FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – The cars and trucks paraded by Brian McNamara’s home for a full hour on Sunday. Their passengers hung out the windows, waving signs and yelling encouragement.“You got this coach,” one sign read.“We love you coach,” read another.“Beat cancer Coach Mac!” read yet another.Thousands of well-wishers participated in this drive-by rally for McNamara, a 44-year-old father of five who has spent his adult life as a high school history teacher and football coach, as he prepares to undergo intensive treatment for a rare and aggressive head and neck cancer.“They (doctors) gave me a 50-50 shot at beating this, but all I thought was, well, I’m going to be in the 50 percent that beats this,” McNamara said Sunday, shortly after the motorcade finished passing his Freehold Township home. “I thought of it as me fighting this for my family. Seeing all these people show up, now I have more people to fight for. It makes it easier.”This is a story about a teacher and a coach who’s made a difference in a lot of young lives. And now, in his hour of need, a couple of generations’ worth of them are returning the favor.'Win the inch, win the day'McNamara, who played football at Middletown High School South, began teaching history and coaching football at Brick Township High School right after college. He became Brick’s defensive coordinator before joining the gridiron program at Freehold Township High School, where his 17-year-old son Jake plays, this past fall and serving as linebackers coach.As the season wound down in November, McNamara felt a cold come on. It kept getting worse, and he thought it was a sinus infection he couldn’t shake. Then his face went numb and his vision blurred.“The kind of cancer he has, they don’t have a lot of data for,” wife Jodi McNamara said. “We have this one shot to come at it fast and hope we can get it away and keep it away.”The first round of chemotherapy is in the books. On Dec. 26, McNamara reports to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York for a three-week stay that will include radiation twice a day and more chemotherapy.“It’s going to be brutal, but he wants to fight,” Jodi McNamara said.As a coach, one of Brian’s mantras is “win the inch, win the day.” He was reminded of that multiple times Sunday.“He tells the kids all the time: You have to work hard even when you don’t know the outcome,” Jodi McNamara said. “Now he’s living what he taught the kids all these years.”An eye-opening experienceThe communities of Brick and Freehold Township responded to the diagnosis immediately, raising $51,000 and counting for the McNamaras through a GoFundMe campaign. Then Len Zdanowicz, who was the longtime head football coach at Brick, took an extra step, organizing Sunday’s drive-by rally. Because McNamara’s immune system is too vulnerable right now for a lot of up-close interaction, he and Jodi and their kids stood in front of their home as the procession passed.“It was really something awesome to see; I got choked up seeing it,” Zdanowicz said. “It shows he’s had a major impact with so many kids over the years.”The wide range of the motorcade's participants told the story. There were guys who played football at Brick 20 years ago. There were members of the Brick girls lacrosse team McNamara helped coach for one season. There were history students, past and present. There were fellow teachers, members of the Shore Conference’s football community, parents of players past and present. There were friends from college. There were police cars, fire trucks and first-aid vehicles.“I’m not an emotional guy, but seeing everyone come out from Freehold and Brick, it was humbling,” Brian McNamara said. “This is all emotional support. They know things are going to be tough, but as everyone said, I have an army behind me. The army showed up.”They didn’t just drive by, either. They dropped off soup, cookies and gift cards. They displayed banners signed with all manner of motivational messages.“Don’t know where I would be without you,” one former player wrote. “You made me the man I am today. Keep fightin’ coach!”Local eateries Bagel Nook, La Dolce Bakery, Dunkin Donuts and Nothing Bundt Cakes donated food and drinks for parade participants.“It takes a village and these two villages, Brick and Freehold Township, have stepped up and are continuing to step up for us,” Jodi McNamara said.It was an eye-opening experience, to say the least.“I always knew who Brian was – he is the most selfless, strongest man I’ve ever met – but I don’t know if Brian knew that,” Jodi McNamara said. “This has shown Brian what people really think of him. He has students, freshmen, donating $5 to the GoFundMe. Students he had 20 years ago are reaching out to us. He’s just that guy, and I’m happy that he finally sees how people see him – because that’s who he is.”In the bigger picture, this outpouring is a reminder of the impact a good educator can have on society.“Being a teacher and a coach, you don’t know how you affect kids until they’ve got to show it, and sometimes they show it in your darkest times,” Zdanaowicz said. “Right now it’s a dark time for Brian, he’s got a battle and he’s got to fight for his life, but he knows there are a couple of thousand people in his corner, so that just makes you fight a little bit more.”As Brian McNamara heads into the next phase of treatment, he’s bringing that motorcade with him. As one former player reminded him Sunday: “You always taught us to fight – now it’s your turn to fight.”To contribute to the GoFundMe campaign for the McNamara family, visit www.GoFundMe.com and search for "Help Fund Brian McNamara aka 'Coach Mac' Medical Costs."Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

School rallies for Freehold teacher, football coach with cancer

“I’m not an emotional guy, but seeing everyone come out from Freehold and Brick, it was humbling,” Brian McNamara said. “This is all emotional support. They know things are going to be tough, but as everyone said, I have an army behind me. The army showed up.”To contribute to the GoFundMe campaign for the McNamara […]

“I’m not an emotional guy, but seeing everyone come out from Freehold and Brick, it was humbling,” Brian McNamara said. “This is all emotional support. They know things are going to be tough, but as everyone said, I have an army behind me. The army showed up.”To contribute to the GoFundMe campaign for the McNamara family, visit www.GoFundMe.com and search for “Help Fund Brian McNamara aka ‘Coach Mac’ Medical Costs.”“We love you coach,” read another.Thousands of well-wishers participated in this drive-by rally for McNamara, a 44-year-old father of five who has spent his adult life as a high school history teacher and football coach, as he prepares to undergo intensive treatment for a rare and aggressive head and neck cancer.“Beat cancer Coach Mac!” read yet another.

