Jacque LaPrarie, assistant football coach at Smithtown West HS, dies at 61

Jacque LaPrarie Sr. had a profound impact on the many young lives he influenced in his years as a coach and mentor. He was a beloved elementary school teacher for more than three decades, a standout football player and a respected high school football coach.

LaPrarie died unexpectedly at his Smithtown home on Monday, his wife, Cynthia LaPrarie said. He was 61. 

“He’s an incredible, beautiful soul,” Cynthia LaPrarie said.

LaPrarie was the assistant varsity football coach at Smithtown West High School for the past five years and taught physical education at Tackan Elementary School in Nesconset for 31 years. He was a star athlete at Sachem High School in baseball and football and was a Newsday All Long Island football player in 1981, the year he graduated.

“He was an amazing athlete and a tremendous leader,” said childhood friend Mark Dellecave. “He was [known as] ‘Gentleman Jack’ because of his sincere and humble personality. He always had a big smile. Everyone loved Jacque.”

LaPrarie accepted a full athletic scholarship to Rutgers University and passed for 2,513 yards in his first two years before moving to the safety position for two years. He was the first recipient of the Loyal Knight Award, presented to a Rutgers player who distinguishes himself by sacrificing personal goals for the team.

“I was in awe of the way he raised our children,” Cynthia LaPrarie said. “And he was so kind to everyone. And my son is a carbon copy of his dad, humble and hard-working.”

His son, Jacque LaPrarie Jr., was named to the All-Long Island football team in 2022 as an outstanding wide receiver and defensive back for Smithtown West.

“We are best friends forever,” Jacque LaPrarie Jr. said. “We have done everything together since I learned to walk. We were always playing a sport. No matter what he was doing he dropped it to spend time with me. There couldn’t be a stronger connection between a father and son.”

Jacque Jr. played football at Stony Brook University and transferred in January to play at SUNY-Cortland, a move his father fully supported.

“He wanted me to be happy,” Jacque LaPrarie Jr. said. “He never missed a game in every sport and always focused on the positive.”

Rich Cimini, the Jets beat reporter for ESPN and a former Newsday sports writer, went to high school with LaPrarie.

“I covered all of his [high school] games working for the local weekly paper, the Ronkonkoma Review,” said Cimini, who also served as the editor-in-chief for the Sachem Harbinger, the school newspaper. “Jacque was clearly the best player on the football team. He was the entire show, fun to watch. He was a good looking guy, dated the homecoming queen, and was everybody’s All-American. He was soft spoken and quiet and always treated me professionally when I interviewed him.”

LaPrarie was inducted into the Sachem Athletic Hall of Fame earlier this month.

LaPrarie Sr. was born in Bay Shore in 1963, and his family later moved to Farmingville. He graduated from Rutgers with a bachelor’s degree in sports management and earned a masters’ degree at Stony Brook University.

After college, LaPrarie became an accomplished flag football player. He won acclaim from teammates and opponents as a talented quarterback in the men’s Long Island Flag Football League, where he led the Park Bench and Main Event Titans to numerous national and Long Island championships, including three titles played at Giants Stadium.

LaPrarie continued to represent Rutgers as an annual speaker at the Suffolk County Football Coaches Association dinner, honoring the top team in the county with the Rutgers Trophy.

“He was the heartbeat of the LaPrarie family,” said his brother-in-law Scott King of Holbrook. “Whenever someone needed something, they could count on Jacque.”

To pay for schooling, LaPrarie also worked as a bartender at the Park Bench, Planet Dublin, Tiki Bar and most recently on summer weekends at Dublin Deck.

“A legendary bartender, which helped him get his master’s degree,” Dellecave said. “He was a people person — a conversationalist — but better yet a great listener. He was so easy going and people felt so comfortable talking to him.”

He is survived by his mother, Rosemary LaPrarie, of Farmingville, daughters Dana Maselli of Greenlawn and Jenny Pawluk of Holbrook, and three sisters, Jeannine LaPrarie of Rocky Point, Laurette LaPrarie of Farmingville and Michelle King of Holbrook, and four grandchildren.

Visitation will be Sunday, Dec. 29, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Branch Funeral Home on 2115 Jericho Turnpike in Commack. A mass will commence on Monday, Dec. 30, at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph’s RC Church on 59 Church Street in Kings Park.