Coach Carl Zaisser
Carl Zaisser retired in 1977 as the winningest coach in the history of Glen Rock High School.
Carl was the first Head Baseball Coach in Glen Rock High School’s history. During his nineteen years coaching the school’s baseball team, from 1958-1976, he compiled an overall record of 237-174. In his highly-successful career, two of his more outstanding teams were the 1972 and 1973 teams. Both teams won the Group 2, Sectional Championship and the 1972 team also won the Group 2, North Jersey Championship before being defeated in the State Championship Final. The 1972 team has been recognized as the most powerful baseball team in Glen Rock High School’s history and was inducted into the Glen Rock High School Hall of Fame in 2019. In addition, during Carl’s tenure as coach, Glen Rock High School’s baseball teams won six league championships. The 1964 team was the first Glen Rock High School team to win an NBIL championship. After the school moved to the B-PSL in 1971, Glen Rock’s baseball team won the B-PSL championship in each of the next five years, spanning 1971 through 1975, and finished a very close second in 1976.
In recognition of his success as a coach, Carl was named Bergen County Coach of the Year in 1973 by The Bergen Record. He was also named All-Suburban Coach of the Year by The Ridgewood Herald-News in 1964, 1971, 1972 and 1973. He was inducted into the New Jersey Coaches Hall of Fame in 1981.
In addition to being a coach and teacher at Glen Rock High School, Carl was also the head of Glen Rock’s Recreation Department for 15 years. He grew that program so that there were sports and activities for all individuals, regardless of age, sex or ability. The program particularly provided outlets for all Glen Rock children during the summer months.
Carl continued to teach physical education at Glen Rock High School until he retired in 1983. He then became Co-General Manager of the Chatham A’s of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He passed away in 1991.
Born in 1925, Carl grew up in Radburn and, like other children in Radburn and Glen Rock at the time, he attended and graduated from Ridgewood High School, where he was a star baseball player. During those years, he also played second base for the Fair Lawn American Legion Junior baseball team that won the Bergen County title. After graduating from high school in 1942, he served in the Navy during World War II. After the war, he attended and graduated from Purdue University. While attending Purdue, Carl played semi-pro baseball for Ridgewood AC and then Radburn AC. After graduating from college, Carl returned to Radburn and was head of the Radburn Recreation Program, where he launched Radburn’s Little League program and other activities. He also was manager of the Radburn AC baseball team.
In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Carl was a superb Dixieland jazz piano player, following in the footsteps of his father, who was an acclaimed classical pianist.
Carl was inducted posthumously into the Glen Rock High School Hall of Fame in 2010.