Photo Credit, J.B. Rose

We both played football and other sports for Paterson Central High School (CHS) "'way back when." In those days, Karpack and I - even I - were "jocks." I won't talk about my own sports career (which was OK but not great), but I do want to say something about my old pal, Karpack, one of the best atheletes I have ever seen.

John Karpack's exploits on the football field during the four years he played for CHS were spectacular. He played offensive (very offensive!) guard and was an excellent middle linebacker on defense. He was very aggressive, a highly effective blocker, and a "roving" linebacker who was "in" on almost all tackles all over the field. As linebacker, he was also a stellar defender against passes. He was often named "lineman of the week" and was - at the end of at least one of his playing years - "All-County" and "All-Conference" and was honored as CHS "outstanding lineman of the year."

Karpack was also locally famous for his athletic accomplishments outside of CHS. He played local sandlot/semi-pro football for years after high school and even later after his four-year stint in the U.S. Marine Corps. In those post-high school years, he played for a number of championship teams, including St. Michael's A.C., American Linoleum, the Haledon Hobarts, and the Dublin Colts. He played quarterback for the Hobarts and the Colts.

In the Paterson City Leagues, John Karpack also stood out in baseball (a home-run hitter and "Jackie Robinson"-style base-runner) and was - truly - a fantastic basketball player. I think that his 93 points in a single basketball game (!) still stands as a local record.

Karpack also drew press attention for such feats as swimming across a many-miles stretch of Lake Hopatcong and running 100 times around a Paterson city parking lot - approximately 25 miles (almost a marathon) - in three hours. That's very good "marathon time" for a 17-year-old kid with no special training in long-distance running. Actually, Karpack did not prepare at all for the run. He did it "on a bet" and "on the spot." (I was there on that occasion and witnessed his performance.)