It’s almost hard to believe. A man who has been a lightning rod in this state for much of the past two decades -- first as the architect of the Rutgers football program, then as a nemesis/perpetual job candidate and finally now as the returning savior -- has never been No. 1 on our annual ranking of the most influential people in New Jersey sports.
Well, in the 13th year of the “Juice List,” that familiar name on this list has climbed to the top spot for the first time.
How does a coach who won three games last season get ranked so high? We’ll explain that in a minute. The list, as always, reflects the shifting landscape in our sports scene -- one that was especially turbulent a year after the COVID-19 pandemic led to schedule disruptions, empty stadiums and even canceled seasons.
There are eight newcomers to the list this year, including a new franchise quarterback for one of the state’s NFL teams, a pair of New Jersey born track stars hoping to win gold in Tokyo and the first-ever lacrosse entry.
First, as always, the ground rules:
We rank the coaches, athletes, politicians and executives who have the most power, influence or clout -- i.e., juice -- over sports in the state. They are not only the billionaires who own the professional franchises but the men and women who have a broad impact on the teams that are important to us on all levels.
This is a New Jersey list, so the big names from the teams in New York or Philadelphia, while important to many fans in our state, are not included. The definition of juice is subjective, of course, and we welcome your thoughts on names we missed. Drop us an email and let us know who else deserved to be mentioned.
And now, without further ado, here is the 2021 Juice List ...
25. Brian Brecht
A lacrosse coach? With juice? Brecht led Rutgers to its first NCAA Tournament win since 1990 this season when it defeated Lehigh in May and nearly to a stunning upset of No. 1 North Carolina to reach the sport’s Final Four. Is this a flash in the pan? Or the start of something? Brecht will have to replace most of his top players, including star brothers Colin and Connor Kirst, to prove it’s the latter. Last year: NR.
24. Caden Clark
The Red Bulls don’t have much hope of winning their first MLS Cup this season, but they’ll have one of the sport’s most electric young American players as a drawing card. Clark, an 18-year-old midfielder from Minnesota, is “exquisitely talented” according to ESPN, enough so that fans better catch a glimpse of him in Harrison while they can. He will move to European power RB Leipzig at the end of the season. Last year: NR.
23. Kalafer family
It was a bittersweet moment for the Somerset Patriots this spring when they played their first game as the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate. The moment confirmed the team’s strong place in baseball and the state, but it took place without longtime owner Steve Kalafer, who died this winter at 71. His sons, Josh and Jonathan, will continue to upgrade a stadium that has seen 7.5 million fans pass through its gates since 1999. Last year: NR.
22. Dennis Drazin
After Churchill Downs announced a two-year ban for controversial trainer Bob Baffert, Drazin --- the chairman and CEO the company that operates Monmouth Park -- announced that Baffert was welcome at the Haskell invitational. Right or wrong, Drazin’s influence in the horse racing and sports betting industry is still unmatched in New Jersey. Last year: NR.
New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes (86) moves the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period in Newark on Tuesay, Jan. 26, 2021.Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
21. Jack Hughes
The numbers didn’t show it, but Hughes -- the former No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft -- played like a franchise cornerstone for the Devils in his second season. He’ll have to take another significant step in his third year because this team’s rebuild depends on him becoming an elite player for the next decade and beyond. Oh, and it’s possible that the team will draft his brother, a defenseman named Luke, with the No. 4 overall pick this summer. Last year: NR.
20. C. Vivian Stringer
While other legendary basketball coaches are stepping away in their 70s, C. Vivian Stinger is armed with a new five-year contract and something to prove. The Hall of Fame coach hasn’t approached the kind of top-level success she had earlier in her career at Rutgers, and now the fiery icon will have to rebuild her current team in an era when player movement is high. It won’t be easy. Last year: 18.
19. Athing Mu
Remember that name, because the 19-year-old Trenton native has a chance to be one of the breakout American track and field stars at the Tokyo Olympics. The Texas A&M freshman already owns the collegiate record in the 400- and 800-meter runs, and her time in the 800 at the Olympic trials was the best in the world this year. Last year: NR.
