A Glen Rock Institution

The Glen Rock Athletic Club, which was founded in 1926 and incorporated in 1938, is one of Glen Rock’s oldest operating businesses and was originally purchased by a “group of guys who wanted a place to go."

Now outfitted with modern amenities such as free Wi-Fi, a large shuffleboard table, a pool table and multiple dartboards, the club has changed since its inception seven decades ago.

The original focus for the club was on the semi-pro baseball team , the Rockers,  that competed against surrounding towns. The team, which was created largely by the late Capt. John J. Faber, or “Mr. Baseball,” as everyone back then reportedly called him — his obituary in a newspaper clipping from the 1950s referred to him as "Glen Rock's Mr. Baseball." The team competed on Doremus Oval (now named John J. Faber Memorial Field) against the Midland Park Rangers, Allendale Allendalers, DuMuro Comets of Passaic, Newburgh Jewels and other teams in the neighboring areas.

Over the course of the Athletic Club’s semi-pro history, the team had former Yankees legend Whitey Ford and Midland Park native Johnny Vander Meer pitch for the team. In August 1951, Ford took time off from his duties with the U.S. Army in Fort Monmouth and pitched a shutout for the Rockers, striking out 17 hitters.

Larry Doby, the second African-American player to be signed to play in the major leagues and first to do so in the American League, played for the Rockers under Faber before Major League Baseball integrated minority players in 1946. Doby would enter the major leagues after a stint with the Athletic Club and go on to appear in seven All-Star games and place second in the 1954 MVP voting.

Today, the Glen Rock Athletic Club is a destination for local families who wish to gather and socialize. The GRAC holds many events designed to bring our community closer together. We also make regular donations to various organizations which benefit our children's education and athletic endeavors.