Some knew him as James. Others Jimmy. Close friends knew him best as Ferdie.
But everyone knew him as a friend and someone who would do anything for anyone, and he would really go all out for young athletes.
James “Ferdie” Kauterman, who has spent the past 30 years as a football coach at Father Judge High School, passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 70.
On top of coaching various positions for the Crusaders, he became best known for the guy who ran the weight room.
But he didn’t do it just to make sure the Crusaders were the best team they could be, he wanted each and every one of the players who walked through the program to leave a better player, and person, than he was when he entered high school.
“If we haven’t met personally, you might be surprised to find out that I can’t follow what’s happening in a football game at any stage,” his son Jim said. “My father was an athlete, he trained future athletes. That was his fire, that was his passion. One time I sneezed so hard that I sprained my ribs. My dad loved me anyway. That’s who he was.
“He didn’t expect anything of me other than for me to unabashedly be myself and make no apologies for it.”
Kauterman, who graduated from North Catholic, loved the Crusaders and sports. And while they were very important to him, the most important part of his life was family. Sports might have been second, but it was a distant second.
His family includes his patient wife Dorothy (Stasen), his devoted children, Maria Watson (Gary), Stephanie Lash (Mark), James (Katie) and Kate Vessels (Louis), and beloved grandpop to Nicky, Joseph, Daniel, Sofia, Aubrey Quinn, and soon to be little Louie.
He is also survived by his brother Thomas, sister Mary, many nieces and nephews, and multiple athletes he mentored and coached the past 50 years. Jim was predeceased by his parents Blanche and Joseph Kauterman and his brothers Joseph and John.
“When I think of my dad, I think of all the times I sat with him while he struggled and how humble and selfless he truly was,” his daughter Kate said. “He never wanted anyone to help him or worry, especially our mother, who he loved so very much. I’ll never forget after he had his heart attack and was in the hospital — he was pretty delirious, and mom walked in his room, it was like he saw her for the first time again. He said how beautiful she was.
“He loved his grandchildren way more than he liked the four of us,” she continued with a laugh. “Sofia was his first granddaughter and he adored her. He loved spending time with her and hearing all about her cheerleading escapades. It breaks our hearts that we’ll never hear him say again, how are you beautiful to his granddaughters or calling one of their beloved nicknames like porky, screwy or buckwheat.”
If it was family, it was for Ferdie.
“I will miss my dad so much; going to Phillies games, giving him updates on the kids when he couldn’t make a game, our talks about the books we were reading,” his daughter Maria said. “Daddy was a voracious reader. I’ll miss our trips down the shore, bbqs and pool parties at my house and cheering on my Danny and Sofia.”
That’s not just how he was as a person, it’s also how he was as a coach.
According to Father Judge athletic director Tom Coyle, Kauterman was the perfect guy to have on your staff for the players and the other coaches. And Coyle would know as well as anyone. During his entire stint as Judge football coach, Kauterman was an assistant.
“He enjoyed being around likeminded people and coaches and administration who want to help children,” Coyle said. “And he would help any way he could. Financial investment? Let’s do it. Put in hard work and time? Let’s do it. Not just at Father Judge. He spent 50 years of his life making people’s lives better, preparing them for the future, college, college football and the life challenges that they’ll face as they move forward. He was a family man, hard-working man and a man of faith. He committed 50 years of his life to making people better. I’m proud to call him a friend.”
Kauterman was a staple in the Judge weight room because that was where kids went when they wanted to get better. And if they were going to put in the effort, so was he.
“Ferdie was no doubt a throwback to a different era of football coaching, yet he found a way to relate to and inspire the modern athlete,” said Jason Budd, major gifts officer at Judge. “Football could be a frustrating sport to get better at, but he showed athletes how critical an offseason was to their strength and speed progressions. Further, he was fond of working with and advocating for the team student managers. He worked them like players, and always made sure they were celebrated as such.
“A football season is typically 3-4 months long, while the offseason was 8-9 months. He knew that an on-the-field culture was created during the offseason in the weight room. I trust completely that his spirit and passion will echo through the McGonigal weight room for generations to come.”
It really didn’t matter who it was, if he could help, he would. And it’s why he was surrounded by so many great people.
“The majority of our dearest friends today are because of our dad,” his daughter Stephanie said. “He brought some of our favorite humans into our life because their parents were already his people. He knew someone everywhere we went. We could be out hours away from home and we would hear someone yell Ferdieeeeeee! Countless times I would meet someone and they would say your dad is a legend and I believed it.
“My dad was a legend, and I wanted him to live forever. Since his death I have seen and heard hundreds of people refer to him as a great man. How do you measure up to that?”
He leaves a lasting legacy of kindness. And he will be missed by all. But nobody was more important to him than family, and he made that known. And it was exactly why he fought so hard.
“Daddy gave it his all the past 10 years and I’m so thankful for the time we were afforded because of the success of those treatments but I honestly think that Daddy’s spirit and grit are what help propel him forward,” said Maria, who also credited Fox Chase Cancer Center for great treatment. “He didn’t get sad, he got mad, and he fought. Thank you Daddy.”
“I loved him dearly and will forever miss him madly,” his wife said. “My heart is broken forever.”
