Former Lakewood Cop Turned Cornhole Guy

So what do after retiring from a 26-year career as a police officer?  Many chose to stay involved in law enforcement in security-related or investigative work. That was clearly not the path for Jimmy Finnegan who spent 26 years with the Lakewood Police Department before retiring as a Lieutenant in December of 2019. Although he gave some thought to possibly doing something with security he fell into what has led to a second career…and one quite different.

Several years ago for a friend’s 50^th birthday he had purchased a cornhole set online and he personalized it with a Grey Goose decal.  While Finnegan liked the look he was not thrilled with the quality of the boards and later when his wife asked him to buy a set for her sister he decided to make one himself.  While he had to borrow most of the needed tools he was pretty satisfied with the finished product.

Those first couple of sets have led to a growing business and last year he made nearly 500 custom cornhole sets and is on pace to do about the same this year.  Finnigan, a/k/a “The Cornhole Guy NJ” uses imported 3/4 inch Baltic Birch Plywood but what makes his so special is the direct print process in which detailed and awesome graphics are placed directly on the wood.   He has done many sets for others in law enforcement but the list of themes is endless…pets, favorite alcoholic beverages, American flags, pro and college sports teams, beach scenes, even one depicting the famous movie poster of “Jaws.” Every board custom made to American Cornhole league standards and comes with eight cornhole bags.

To see photos of some of his designs and more you can visit him on Facebook or Instagram under “Cornhole Guy NJ.  They make for unique and very cool gifts for those who enjoy the popular lawn game.