Bio

John H. Stauff retired in 2001 as Dean of Health, Physical Education, and Athletics and Professor of Health and Physical Education from Ocean County College in Toms River, NJ.  He began his career at OCC in 1966 as a faculty member, inaugural head basketball coach, and inaugural golf coach (a post he would hold for 34 years, winning two region championships and mentoring many national qualifiers).  He became Athletic Director in 1970 and entered the leadership of the newly-formed Region XIX soon thereafter, serving as an assistant region director and as the region director for women’s athletics for over twenty years.  Stauff was active in the NJCAA, NATYCCA, and NACDA throughout his career, chairing committees, representing the NJCAA at multiple national tournaments, and later serving on the boards of NATYCCA and NACDA.  He remains proud of his work (along with Ron Case and others) to have community colleges included in the Sears Cup, one of his best memories from his NATYCCA experience.  He is a member of the OCC Athletics Hall of Fame and the NATYCCA Hall of Fame, and he is also a past recipient of NATYCCA’s L. William Miller Award for excellence in athletics administration.

Stauff was an active and innovative leader in OCC’s faculty, co-writing an integrated health and physical education curriculum with department colleagues and introducing a variety of life-long activities such as tennis, golf, and sailing into his department’s regular offerings.  He chaired the college’s curriculum committee for over a decade and was a dedicated participant in shared governance.  He directed the Robert J. Schmertz Memorial Games, an annual multi-sport event in the summer at OCC, and the success of the Schmertz Games led to a role in the Garden State Games, which OCC co-hosted for several years.  He was a constant presence at high school and college swimming competitions at the OCC pool for nearly thirty years, serving as site supervisor and overseeing the electronic timing of many dual and championship meets.