Giants honor Kittatinny football coach

Newton — Forget about the pigskin. Jim Green, Kittatinny Regional High School’s head football coach, also knows how to bring home the bacon. The New York Giants awarded the team $1,000 and named Green its coach of the week in September. The recognition occurred after the Cougars snapped a 13-game losing streak and smashed Wallkill Valley Regional High School in its season opener, 41-0. The victory marked a dramatic comeback for Kittatinny, which endured a losing season last year. That dreary year represented an anomaly for Green, who previously led the Cougars to state sectionals in seven of the last nine years. Green, a Kittatinny business teacher, termed the award a surprise, but stressed Kittatinny’s nine assistant coaches deserve much of the credit for the team’s success. “It felt like people recognize all the hard work you put in and they understand what you go through,” he explained. Chris Carroll, Kittatinny athletic director, noted Green brings out the best in all those who know him. The chain crew that works games by marking downs on the field forego payment and instead insist it be donated to the team, he noted. “They like Jim that much,” Carroll said. A 1979 Kittatinny graduate himself, Green was a three-year starter as quarterback for the Cougars. Green began his coaching career at Kittatinny in 1984 as an assistant coach before taking over as head coach in 1993. In his 14 years as head coach, he has racked up a 58-70 overall record, including 7 playoff appearances. Football prowess runs in the Green family. Green’s son, Steven, plays as a defensive end on the Central Connecticut State University football team. His other son, Kevin, is a student at Sussex County Community College. Green’s wife of 21 years, Kim, is the family’s loudest cheerleader.