To those who knew him well, Joe Steinhardt, Sr. was in a class by himself.

He was a renowned and revered baseball coach at Washington High School (and Warren Hills Regional High School) for many years, leading his teams to nine state championships and an overall outstanding record of 494 wins and only 251 losses. He coached baseball from 1936 to 1976 and is arguably the greatest coach in Washington/Warren Hills history. He was a favorite of students not only as a coach but as a teacher. He is clearly a hands-down choice to be inducted into the Warren County Hall of Fame. And he will be on Saturday Nov. 6.  

Steinhardt, who passed away several years ago, is among seven inductees who this year will join dozens of others already in the Hall. Broadcaster and local volunteer Deirdre Bryant Worth, former Freeholder Rick Gardner, St. Luke’s Warren Campus President Scott R. Wolfe, Knowlton’s Frank William “Bill” Clifford, Brian Kathenes and Christine L. Rusin, both of Hope, will also be recognized as the Class of 2021.

Steinhardt was also a highly regarded football referee at the high school level, as well as on the college field where he was in stripes for many big games, including Army-Navy. On the high school level he also assigned referees and umpires for the Skyland Conference, sometimes a thankless task.

He was honored with the Raymie Award in 1997 from the Hunterdon/Warren Athletic Association for significant lifetime service. Appropriately a baseball field in Washington Borough is named after him.

Steinhardt was known for his sense of humor off and on the field! In one story, a football coach did not agree with a call Steinhardt made and called out, “You stink.” Unruffled, Steinhardt marched off 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct and yelled back, “How do I smell from here?”

Steinhardt also had compassion when it came to freshman and junior varsity football games. When a blowout was in motion, Steinhardt’s game clock watch never seemed to stop as those games were completed in “record times.”

Joseph Sr. joins an elite – and unique – group of Hall of Famers that is all in the family. He is the third Steinhardt to get the call, following Terry Steinhardt and Douglas Steinhardt.

In addition to the newest Hall of Famers, Giulia Grotenhuis, along with her husband Fred who has passed away, will receive the President’s Award for their commitment to balloon festivals at the Warren County Farmers’ Fair and at Warren Community College, which has raised money for the WCC Foundation and veteran projects. Also, Hackettstown Medical Center and St. Luke’s Warren Campus will be recognized for their overall ongoing efforts in the community, particularly during the COVID-19 crisis. 

Steinhardt and the other six inductees, as well as the special honorees, will be recognized at a gala dinner event at Hawk Pointe Golf Club on Saturday night, Nov. 6. The event, which is also a fundraiser for the College Foundation, includes musical entertainment. For tickets and other information about the event go to https://bit.ly/2021WCHOF or email samir@warren.edu.