Gerald A. Calabrese (February 4, 1925 – April 13, 2015) was an American politician who served as Mayor of Cliffside Park, New Jersey continuously for 50 years, from 1965 to 2015. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Earlier in life, Calabrese played in the NBA for two seasons with the Syracuse Nationals.

Biography

Calabrese was a graduate of Cliffside Park High School, where he led the school's team to the state basketball championship. After serving in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he attended St. John's University, where he was chosen for

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors. He went on to a professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

career with the Syracuse Nationals, predecessor to today's Philadelphia 76ers. Calabrese was elected to the Cliffside Park Borough Council in 1955, and then became mayor in 1959. He was re-elected as mayor in 1965 and served continuously as the borough's chief executive until his death in 2015. He was elected to the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 1975, 1978 and 1982, and was Freeholder Director in 1984. From 1960 until January 1991, Calabrese was employed by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, retiring as the director of water and sewage. He also served as chairman of the Bergen County Democratic Organization for multiple years. , Calabrese was the longest-serving mayor in the State of New Jersey. He secured hundreds of thousands of dollars, sometimes millions, every year for the borough of Cliffside Park and one of the longest-serving mayors in the United States. After 50 continuous years as mayor, Calabrese died on April 13, 2015, at the age of 90. He was succeeded as mayor by his son, Thomas Calabrese.

Career stats

NBA

Source

Regular season

=Playoffs

References

External links

Basketball-Reference.com: Gerry Calabrese
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calabrese, Gerald 1925 births 2015 deaths American athlete-politicians American men's basketball players Basketball players from Bergen County, New Jersey Cliffside Park High School alumni County commissioners in New Jersey Mayors of places in New Jersey New Jersey Democrats People from Cliffside Park, New Jersey St. John's Red Storm men's basketball players Syracuse Nationals draft picks Syracuse Nationals players Utica Pros players Wilkes-Barre Barons players Point guards United States Navy personnel of World War II 20th-century mayors of places in New Jersey 21st-century mayors of places in New Jersey