My Inside Scoop On Gettysburg's Coach J

I met Coach Hank Janzyck at the first ever FCA Lacrosse Camp which was held at Gettysburg College in 1989. It wasn’t long before I learned that they guy was one of the best story tellers I’d been around and a real prankster. I also learned that he was a great recruiter—three months after meeting him he talked me into coming to Gettysburg and worked behind the scenes on campus to develop an offer I could not turn down. At the time G-burg was not one of the premier D-III schools in the country and I had just made the 90 US National Team. People in the lacrosse world asked me why I was going to Gettysburg. My answer was simply Coach J made me an offer I did not want to turn down and he opened his home to me. I lived in the mother in law’s apartment adjacent to his family for three years and loved it! His children called me Uncle Fred and I felt like family. They also gave me my space when I needed it. During my time working under Coach J and learned allot about life and lacrosse. As he often says he comes from great lacrosse stock as a Hobart Lacrosse alum. One of my most memorable times at Gettysburg were seeing Coach J with Coach Urick, who is the one who recruited Coach J to come to Hobart from Irondequoit High School in Rochester. When these two get together it’s like watching a standup comedy show. At the same time Coach as many know, as a serious side him and he’s intense about his faith, turning boys into men, and getting them to give a maximum effort at all times. More tomorrow on Coach J. Until my second book came out and my academic career really starting taking off, the secret between Coach and I was if he ever got the job at UNC or Duke I would return as his defensive coordinator. Well that almost happened in the case of Duke. In retrospect I’m glad coach did not get the job because I want to see him win a championship there and I found my stride as a prof and author and don’t have the same interest in college coaching anymore.