Father Joseph Capella, rector of Camden Catholic High School, blesses the Dulczak Family Field prior to the football game Sept. 17. (Mark Zimmaro)
John Dulczak wants Camden Catholic High School students to always have the experience he never had.
The 1997 graduate, who played football in Irish green, had to travel on game day, even if Camden Catholic was technically the host team.
“We used to play in Farnham Park in Camden,” said Dulczak, who wore number 55 for the Irish. “We’d have three games there, and the rest would be on the road. [Camden Catholic] had the field done the next year.”
Since then, Camden Catholic’s home field has provided football players, cheerleaders, band members, parents and fans memorable Friday nights under the lights. Dulczak, who now serves as the school’s assistant football coach, wanted to ensure those memories would continue.
The existing artificial turf, which was installed in 2009, was badly in need of replacement and was on the verge of being deemed too dangerous for sports, so Dulczak decided to donate the money to install a new $300,000 turf surface, along with a new scoreboard. The school honored Dulczak with a field dedication ceremony Sept. 17 and named the complex the Dulczak Family Field. It began hosting Camden Catholic athletics this fall, after its completion in the summer.
“[Camden Catholic] gave me a great foundation, and I’m blessed to be successful today that I could give back,” said Dulczak, a Cherry Hill resident and co-founder and CEO of Labor First in Mount Laurel. “Now, the next generation of kids can continue playing on this field. It’s a special thing to be out here on a Friday night. It’s something that you never forget.”
Football isn’t the only sport that benefits. Aside from serving as the gridiron, Camden Catholic utilizes the field for boys and girls soccer and lacrosse, as well as field hockey. It also is used for gym classes, freshman orientation and other school activities.
“It’s so generous and kind, but it doesn’t only affect the football team,” athletics director Sam Hardy said. “This is great for the school, every sport, and the camaraderie.”
For some sports like field hockey, a turf field is a deal-breaker when it comes to recruiting athletes. “My mom went to Holy Cross [Delran], and I originally wanted to go there,” said senior field hockey player Emily Gallagher. “But they play on grass, and my mom said I would need to play on turf if I wanted to play in college.”
On the night of the field dedication, several of Dulczak’s former teammates joined him and his family to cut the ribbon after the field received a blessing from Father Joseph Capella, the high school’s rector. The donation and the field were symbolic of the strong traditions built at Camden Catholic.
“It says a lot about the legacy and the tradition and how the four years spent here last a lifetime,” Hardy said.