By Rich Chrampanis
Shane Fallon is coming back to Ridge Road, but not to Rumson-Fair Haven. Fallon has been named the new head football coach at Red Bank Regional, replacing David Schuman who resigned last month after coaching the Bucs for two years. Fallon made the Rumson-Fair Haven program one of the Shore’s most consistent programs from 1998-2013, winning 106 games and starting a remarkable string of sectional titles. Following a five-year stint as Holmdel’s athletic director, Fallon returned to the sidelines last year as Neptune’s head football coach. Now he’s coming back to the area and a school that he has particularly strong ties with. Coach Fallon talked about his unique connection to Red Bank Regional and the excitement of taking over the Bucs.
TRT: People around the area know you for building the Rumson-Fair Haven football program into a state power but you do have strong ties to RBR. Can you tell us about that?
Fallon: I grew up as a child and teenager in Red Bank Regional’s gym and at their sporting events. My father, George Fallon, was the athletic director at RBR during the 1980s and 1990s. We lived in Rumson and I attended RFH for my high school years. I graduated from college and began coaching at RFH. I have many friends who are RBR alumni and lifelong friends who encouraged me to apply for this job. My wife Lisa and I are thrilled to be a part of the Red Bank Regional Family.
TRT: You made the transition from football coach to athletic director at Holmdel High then returned to the sidelines last year at Neptune. What made you decide to return to coaching?
Fallon: I enjoyed being an athletic director and met some great people at Holmdel. I missed the day-to-day interaction with the student-athletes at practices. I had been out of the coaching business for eight years prior to this past fall. I was interested in the Red Bank Regional vacancy a few years ago but there wasn’t a teaching job that went along with the coaching position so that never came to fruition. This time everything seemed to fall into place. The timing was right and the interview process was impressive. I felt the RBR administration had a clear vision for where they wanted to take all of their athletic programs and it aligned with how I viewed building a football program.
TRT: What is your first impression of your new program?
Fallon: I am meeting the players and parents on Monday, May 10 in the evening at RBR. I have been busy interviewing and assembling a coaching staff. I will be evaluating film from all three levels from last season to evaluate what players we have returning. We are putting together a summer calendar and plan for implementing our offensive and defensive systems. Those systems will be built around our talent level. Our job as a coaching staff is to develop our players on and off the playing field. I am looking forward to seeing our players work out this summer and developing relationships with them.
TRT: The Red Bank Regional football team has had success in recent years. What kind of potential do you see and what are the keys to building a consistent winner?
Fallon: RBR has a rich tradition of football. The community will support the program. Nick Giglio really provided stability and built the program during his tenure as a head coach. They were up and down the past two seasons. We are looking to increase our participation numbers and that will elevate competition in practice and make us better. We also will place a heavy emphasis on the weight training program year-round. In-season and out-of-season lifting is crucial. I am a big believer in multi sport athletes and want our players doing more than just football. There are no shortcuts in this process. Success is earned and takes time. We hope to see progress each week. Our players need to focus on themselves and us as a program. Our schedule is tough this upcoming fall. We need to worry about self improvement and our dedication to our teammates. The wins will eventually come once you develop a work ethic and positive culture. You have to get the players to buy into that vision. I am looking forward to the challenge and can’t wait to get started this summer.
The article originally appeared in the May 6 – 12, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
