Jim McGlynn first came into prominence as a star athlete at Bethpage High School in the late 1960s. On the football field he was a quarterback and kick returner, while also earning County Champion and All-State honors as a sprinter. Legendary Bethpage football coach Howie Voigts said of McGlynn, "He was fast, but he was also the Oh No Kid. He would mess up a play, get into trouble, scramble out of it, and score." He later continued competing in both sports at Yankton State University. He was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame due to his performances there. McGlynn was the college roommate and teammate of late professional football player Lyle Alzado and many nights you could find him out with the Oakland Raiders.
As a bartender, Jim McGlynn was amazing. He was inducted into the Long Island Bartenders Hall of Fame in 1986. In his heyday, McGlynn would work five nights in five different bars and clubs, turning their slow nights into money makers. On his nights off he would ride in a limo with his entourage visiting his bartender friends. However, he always reigned as the star attraction wherever he was - doing magic tricks, telling jokes, and making drinks faster than any bartender on Long Island. He prided himself on ringing the most money in the register.
Newsday's Ed Lowe once wrote, "Seeing McGlynn was a mixed blessing. It was always by accident, but it was always in a good bar. It was entertaining and fun."
"If you were opening a new club, Jim McGlynn was the first guy you hired," said Rich Degnan, former owner of the Dakota Rose in Amityville. During his tenure, Jim worked at Ubie OTJ, Tabard Ale House, Chevy's, Coco's, St. James Infirmary, Neptune's Beach Club in the Hamptons, Neptune's in East Meadow, The Branding Iron, and The Dakota Rose just to name a few. For over twenty years, Jim would wear a Santa suit and have a Toys for Tots fundraiser the Monday before Christmas, donating all of his tips and the toys to families in need throughout the South Shore of Long Island.
It was through coaching that Jim McGlynn made his true mark. He started his coaching career at his alma mater, Bethpage High School in 1974, then moved onto Bay Shore H.S. in 1976. First he was the assistant of both the boys' and girls' teams, then in 1998 became the head boys' coach where his dual meet record was an astonishing 205-2, with a streak of 96 consecutive wins at one point in time. His 2003 Bay Shore boys' team ended the season ranked #1 in New York State. Most importantly, he coached kids to be great people.
After Bay Shore, he would have brief stints on the staffs of Lawrence and Syosset High Schools. The final stop on Jim's coaching odyssey came at East Meadow High School where he spent the last sixteen years guiding the boys' program from the worst team in Nassau County to a perennial powerhouse. Under Coach Mac's leadership, East Meadow won a total of twenty-two team championships, despite having none in school history before his takeover in 2007.
McGlynn also guided the way for numerous successful individual and relay efforts throughout his tenure at the Meadow. He coached five All-American relays (including three runner-up finishes), several All-State athletes, a Nassau County record-holder, and countless All-Conference and All-County honorees.
Jim also went back to his original roots, assisting once again with their girls' program beginning in 2019. This included ten more team championships and several County Championship athletes in the long, triple, and high jumps. The afternoon after he passed, the East Meadow Jets Girls' Cross-Country Team overcame the odds and won their Conference Championship as a single jet flew by overlooking the polo field.
Fellow long-time East Meadow coach Michael Ringhauser stated, "Without Jim McGlynn, East Meadow, Long Island track and field, and unlimited athletes' lives would have turned out much different. Coach Mac was the epitome of how much of a positive impact one person can instill in countless lives. He lived and breathed the sport and guided the lives of our athletes consistently towards greatness."
An Instagram post from the East Meadow Track & Field account this week highlighting what Coach Mac meant to their program has amassed over 1,000 likes and 50 comments from current athletes and alumni, showcasing the unbelievable and cherished impact he has had on their community and the sport that he dedicated his life to.
Back in 2010, Jim McGlynn told Ed Lowe, "I love bartending and I love coaching track and field." He was great at both
Jim McGlynn was raised in Bethpage as the son of James and Anne McGlynn (Gallagher). He is survived by his sister Anne Kublicki and brother Kevin McGlynn.
Services for Jimmy will be held on Sunday, October 8th from 4pm-8pm at Wagner Funeral Home (655 Old Country Road, Plainview). A church service will follow on Monday, October 9th at St. Martin of Tours RC Church (200 Central Avenue, Bethpage) starting at 11:15am.
Jimmy requested that his friends wear Hawaiian shirts to his wake and funeral.
The true endearing quality of Jimmy McGlynn is the never-ending stories he inspired. Everyone has at least one story that McGlynn was the cause of and all love to tell and hear them.
Longtime friend and coaching partner Rich Degnan said of McGlynn, "Whenever Jim McGlynn walked through the door, you knew it was going to be great, it was going to be fun, with the possibility of adventure. I can speak for all who knew him and say, 'I never had a bad time when Jimmy McGlynn was around.'"