Jacque LaPrarie, a Hall of Fame quarterback at Sachem hailed as one of the best flag football players in Long Island history, died suddenly this week. He was 61.
Only a few quarterbacks to go through Sachem over the last 65 years have garnered high praise, like LaPrarie. After a stellar senior year, he graduated from Sachem in 1981 as the Team’s MVP and Offensive MVP. He was All-Long Island, All-State, and Adidas Honorable Mention All-American. As a junior, he was a starting safety on Sachem’s 1979 Suffolk County championship team that beat West Islip.
“He was a stud and all over the place in that game,” said legendary Sachem football coach Fred Fusaro. “As a safety, he played like a linebacker and was ferocious.”
For his efforts and athletic prowess, LaPrarie was inducted into the Sachem Athletic Hall of Fame on Dec. 14, 2024, just nine days before his death.
Rich Cimini, who covered Sachem Football for the Sachem Harbinger as its editor-in-chief in 1980 and has covered the New York Jets for more than 30 years, spoke about LaPrarie in a history book written about the football program in 2008.
“He was so much better than everybody,” Cimini said. “It was kind of a one-man show.”
He was also a two-year varsity baseball player before he was accepted on a football scholarship to Rutgers, where he started two years as a quarterback and two years as a safety. He had more than 2,500 passing yards in his two years as a starter.
In 1984, he was honored with the inaugural Loyal Knight Award, presented to a Rutgers player who distinguished himself by sacrificing personal goals for the team and whose character and dedication have proved resilient in pursuing excellence. He continued to represent Rutgers proudly as an annual fixture at the Suffolk County Football Coaches Association dinner, presenting the Rutgers Trophy to the top team in the county.
Fusaro said that’s exactly the type of person and player LaPrarie was when he met him in the late 1970s.
“He was just a genuine, humble guy,” Fusaro said. “Jacque was a true gentleman. He went about his business and worked hard. He was an incredible athlete, but the thing that will always stand out in my mind is his humility.”
Fusaro recalls LaPrarie rolling wheel barrels full of cement to pour concrete slabs on Sachem’s weight room floor. Half the room had a dirt floor from what was originally outfitted as a rifle range before Fusaro remodeled.
“That’s the type of person he was,” Fusaro said. “Always helping.”
At the 1992 Sachem football alumni game, LaPrarie had a monster game that still captures the memories of several generations of former players. He did it again in 2007.
Speaking for a history book about Sachem football, alum and longtime coach Ron Chirichella said LaPrarie “was like John Elway out there.”
Following his college football career, there was no rust in his game. He became legendary in the Long Island Flag Football League, winning several national championships. Nearly 20 years into his flag career, he was still being referred to as “the best out there” by league officials.
“He threw the ball better when he was 40 than in high school,” Fusaro said, laughing.
LaPrarie was a physical education teacher at Tackan Elementary School and a football coach at Smithtown High School West.
He is survived by his wife Cynthia and children Dana, Jenny, and Jacque Jr. Instead of flowers, family and friends are being asked to donate to Jacque Jr.’s college fund. He is a sophomore wide receiver at Stony Brook and will transfer to play at Cortland next season.
Services will be held on Sunday, December 29, from 2-6 p.m. at Branch Funeral Home of Commack on Jericho Turnpike. A mass will be held on Monday, December 30, at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Church in Kings Park.
