Recent Highlights
1988
* Joe Sr. Camp begins in Englewood as Pro Scout School of Baseball. Joe Sr. employees his sons (Lawrence, Joe and Dan)
1988
*Pro Scout School camp moves to Waldwick
1993
*Pro Scout is dissolved and Joe Gilligan Sr. partners go separate ways.
1994
* June: Brothers Lar and Joe Gilligan form Proplayer Baseball Academy and expand on Joe Sr.’s idea of “Pro Scout School”.
* June : Private lessons begin.
* October : Move operations to an expansive facility in Moonachie
* December: Instructor Mike Carlsen and assistant Instructor Dan Gilligan are only staff brought from “Pro Scout School.”
1995
* January : Proplayers Winter Camp officially opened to the public
* July : Proplayers first summer baseball camp
1996
* April : April Indoor Camps is added to January through March Line up
* June 1: The new "Screaming Ball" logo is created and lasted until 2009
* August : Database Administration and Finance is computerized
* October : Introduction of new "specialty" clinics in infield, pitching and catching are added.
1997
* January : Academy of Proplayers Softball School is started
* June : Academy of Proplayers goes "online" with their first ISP
* June : Proplayers creates Akadema Baseball Products; a nationally recognized baseball product brand.
* November : new invoice system is created.
* December : in addition to Moonachie facility the Lyndhurst facility is added.
1998
* April : Proplayers launches their award winning web site and becomes the first baseball school in
Northern NJ on the web.
* August : Akadema Baseball Products are introduced to the public
* November : Dan Gilligan is promoted to Instructor
* December : "Hit Like a Pro Video" is released which is considered one of the best video by some of nations largest instructional video catalogs and web sites.
1999
* September : Proplayers consolidates their two winter facilities and relocates to Garfield, NJ
* October : Proplayers announces indoor November classes for the first time
* December : Dan Gilligan is announced as company's VP of Operations.
2000
* February : Akadema is spun off from Proplayers.
* May : Chicago White Sox owner selects Proplayers to run his summer clinic in Cooperstown
* August : Proplayers becomes the first baseball school in the nation to add videos to their web site.
* September : www.academypro.com becomes the official site of
Academy of Proplayers
2001
* November : Kris "Legend" Totten is hired as an instructor.
2002
* Coach Lawrence passes torch to Coach Dan Gilligan as Head Instructor.
* May: ProPlayers becomes workout facility for Mo Vaughn on his off days.
* July : Summer camp attendance is up 40%. Fastest growing segment of ProPlayers.
2003
* January : Paco Martin, former seven year Major League Players joins
Proplayers staff.
2004
* March 2004: Derek Hurley, Damon Ponce Deleon and Mike Basset join Academy of Proplayers
2005
* October : Keith Stamler joins staff full time as Manager.
* January : Dan Gilligan becomes a scout for the Cleveland Indians.
* January : Kris Totten departs Proplayers and becomes VP of sales for Akadema .
2006
* January: JJ Rodriquez, Timo Perez (both of the St. Louis Cardinals) make Proplayers their NJ
winter training facility.
* December: Private instruction is fastest growth segment for the year.
2007
* January: Saturday private instruction is provided in addition to weekday times shutting down the weekday camps.
* August: Proplayers announces 2007-2008 camp year will be last at the Garfield, NJ facility.
2008
* February: Marcos Agramonte, former Rangers organization player joins Proplayers.
* April: Proplayers moves to their new home in Hawthorne, NJ
2010
* November: Matt Hartwick , Montclair University Coach, joins company, becomes Director of Camps.
2011
* May: Former Ramapo College Coach, Matt Valenzano joins the company as Proplayers Sales.
* November: Matt Hartwick becomes the director of camps
2012
* October: Taylor Bargiacchi, former Newark Bears bullpen catcher joins Proplayers as an instructor.
* October: Luis Colon, Bergen Catholic coach, joins Proplayers as an instructor
2013
* January: Taylor Bargiacchi, becomes Director of Camps.
*
September Pro Edge Training (Dan Gillgan and Keith Stamler) is spun off from Proplayers.
2014
* January: Akadema Prospect team launched.
*
November: Lawrence Gilligan takes the helm as Head instructor after 11 year hiatus to coach his sons
2016
Akadema sells the Hawhtorne Property leased by Proplayer. Both companies move to Bloomingdale, NJ
Proplayers has been around for a long time.
Which camp location did you go to?
1988 Englewood, NJ
1989-1994Waldwick, NJ
1994-1999 Moonachie, NJ
1996-1999 Monachie, NJ & Lyndhurst, NJ
1999-2008 Garfield, NJ
2008-2016, Hawthorne, NJ
2016 & Beyond, Bloomingdale, NJ