18. Paul Sarlo
Perhaps more than any state legislator, Sarlo (D-Bergen) has used his influence as a state senator to make an impact in the world of sports -- most notably on the high school level. He is on the New Jersey State Interscholastic Association’s executive committee and has the ear of Gov. Phil Murphy on all issues that impact teenage athletes. He’s also comfortable calling the shots in a baseball dugout. Last year: NR.
17. Kevin Willard
The Seton Hall coach became just the 11th man to win 100 Big East basketball games last season, a list that includes legends such as Jim Boeheim and Jim Calhoun but doesn’t include P.J. Carlesimo, the man who set the standard for the Pirates. His program has become a model of consistency in South Orange. Last year: 15.
16. Robert Saleh
Saleh is the latest coach with a plan to lead the Jets back to the playoffs and seems to have the leadership qualities that his predecessor Adam Gase lacked. His first and most important task is putting rookie Zach Wilson in a position to succeed, because if Saleh fails to develop the young quarterback, he’ll join the long list of Jets coaches who couldn’t turn this woebegone franchise into a contender. Last year: NR.
15. Tom Fitzgerald
Are the Devils ever going to compete for a Stanley Cup again? Short answer: Not anytime soon. But Fitzgerald, in his second season calling the shots, has a blueprint to get this once-proud franchise back into contention and has assembled a promising young core that will at least keep the fans optimistic that better days are ahead. For now. Last year: 23.
14. Geo Baker
The Rutgers star threw his name into the NBA Draft hog pile before opting to return to Piscataway for a fifth season. That will give him a chance to cement his legacy as one of the most important basketball players in the university’s history -- one that is virtually guaranteed if he can lead the Scarlet Knights back to the NCAA Tournament despite several of his teammates heading elsewhere. Meanwhile, his activism on NIL rights has helped change the college sports landscape. Last year: 10.
BYU quarterback Zach Wilson, right, holds a team jersey with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after the New York Jets selected Wilson with the second pick in the first round of the NFL football draft Thursday April 29, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)AP
13. Zach Wilson
The No. 2 overall pick in this spring’s NFL Draft will be thrown into the fire immediately with the Jets, who only can hope he fares better than the quarterback he is replacing. The franchise gave up on Sam Darnold because of the potential Wilson flashed in his final college season, but the NFL is a huge step up from BYU. His first task: Winning over this tortured fan base with a productive rookie season. Last year: NR.
12. Colleen Maguire
Maguire, the executive director of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, navigated the COVID-19 landscape to make sure all of the state’s high school athletes had a chance to compete in the 2020-21 season. Now, with the world inching closer to normalcy, she can continue tackling the routine challenges -- the private/public divide, revenue generation, recruiting, etc. -- that have troubled the NJSIAA for years. Last year: 4.
11. Patrick Hobbs
Rutgers just completed what is easily its best overall season since joining the Big Ten with six teams reaching the NCAA Tournament and several smashing long postseason droughts in the process. Hobbs, the athletic director, hired many of the coaches and led the efforts to build most of the new facilities that are responsible for the success. Last year: 14.
10. Josh Harris/David Blitzer
If you’re counting at home, the Harris-Blitzer partnership has produced exactly one playoff win -- and that’s not a series, that’s a single game -- in its eight years owning the Devils. They demonstrated that their reservoir of patiences has a limit with leadership changes at GM and head coach, and the team has some promising young pieces in place. Still, it’s long past time for this duo to give the fans a winner. Last year: 10.
9. Dave Gettleman
This was the spring that introduced the football world to “Trader Dave.” Gettleman, after never trading back in the NFL Draft as general manager, made a series of big moves that will shape the team’s future during a busy offseason. The spending spree no doubt improved the Giants’ roster, but after a 6-10 finish in his third season in charge, the GM needs this team to make the playoffs to keep his job. Last year: 11.
