jim fleischman - Coach

 Coach Fleischman came to Maryvale in 1969 after spending two years as a physical education teacher and assistant coach at Depew High School. While at Maryvale he taught physical education at all three levels (elementary, junior high and high school). He also was very involved with coaching Maryvale students in various athletic competitions. His coaching legacy started as an assistant junior varsity football coach from 1969 to 1971 with the 1970 junior varsity Flyers winning the junior varsity league championship. In 1970 he was named as an assistant swimming coach and held that position for two years. Also in 1970 he became an assistant track and field coach under Coach Don Hall. Coach Fleischman was responsible for coaching five of the field events (shot put, discus, pole vault, high jump and triple jump). By the time Coach Fleischman left coaching track and field in 1978, four of the school records in the events he was responsible for were held by athletes he coached and one of those records still stands to this day (discus throw). Coach Fleischman was named head varsity football coach in 1972 and served in that position until 1981. In 1982 and 1983 he coached the golf team at Maryvale where he had two golfers make the division all-star team and both finished in the top 10 in the sectional qualifier their senior year.

It is coaching football that Coach Fleischman is probably most remembered for. His 1972 varsity Flyers won the E.C.I.C. Division III championship and Coach Fleischman was named Coach of the Year. What he is most proud of though is that over the ten years he coached football, 24 of his former players went on to play college football. Four of these former Maryvale players were named captain of their college teams and three of these players have been inducted into their college’s athletic halls of fame. Coach Fleischman is also very proud of the fact that the Maryvale Flyers went undefeated for 9 straight years under his direction versus cross town rival Cleveland Hill. Two of Coach Fleischman’s players (Paul Lata and Dan Chrazanowski) were named first team All-Western New York All-Stars their senior year and Mike Barlow still holds the Western New York record for most field goals made in a game (3).

After leaving Maryvale in 1984, Coach Fleischman went into private business, during this time he was instrumental in starting a youth football program in Arcade. Coach Fleischman was elected chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arcade Lions Youth Football Program and also served as head coach of the Pee Wee (age 8 -10) Arcade Lions. He was name CCMFL Coach of the Year in 1985-86. In 1988 Coach Fleischman became an assistant varsity football coach at Pioneer Central H.S. and was responsible for coaching receivers and defensive backs. He remained at that position until 1994.

In 1994 former Buffalo Bills Head Coach, Lou Saban was hired at Alfred State College to start a football program at the college. Coach Saban hired Coach Fleischman to be his defensive coordinator in the late fall of 1994. Coach Saban and Coach Fleischman worked through the fall of 94 and spring of 95 recruiting, developing and implementing a football program to begin in the 1995 season. Coach Fleischman spent three years as a full-time assistant coach at Alfred State. Two of those years he was the defensive coordinator and the third year he was shifted to the offensive coordinator position.

Late in the fall of 1998 Coach Saban reached out to Coach Fleischman and asked him to leave Alfred State and join Coach Saban at SUNY Canton as his defensive coordinator. The move to Canton was a great success as the Northstars won the championship in the JUCO Northeastern Conference and the Canton defense finished the season ranked #1 nationally in pass defense and #3 in the nation in total defense. Coach Fleischman retired from college coaching after the championship season at Canton.

After a year off from football, the head coaching position at East Aurora H.S. became open and Coach Fleischman was named head coach at East Aurora for the 2001 season. Three years after taking the program over Coach Fleischman led them to their first non-losing season in eight years in 2003. Also in 2003 Coach Fleischman was asked to run for public office as a candidate for town supervisor and representative on the Wyoming County Board of Supervisors. He was elected to office in the November 2003 general election and at that point had to give up his coaching position at East Aurora.

Coach Fleischman served as Town of Java Supervisor and Wyoming County Board of Supervisors Representative for 10 years. During that time he chaired the County Planning Committee, the Marcellus Shale Sub-committee and was an Industrial Development Agency Board member.

To this day Coach Fleischman remains active in Western New York high school football. He is a scout and selection committee member for the Trench Trophy Award given out annually to the best high school lineman in WNY. He also remains active in the Western New York Football Coaches Association where he served as past president and former board member for the organization.

Over the years Coach Fleischman has received many awards. In 1972 he was named Division III High School Coach of the Year. He was inducted into the Cleveland Hill H.S. Hall of Fame as an athlete in 1996. In 2009 he received an award from then New York State Governor David Paterson for work involved with bringing the Wyoming County Rail Initiative to fruition. He was inducted into the Pioneer H.S. Hall of Fame in 2013 as one of the founders and chairman of the Friends of Pioneer Athletics organization, a support organization designed to help recognize Pioneer athletes and to help fund the athletic program. In 2014 Coach Fleischman received a New York State Senate Resolution of Commendation for service to the State of New York, Wyoming County and the Town of Java.

Coach Fleischman is married to the former Kathy Seelig and they will be celebrating 50 years of marriage this coming August 23rd. The Fleischman’s reside in Arcade, New York and have four adult children and 10 loving grandchildren. Now if full retirement Coach Fleischman plays golf as often as possible to help keep the competitive juices flowing.