Love of mentoring students leads P.J. Cauley to Lancaster sidelines

Former Hamburg athletic director joins Legends coaching staff after two years as broadcaster

LANCASTER — P.J. Cauley wasn’t involved in the day-to-day of high school athletics once he turned in his keys as athletic director at Hamburg two years ago. But the fire to play a role, in some fashion, kept burning 30 years since his career in high school athletics began.

  Energy and experience around athletics helped Cauley transition to a football and basketball color commentator for WNY Athletics broadcasts and Buffalo Toronto Public Media’s “Friday Night Lights” series. But the door to stand on the sidelines and return to coaching wasn’t fully closed to Cauley if the logistics made sense.

         After finalizing details with head coach and athletic director Eric Rupp in April, Cauley will serve as the varsity defensive backs and special teams coach at Lancaster High School. Cauley agreed to join the Legends staff came after having initial conversations with multiple schools for assistant coaching roles for football and basketball in Western New York in January.

         “I still think I have something to contribute and help,” Cauley, 58, said. “And all I want to do is be a great mentor to these kids, be a great teammate to the coaching staff and really work on what they want taught to these guys. I think I can help in that way, I really do.”

         The opening on the Legends’ defensive coaching staff came after a personnel move in the offseason. Thirty-three-year assistant Brian Wild moved to quarterbacks coach, a job held by Sean Bruso, before he accepted a coaching and school counseling role in the Rome City School District in Georgia starting in August.

         Cauley didn’t seek a return to being the head coach of a program, even though he had 11 years of experience leading Hamburg’s varsity boys basketball team and was a head coach for varsity football from 2013 to 2015. Instead, Cauley was looking for the right fit, with culture and tradition both in-tact, and return to his role of assistant, similar to what he provided for the Bulldogs in his final years before retiring.

         Lancaster checks both the culture and tradition boxes, having only four head coaches since Joe Foyle took over the program in 1961. Since Rupp took over the varsity reins in 2016, the Legends have won 82 of 97 games — an .845 winning percentage — clinched five Section VI championships, reached four Far West regional games and were Class AA state runners-up in 2017.

         Cauley’s first full offseason with the Legends will pick up over the summer, with the first day of practice set for Aug. 18. But Cauley’s approach towards the Legends and returning to coaching overall changed once he began his broadcasting career.

         Cauley commentated six Lancaster football games in his two years with BTPM’s “Friday Night Lights” series, including its 28-21 victory over Jamestown in the Class AA championship game on Nov. 15 at Highmark Stadium. In his role, Cauley attended practices across Western New York to gain greater insight and build relationships with players and coaching staffs, including at Lancaster.

         As Hamburg’s athletic director, Cauley only visited his own school’s practices. But, with his previous experiences visiting Lancaster the last two years, Cauley was able to see how the coaches and players operated together before joining the staff.

         “Some of the kids really knew me as a broadcaster, like, ‘Oh, he’s the guy that broadcast the game,’” Cauley said. “They may have no knowledge of my history in athletics here in Section VI other than that, but I’m getting to know some of them at the weight workouts that they have. … There’s a nice solid group of young men in there every other day in their fitness facility doing a really good job. It’s been really, really fun.”

         Long before their initial conversation in April, Rupp had a good rapport with Cauley.

Since Rupp succeeded Wild as Lancaster’s athletic director four years ago, Cauley would visit with him at monthly ECIC meetings and at the annual Kensington Lions All-Star Game honoring graduating seniors.

“As a varsity head coach and athletic director, your number one priority is always to surround kids with great role models,” Rupp said. “Pat will be that. He’s a high energy guy with a wealth of knowledge, and his experience will pay dividends for our kids.”

Before his teaching and administration career, Cauley was a student-athlete at Sweet Home and graduated in 1984. A 2018 inductee into the school’s Distinguished Alumni Wall of Fame, Cauley helped the Panthers win Class A state championships in baseball (1983) and basketball (1984) and was a member of their football team.

         Cauley confirmed he will continue as a color commentator for broadcasts with WNY Athletics and Buffalo Toronto Public Media when his coaching schedule allows.

Lancaster begins its season against McKinley at 7 p.m. Sept. 5 at All-High Stadium in Buffalo.