Former pro baseball player Eugene Conquy dead at 92

Eugene B. Conquy of Newton passed away on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023. He was 92.

Eugene was born on Feb. 2, 1931, to the late Bennet and Mildred (Lemin) Conquy. Born and raised in Newton, he was a lifelong resident of Sussex County.

Eugene was a 1949 graduate of Newton High School, where he achieved varsity letters in football, basketball and baseball. As a pitcher, he went 8-2 during his sophomore year and 6-4 as a junior. In his senior year, Eugene struck out 24 batters against Hackettstown High School, with a season average of 8-0, batting .423 with three home runs. In 1949, he set a basketball scoring record for the county, averaging 19 points per game for 34 straight games. In football, he averaged one touchdown for every game played during three consecutive seasons and held a season scoring record for 20 years. Eugene was state in baseball, football for two years and basketball for one year.

After high school, he played football and basketball for the U.S. Navy as well as football for the Franklin Miners for seven years. Eugene then signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers as a pitcher, later moving to the outfield where he batted .347.

He made the All-Star team and led the league in stolen bases (35). After the Dodgers, he signed with the Detroit Tigers for four years.

Eugene was inducted into the Sussex County Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 30, 1976, and served as president for three terms.

He announced high school sport games on the local radio station, WNNJ, and was a wrestling commentator on local cable TV for several years while also playing baseball locally for the Newton AA and Fetzer Chiefs for 10 years.

As an accomplished athlete, Eugene imparted his talents by coaching Newton football, baseball and basketball teams to championship seasons. He coached the baseball, basketball, softball and football teams at Sussex Vo-Tech, softball at SCCC, and football and softball at Pope John.

Eugene coached the Andover Arrows Little League for seven years, winning three championships with 32 straight wins at one point. He also coached the Newton Baseball Little League Panthers for two years and the Cougars for one year, winning titles all three years.

He refereed high school wrestling, basketball, baseball and softball and would volunteer his services as a referee for many non-profit organizations to raise money.

Beyond his athletic endeavors, Eugene was a photographer and took wedding pictures over the years for many happy couples and took pictures of sporting events in the area for the New Jersey Herald. He was always ready with his camera and loved taking pictures.

Eugene was also a dedicated member of the Lafayette Federated Church, where he served as an usher and Sunday school teacher and assisted in the Sunday school office.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Helen Conquy; five children, Kevin Conquy, Lisa Conquy, James Greenfield, Kurt Conquy (Heather), and Kyle Conquy (Wenya); nine grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Eugene shared most of his life with two best friends, Ken Benson and John Zamos. He and Ken would golf as often as they could, always coming within just a few strokes of each other. He enjoyed refereeing with John because he never knew what John would do, which was always one of the highlights of the game.

A memorial service for Eugene will be held Thursday, Feb. 23 at 11 a.m. at the Lafayette Federated Church, 180 NJ-15, Lafayette.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Sussex County Sports Hall of Fame or to the Lafayette Federated Church.

Online condolences may be offered at www.SmithMcCrackenFuneralHome.com