Hasbrouck Heights hires football coach with deep North Jersey roots

Eddie Suri figures he’s one-for-one, and it’s one he intends to keep.

The 43-year-old veteran assistant was approved as the next head football coach at Hasbrouck Heights by the district’s Board of Education on Thursday night. It’s his first head coaching job after stints at multiple North Jersey schools as an assistant, most recently at Westwood.

“I live in Hasbrouck Heights, my wife graduated from Heights, it’s one of the towns where they love athletics, they love football,” Suri said. “This is the situation I was looking for. I wanted the closest thing to Westwood I could find. I am one-for-one. This is the only head coaching job I ever put in for.”

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Suri was an All-Conference quarterback/defensive back at Elmwood Park before graduating in 1999. He then attended Montclair State, where he continued his football career.

Inspired by coach John DePalma, Suri knew he wanted to be a coach coming out of school. He started with Rutherford, working with the wide receivers and defensive backs, then latched on with Roger Kotlarz at Becton in 2007.

That Wildcats staff included Suri (now at Hasbrouck Heights), Nick Campanile (head coach at DePaul) Adam Baeira (head coach at Ramsey) and Tom Mulligan (head coach at Elmwood Park).

Suri followed Kotlarz first to Dover and then to Wayne Valley and was the offensive coordinator there from 2014-2017.

“Coach Suri and I have known each other for a long time,” Kotlarz said. “He brings great passion and work ethic each day and his football acumen is fantastic. His offensive scheme is always cutting edge and his units are always well-prepared. Hasbrouck Heights is in good hands, they’re getting a phenomenal coach and person.”

After taking a year off after the birth of his son Charles, Suri found a home at Westwood, working under Dennis Hard and then Bobby Guy. Last year, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Cardinals. Westwood went 13-0 and won the Group 2 state title.

Eddie Suri, second from left, with his daughter Margaux, son Charles and wife Nina. Suri was named new head football coach at Hasbrouck Heights Thursday night. He has been a coach in the Hasbrouck Heights youth program.

Suri said leaving Westwood is difficult and admitted he was emotional when he let Guy know he was moving on, but he feels like it’s time to take the next step.

“I think at the end of the day, I put my time in, I held various positions,” Suri said. “I know what it’s supposed to look like and I learned from some amazing coaches. You’re never fully ready, but I definitely know what it’s supposed to look like and I think I will get it there.”

The Aviators have long been a Group 1 and North Jersey Interscholastic Conference power. Suri takes over for Brian Ille, who went 18-12 in three years with the program. Hasbrouck Heights went 7-3 last season and lost to Hawthorne in the sectional semifinals.

“It’s a town where they love football. It’s a great place,” Suri said. “You sit down and talk to anyone from Heights and they know how important football is here. This is the situation I was looking for. There is no other job that I want.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Hasbrouck Heights hires football coach with deep North Jersey roots