Bayuk, JFK strike gold

In January of 2014, the Warren John F. Kennedy High football program was at a crossroads.

Two years earlier, Kennedy had unceremoniously cut ties with Dave Pappada, who guided the Eagles for just three seasons. Pappada had coached at the school for 23 years, taking over the program in 2011 following the retirement of Tony Napolet.

The search for a new leader wasn’t going as planned.

Perhaps it was the shrinking enrollment, which was making JFK a small football program even by Division VII standards. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that the JFK sports program in general — once lauded for its stability — was going through coaches in Cleveland Browns-like style.

Whatever the reason, quality, experienced coaches weren’t exactly racing down Central Parkway in an effort to become just the seventh coach in school history.

Then, out of nowhere, lightning struck.

On a cold, snowy January afternoon, Jeff Bayuk found himself at JFK, meeting with school administrators. Bayuk had worked his coaching magic at Canfield, Hubbard and Campbell. He served as an assistant for several years before stepping aside all together in 2013.

Bayuk would later admit that his trip to JFK was more or less a courtesy visit. It was the fulfillment of a promise he made to a friend. He enjoyed his time away from the sidelines, and wasn’t actively looking to get back into the mix.

Then, there was the bolt of lightning.

During the meeting, Bayuk would recall an odd sight he spotted while glancing out the window. Smack-dab in the middle of a winter snowstorm, seemingly out of nowhere appeared a lightning strike. Bayuk would later joke that he felt the strange weather occurrence was a sign – he just had to figure out if it was a suggestion to accept the JFK coaching job, or bolt from the school as soon as possible.

Given his track record, it is no surprise that Bayuk’s Eagles went from 2-8 to a state title game in the span of three years.

At Canfield, Bayuk inherited a club which was coming off an 0-10 season. Within two years, the Cardinals went 8-2.

At Hubbard, Bayuk’s 120 wins represented more victories than the previous eight Eagles coaches combined.

Campbell was suffering through a 3-27 stretch before Bayuk’s arrival. In three years, he turned the Red Devils into a playoff team.

And, every step of the way, Bayuk has succeeded without compromising his ultimate goal of molding his players into winners off the field.

“He is a teacher of boys and a maker of men,” John Bayuk said of his dad. “His main focus has always been to help kids excel in life. It just so happens that he uses football as that tool.”

“(Jeff) has never been all about winning. Quite honestly, I think that’s why he does win.”

While it is impossible to speculate exactly where the Eagles would be today without Bayuk, there is no denying that with him they have reached a pinnacle, both on and off the field.

They say lightning never strikes the same place twice. However, Bayuk has been a lightning rod for success throughout his coaching career. Nearly three years ago a bolt in the sky helped spark an interest between Bayuk and the JFK football program. To the surprise of no one, the Eagles have since been thundering their way to the top.

Write Vindicator correspondent Steve Ruman at sports@vindy.com.