Freehold Township teacher and coach Brian McNamara (left) and his wife Jodi along with their daughter Mia wave to well wishers as a drive-by rally procession of cars pass in front of their home on Sunday, Dec. 22. Brian is battling advanced cancer.

In the bigger picture, this outpouring is a reminder of the impact a good educator can have on society.This is a story about a teacher and a coach who’s made a difference in a lot of young lives. And now, in his hour of need, a couple of generations’ worth of them are returning the favor.’Win the inch, win the day’McNamara, who played football at Middletown High School South, began teaching history and coaching football at Brick Township High School right after college. He became Brick’s defensive coordinator before joining the gridiron program at Freehold Township High School, where his 17-year-old son Jake plays, this past fall and serving as linebackers coach.As the season wound down in November, McNamara felt a cold come on. It kept getting worse, and he thought it was a sinus infection he couldn’t shake. Then his face went numb and his vision blurred.“The kind of cancer he has, they don’t have a lot of data for,” wife Jodi McNamara said. “We have this one shot to come at it fast and hope we can get it away and keep it away.”The first round of chemotherapy is in the books. On Dec. 26, McNamara reports to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York for a three-week stay that will include radiation twice a day and more chemotherapy.“It’s going to be brutal, but he wants to fight,” Jodi McNamara said.As a coach, one of Brian’s mantras is “win the inch, win the day.” He was reminded of that multiple times Sunday.“He tells the kids all the time: You have to work hard even when you don’t know the outcome,” Jodi McNamara said. “Now he’s living what he taught the kids all these years.”An eye-opening experienceThe communities of Brick and Freehold Township responded to the diagnosis immediately, raising $51,000 and counting for the McNamaras through a GoFundMe campaign. Then Len Zdanowicz, who was the longtime head football coach at Brick, took an extra step, organizing Sunday’s drive-by rally. Because McNamara’s immune system is too vulnerable right now for a lot of up-close interaction, he and Jodi and their kids stood in front of their home as the procession passed.

As Brian McNamara heads into the next phase of treatment, he’s bringing that motorcade with him. As one former player reminded him Sunday: “You always taught us to fight – now it’s your turn to fight.”“It was really something awesome to see; I got choked up seeing it,” Zdanowicz said. “It shows he’s had a major impact with so many kids over the years.”

Freehold Township teacher and coach Brian McNamara wave to well wishers as a drive-by rally procession of cars pass in front of their home on Sunday, Dec. 22. Brian is battling advanced cancer.

The wide range of the motorcade’s participants told the story. There were guys who played football at Brick 20 years ago. There were members of the Brick girls lacrosse team McNamara helped coach for one season. There were history students, past and present. There were fellow teachers, members of the Shore Conference’s football community, parents of players past and present. There were friends from college. There were police cars, fire trucks and first-aid vehicles.“It takes a village and these two villages, Brick and Freehold Township, have stepped up and are continuing to step up for us,” Jodi McNamara said.

Local eateries Bagel Nook, La Dolce Bakery, Dunkin Donuts and Nothing Bundt Cakes donated food and drinks for parade participants.Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.They didn’t just drive by, either. They dropped off soup, cookies and gift cards. They displayed banners signed with all manner of motivational messages.“Don’t know where I would be without you,” one former player wrote. “You made me the man I am today. Keep fightin’ coach!”“You got this coach,” one sign read.

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – The cars and trucks paraded by Brian McNamara’s home for a full hour on Sunday. Their passengers hung out the windows, waving signs and yelling encouragement.“I always knew who Brian was – he is the most selfless, strongest man I’ve ever met – but I don’t know if Brian knew that,” Jodi McNamara said. “This has shown Brian what people really think of him. He has students, freshmen, donating to the GoFundMe. Students he had 20 years ago are reaching out to us. He’s just that guy, and I’m happy that he finally sees how people see him – because that’s who he is.”“Being a teacher and a coach, you don’t know how you affect kids until they’ve got to show it, and sometimes they show it in your darkest times,” Zdanaowicz said. “Right now it’s a dark time for Brian, he’s got a battle and he’s got to fight for his life, but he knows there are a couple of thousand people in his corner, so that just makes you fight a little bit more.”It was an eye-opening experience, to say the least.“They (doctors) gave me a 50-50 shot at beating this, but all I thought was, well, I’m going to be in the 50 percent that beats this,” McNamara said Sunday, shortly after the motorcade finished passing his Freehold Township home. “I thought of it as me fighting this for my family. Seeing all these people show up, now I have more people to fight for. It makes it easier.”