Catching up with longtime coach and AD Greg Butler, who stays connected to HS sports

Whenever Greg Butler bumps into someone from North Jersey, he receives the same puzzled response:

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Three years after retiring as the longtime athletic director at Demarest, Butler remains a presence on the New Jersey high school sports scene, especially on the diamond, where he is the NJSIAA baseball tournament director and an assistant coach at Colts Neck in Monmouth County.

“I am the happiest when on the baseball field,” he said.

During a 40-year career in North Jersey, Butler made his biggest mark in baseball. He led Demarest to three Bergen County championships, two sectional crowns, and the Group 3 title in 1999. In 2008, he guided Don Bosco to a 33-0 record and a mythical national championship.

“There’s just something about being on the baseball field and interacting with the players and the coaches and seeing the kids get better and buying into the things you’re trying to coach them on,” said Butler, 64, who coached baseball in North Jersey for 18 years. “It’s just such a rewarding experience.”

His roots run deep in North Jersey, even beyond baseball. He was an assistant football coach for more than 20 years, at his alma mater, Bergenfield, as well as at Demarest and Nutley, where he coached his son, Matt.

Butler has spent the past three seasons as an assistant baseball coach at Colts Neck, working alongside fellow assistant and Bergenfield alum Bob Jack, and under longtime coach Mike Yorke. Butler is the hitting coach.

“Serving as an assistant baseball coach, after being in charge for so long, has been such a breath of fresh air,” said Butler, who lives in Manchester Township and also has a residence in Florida’s North Palm Beach. “I feel like I’m the grandfather now. I give a pat on the back. I can spoil the kids. I focus more on the positives. I do address things they have to get better at when they’re not doing the right thing, but I’m the good cop now.”

Butler has also spent the last two seasons as the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association baseball tournament director. His duties include serving as a “bridge” between the NJSIAA and the coaches.

“I think they wanted someone in the position who was connected with the baseball coaches at a statewide level and had the administrative experience as an athletic director,” said Butler, whose so-called retirement also includes his first golf hole-in-one. “So I kind of fit that mold.”

Butler’s children keep him connected to North Jersey. His daughter, Brittany, is a teacher at Fort Lee and she has a six-month-old son, Carmine, who he enjoys spending time with.

Butler has been attending more North Jersey basketball games. His son, Matt, was recently hired as the Dumont hoops coach after serving several seasons as an assistant. Butler said his son spent much of his youth in the Demarest dugout and was taught the “team-first” philosophy.

“His whole life he’s heard about it – it’s all about being a team,” said Butler, who played baseball at Seton Hall University for coach Mike Sheppard. “And in today’s society, the challenges of getting the parents and kids to buy into a team concept is very difficult. And he has the ability to do that, and that’s the only way you can truly succeed, if you can get the kids to buy into the team. And that’s one of the things I’m really proud of, is passing the torch to my son as a coach.”

Butler still holds the coaching torch at Colts Neck. The Cougars went 16-10 last season, hitting .326 with plenty of sophomores, so he’s looking forward to next season. Rising senior Nick Hayden, is the son of one of Butler’s former star pitchers and quarterbacks at Demarest, Alex Hayden.

“I’m so glad that I did get back in as an assistant coach,” Butler said. “Because I thought I had it out of my system, but you can never really get it out of your system. It’s just a peaceful place for me, and I love it.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Catching up with longtime coach and AD Greg Butler, who stays connected to HS sports