8. Joe Douglas
Well, somebody has to turn the Jets into a contender sooner or later, right? (Gulp. Right?) It is still not known if Douglas will be the GM who ends this decade -- or, if you’re counting championships, half-century -- of futility. But the results, both in the NFL draft and free agency, are promising so far, even if the team looks like it’s still at least another year away with rookie quarterback Zach Wilson taking over. Last year: 23
7. Joe Judge
The Giants believe they have the coach who will lead their franchise for the next decade or longer, despite a 6-10 finish in his first season and some skepticism around the NFL. Judge is smart and likable, but his adaptability will determine his success in Year 2. Will his decision to stick with an offensive coordinator, in Jason Garrett, who hasn’t shown the creativity in the passing game be his undoing? Last year: 3.
6. Sydney McLaughlin
Ready for the Olympics? McLaughlin is. The Dunellen native, arguably New Jersey’s greatest high school athlete in a half century, will return to the world stage this month with a chance to become one of NBC’s darlings. Her entire track career has been building for this moment, which only increases the pressure as she attempts to win gold in the ultra competition 400-meter hurdles. If her performance at the Olympic trials is any indication, she is ready. Last year: NR.
Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell encourages his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against the Northwestern Wildcats Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021, in Piscataway, N.J. Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media
5. Steve Pikiell
The drought is over. Rutgers men’s basketball reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991 and won its first March Madness game since 1983, and the architect of the program deserves the most credit. The challenge, of course, will be sustaining that success at a time of unprecedented player movement in college sports -- including three of his own key players from last season. Last year: 7.
4. John Mara
The Giants co-owner took a glass-half-full approach with his team last season, using its promising 5-3 finish over the second half of the season as proof that the arrow is pointing up. He asked for fans to “stay patient,” but for a franchise without a playoff victory since its last Super Bowl title a decade ago, most of his paying customers are not likely to follow that request for very long if the team gets off to another poor start. Last year: 5.
3. Phil Murphy
The pandemic demonstrated the wide-ranging powers that New Jersey’s governor can wield in a crisis, and Phil Murphy’s decisions from Trenton determined when fans were allowed back to watch the teams they love. Now that things are almost back to normal, we’ll see if Murphy -- an avowed soccer fan -- continues to attend games around the state and flex his muscles when it comes to sports. Last year: 1.
2. Daniel Jones
It is not a stretch to say that New Jersey’s hopes for a relevant NFL season rests on his right arm this year. The Giants quarterback is entering a make-or-break third season armed with a full complement of weapons for the first time in his professional career. If he plays like the No. 6 overall draft pick is supposed to play, the Giants can end their playoff drought. If he doesn’t, there might be a house cleaning in East Rutherford again. Last year: 9.
1. Greg Schiano
Schiano took the broken Rutgers football program, and in a COVID shortened season last fall, made it relevant in the Big Ten again and did so well ahead of anyone’s schedule. Now, as he enters his second season back with the Scarlet Knights, he is in the process of building a top-10 recruiting class featuring a four-star quarterback from Kentucky and an offensive lineman who is the No. 1 player in the state. The hard part comes next: Navigating a difficult schedule and getting the Scarlet Knights back to a six-win plateau and the postseason. But it’s clear that the program has taken an important step back toward its heyday during his first go-around in Piscataway -- and, this time, with a much higher ceiling for what it can accomplish. Last year: 3.
Previous lists
Who has topped the ranking in the past? Here are the previous Juice Lists, with the person or people who were selected in the top slot:
2020: Gov. Phil Murphy
2019: NFL stars Saquon Barkley/Le’Veon Bell
2018: YOU (aka New Jersey fans)
2017: Giants star Odell Beckham Jr.
2016: Rutgers athletic director Patrick Hobbs.
2015: Giants star Odell Beckham Jr.
2014: Devils co-owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer
2013: Gov. Chris Christie
2012: Inspirational former Rutgers athlete Eric LeGrand
2011: Giants co-owner John Mara
2010: Gov. Chris Christie
2009: Former Gov. Richard Codey
Dropped off
Anthony Fauci (6)
Arella Guirantes (co-10)
Sam Darnold (13)
Jamal Adams (co-17)
Nico Hischier (19)
Adam Gase (20)
Rich Hansen (21)
Mollie Marcoux Samaan (22)
Shakur Stevenson (24)
Alyse LaHue (25)
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Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com.
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