Over the course of his lengthy coaching career, John Savage has called his fair share of team meetings to order. But last week, he sat with a group of Mamaroneck field hockey players, not to explain a new offseason conditioning program or outline expectations for the upcoming fall, but to announce his retirement and thank his charges for all of their hard work throughout the years.
Savage’s decision to retire after 26 years at the helm of the Tigers’ program was a difficult one, explained the longtime educator, but was also a move he was ultimately ready to make.
“I met with the girls on April 26 and there were some sad faces, a few tears here and there, but that was short-lived, ultimately,” said Savage. “They told me they understood and I think they knew that it was time.”
Savage was appointed to coach the modified field hockey team at Mamaroneck High School by then-Athletic Director Rick Amundson in 1994 and assumed the head coaching role on the varsity level two years later. Although Savage admits that he didn’t posses a great knowledge of the sport from the outset, he credits his drive—and help from more experienced coaches including Pelham’s Sue Hughes—with helping him to settle into his new role. Savage
“Rick [Amundson] told me that I was the right type of guy for the position and I’ve always taken it upon myself to be the best at anything I do, so I came into coaching field hockey determined to learn,” said Savage. “After about five years I felt I had a grasp of the system and then it took another two or three to really feel like I was a varsity coach.”
As Savage grew into his role, the Tiger program rose in prominence, becoming a perennial powerhouse in Section I and New York State. During his tenure, Mamaroneck captured 17 Section I championships and three state titles—winning plaques in 2004, 2014, and 2015. But Savage admits that as the years went on, winning became less of a focal point of his coaching style as he embraced new philosophies that helped him grow closer to his players.
“I’d say it really changed for me over the last three years or so; I’ve become more child-centered as opposed to ‘let’s win the game’ centered, and that’s been a great thing,” he said. “This past year, we won the section, went to the state semifinals where we lost 1-0 and I had the best time of my life with this group.”
Savage admitted that he had been mulling retirement for the past few years, citing a desire to spend more time with his family—which includes his two daughters and five grandchildren—and travel with his wife, Barbara. But in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, which brought a screeching halt to world travel, the he opted to continue coaching. The team’s success this past fall helped Savage realize that perhaps now was the right time to step away, he explained.
“If not for the pandemic, I would have retired a little earlier, but when it hit, we weren’t traveling and I decided to stick with it,” said Savage. “And I wasn’t decided until this year, when I got to coach this group of young ladies who were some of the nicest that I’ve had; we had a great year, I coached the way I wanted to, and they played the way we wanted to. That’s the kind of team you want to go out coaching.”
With Savage’s departure, Mamaroneck will have to look for a new coach for the first time in nearly 30 years, although Savage said he hopes his longtime assistant Trish Miller will be asked to step into the coaching vacancy.
“Trish Miller is a big reason that this program has had the success we’ve had, and I strongly hope that she’ll be given the varsity job,” said Savage. “Sometimes administrators will go looking for [someone new], but I firmly believe she deserves it.”
But matters of succession aside, Savage said, he’s simply happy to look back on his storied career at Mamaroneck and reflect on the successes—both athletic and personal—that have shaped his time with the district.
“I want to thank my family, who gave me the chance to do something I love, I want to thank Trish and my coaches who have really been a team over the years, and I want to thank all of the girls who have let me a part of their lives over the last 26 years,” he said. “In the end, it wasn’t about the winning as much as it was about the relationships I built with people inside and around the program.”
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