was even a teenager, to our last, just before he passed away on Jan. 17, the conversation was always similar. It would begin with his distinct raspy voice, “Hey, Joe,” followed by a barrage of questions, keeping me on my toes, and always with more than just a hint of humor. He asked about me and sports when I was a youth athlete in Northfield. He asked about school as I got older and saw him at our mutual friends’ annual Christmas party. He asked me about high school sports and my reporting career when I saw him at track or cross country meets, or at Ocean City basketball games. I always appreciated our talks, whether they were long or brief. He genuinely seemed like he cared about what direction I was going as a kid, and he wanted my input on local athletics as I got older and wrote for various newspapers. Truth is, there was no reason for him to want my input except to maybe see how close my opinion was to his. He was too sharp and knew more about local sports, especially Ocean City and Cape-Atlantic League basketball, than most people. Throughout the years, I found out more and more about Mr. Boyd, who rarely ever talked to me about himself or his accomplishments. It was not a surprise to learn he was a caring teacher who touched the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, during his career. I was impressed he was a college player at Duke University and one of the most successful local coaches. The Red Raiders won 227 games, a South Jersey Group II title and a Cape-Atlantic League championship during his tenure, but he never wanted to talk about that. He would rather talk about the current Red Raiders teams and how good they were. I never saw him coach or teach, but I did see him as a track and cross country official. With his usual outgoing but poised personality, he cleared up what could have been a very messy Atlantic County Cross Country Championships in 2007. He took charge and made sure the right results were upheld and that everyone was satisfied. I knew Mr. Boyd was well liked by everyone who knew him. I’m glad my opinion of him is similar to so many other people. Since his passing, I’ve enjoyed reading articles about him and listening to stories from people who knew him much better than I did. For a person who accomplished so much, he impacted so many people by putting his focus on others. He made an impact by just being himself. By just being Mr. Boyd. Giuseppe Ungaro has covered Cape-Atlantic League sports for more than 15 years. Contact him at gungaro@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDgisepu [adsense]