Cusumano determined to follow in Nielsen’s footsteps
New head coach eager to get started
Photo provided by Len Cusumano
Len Cusumano, Pascack Valley’s newly-named head football coach, leads a practice.
There’s an old adage that “change is the only constant in life”. However, for the last fifteen years, this concept has been foreign to Pascack Valley football.
The team was coached by Craig Nielsen for fifteen seasons, seemingly an eternity in a business so prone to turnover. That is, until he stepped down on March 17 and was replaced by former assistant coach Len Cusumano nearly eight weeks later.
Cusumano was one of Nielsen’s longest tenured assistants, joining the staff in 2008. Last year, he got his moment in the spotlight serving as offensive coordinator, and the Indians subsequently averaged just over 29 points per game.
I knew all of the candidates were highly qualified.
— Len Cusumano
“I wanted to be considered for the position, but I knew all of the candidates were highly qualified,” Cusumano said. “I just gave the selection committee my full body of work and talked about my involvement over the last eight years.”
Ultimately, the selection committee chose him out of the five applicants that applied, two internal and three external.
Thoroughly aware of the pressure on him, Cusumano said that his background and experience have helped him prepare for this new role.
“You can’t go into anything scared,” he said. “I’ve taken bits and pieces from all of my previous coaches that I’ve worked and played under, including Craig Nielsen, so I have a good strong base.”
I’ve taken bits and pieces from all of my previous coaches that I’ve worked and played under.
— Len Cusumano
Under Nielsen, PV was known for its hard-nose style that featured a run-heavy offense and a defense anchored by its line. Cusumano has every intention of keeping that style intact.
“I definitely want to continue to play with the same grit and toughness, because it’s worked for so long,” said Cusumano. “Ideally I’d like to continue on the path to success, and that starts with the play on both sides of the ball.”
Success is a subjective term, and for Cusumano’s predecessor, it largely came down to wins and losses. Cusumano is also concerned with more than just the team’s record.
“I measure success on and off the field,” he said. “I want to make sure our guys play together and have fun, and be high character individuals.”
Cusumano will also continue to emphasize work ethic. Nielsen drilled work ethic into his players, and Cusumano has a similar message, though he was quick to say that wins are important.
“There’s no question about it we want to be successful in the conventional sense,” he said. “We still want to win.”
Cusumano recognized that getting those wins will be no easy task.
“Wins and losses come with hard work over time, and most importantly, the little things need to be done correctly,” he said. “Our players need to be involved in as many athletic endeavors as possible so they stay physically and mentally fit and remain disciplined.”
It’s an honor to even be mentioned in the same breath as Craig Nielsen.
— Len Cusumano
Academics and character are top priorities to Cusumano, who attended Passaic Valley High School and then Syracuse University. At Syracuse, he was a starter at tight end and earned a spot on the Big East All-Academic team four times.
“I grew up in a tight-knit community like [Pascack Valley] and took a lot of pride in playing for my high school,” he said. “I want to make sure our guys understand who they’re representing, and one of my favorite parts of the job is dealing with parents and the community.”
Cusumano is fully cognizant of the task ahead of him— maintaining the success of a perennial northern North Jersey powerhouse. Nielsen laid the foundation for continued success, and for that Cusumano is thankful and spoke incredibly highly of him.
“It was truly an honor to be on a staff led by a Bergen County legend,” he said. “It’s an honor to even be mentioned in the same breath as Craig Nielsen.”
