John DiBiaso Ushers in New Era of CM Football
The former Everett head coach continues his legendary career here at CM this fall.
West Roxbury, Mass.— If three decades of coaching high school football taught him anything, then John DiBiaso knew what to expect during his first training camp at Catholic Memorial School last week.
His golden retriever, Lola, awaited him on the sideline. Michael Milo, his long-time assistant coach, yelled instruction at linemen. His team, regardless of its shade of red, displayed a zero in the loss column.
“Hey, every team starts the season undefeated,” said Coach DiBiaso, with a chuckle.
Some things never change for the 61-year-old. With his sense of humor well intact after leaving behind last year’s perfect season at Everett, Coach DiBiaso looks right at home in his third month on Baker Street.
“I’ve been inundated with emails, phone calls and people in the streets stopping me to say, ‘I went to Catholic Memorial,’” said Coach DiBiaso, who described his transition as seamless.
“I was accepted right away. Everyone, from students to faculty, met me with open arms.”
Coach DiBiaso began his head-coaching career at St. Patrick’s High School in 1982. At that time, St. Patrick’s total enrollment consisted of less than fifty boys according to Coach DiBiaso. After a brief stint at Weston High School, he took over the Everett football program and won 12 Super Bowls over a 26-year span.
He retired from the public school system last year. When deciding on where he wanted to end his coaching career, Coach DiBiaso and his wife kept his small Catholic school roots in mind.
This year, Coach DiBiaso prepares for his thirty-seventh season on the sideline with no tricks up his sleeve. No surprises. Rather, he wants to bring back his many traditions from Everett and St. Patrick’s.
On the field, this means changing gears on CM’s offense.
“We want to be up-tempo and go really fast,” said Coach DiBiaso, who started his no-huddle offense with Everett in 2001.
“The philosophy behind being fast is that we don’t have the depth that these big schools have. Our strategy is to tire them out.”
Coach DiBiaso hopes junior quarterback Barrett Pratt and returning All-Scholastic wide receiver Khari Johnson acclimate to this tactic. Speed and aggression mirror his philosophy on the opposite side of the ball.
On defense, Coach DiBiaso inherits two returning All-Scholastic seniors in defensive lineman Lucas Folan and cornerback Hunter Tully. These two high-motor seniors anchor a young defense that projects to start two sophomores at linebacker and a third at the cornerback spot opposite from Tully.
While his on-field traditions dominate headlines, Coach DiBiaso prioritizes what happens off the field most. He wants a family, not just a team. To him, that means implementing the same pre-game meal tradition dating back to his time at St. Patrick’s.
“The one thing that I’m big on is that we’re all one family,” said Coach DiBiaso.
His golden retriever, Lola, awaited him on the sideline. Michael Milo, his long-time assistant coach, yelled instruction at linemen. His team, regardless of its shade of red, displayed a zero in the loss column.
“Hey, every team starts the season undefeated,” said Coach DiBiaso, with a chuckle.
Some things never change for the 61-year-old. With his sense of humor well intact after leaving behind last year’s perfect season at Everett, Coach DiBiaso looks right at home in his third month on Baker Street.
“I’ve been inundated with emails, phone calls and people in the streets stopping me to say, ‘I went to Catholic Memorial,’” said Coach DiBiaso, who described his transition as seamless.
“I was accepted right away. Everyone, from students to faculty, met me with open arms.”
Coach DiBiaso began his head-coaching career at St. Patrick’s High School in 1982. At that time, St. Patrick’s total enrollment consisted of less than fifty boys according to Coach DiBiaso. After a brief stint at Weston High School, he took over the Everett football program and won 12 Super Bowls over a 26-year span.
He retired from the public school system last year. When deciding on where he wanted to end his coaching career, Coach DiBiaso and his wife kept his small Catholic school roots in mind.
This year, Coach DiBiaso prepares for his thirty-seventh season on the sideline with no tricks up his sleeve. No surprises. Rather, he wants to bring back his many traditions from Everett and St. Patrick’s.
On the field, this means changing gears on CM’s offense.
“We want to be up-tempo and go really fast,” said Coach DiBiaso, who started his no-huddle offense with Everett in 2001.
“The philosophy behind being fast is that we don’t have the depth that these big schools have. Our strategy is to tire them out.”
Coach DiBiaso hopes junior quarterback Barrett Pratt and returning All-Scholastic wide receiver Khari Johnson acclimate to this tactic. Speed and aggression mirror his philosophy on the opposite side of the ball.
On defense, Coach DiBiaso inherits two returning All-Scholastic seniors in defensive lineman Lucas Folan and cornerback Hunter Tully. These two high-motor seniors anchor a young defense that projects to start two sophomores at linebacker and a third at the cornerback spot opposite from Tully.
While his on-field traditions dominate headlines, Coach DiBiaso prioritizes what happens off the field most. He wants a family, not just a team. To him, that means implementing the same pre-game meal tradition dating back to his time at St. Patrick’s.
“The one thing that I’m big on is that we’re all one family,” said Coach DiBiaso.
“I want the seniors to treat the younger kids as if they’re little brothers. We’re all in this together."
The faculty at CM already know where his heart lies. Athletic Director Craig Najarian witnesses it every day.
“You want to find coaches that are really adept at connecting with kids and that’s something [Coach DiBiaso] does better than anybody,” said Najarian.
“You can know all the X’s and O’s in the world and you can have an unbelievable depth of knowledge but if you can’t connect with kids and people, you really have no shot.”
CM finished last season with a 6-5 record and an appearance in the Division 1 South Sectional Final. Of course, Coach DiBiaso sees room for improvement this year. He himself sits only 12 wins away from the second-most total wins for a football head coach in MIAA history.
When CM opens its regular season against Saint John’s High School (Shrewsbury) at Assumption College on Saturday, September 8th, expect the whole state to watch every move Coach DiBiaso makes.
The faculty at CM already know where his heart lies. Athletic Director Craig Najarian witnesses it every day.
“You want to find coaches that are really adept at connecting with kids and that’s something [Coach DiBiaso] does better than anybody,” said Najarian.
“You can know all the X’s and O’s in the world and you can have an unbelievable depth of knowledge but if you can’t connect with kids and people, you really have no shot.”
CM finished last season with a 6-5 record and an appearance in the Division 1 South Sectional Final. Of course, Coach DiBiaso sees room for improvement this year. He himself sits only 12 wins away from the second-most total wins for a football head coach in MIAA history.
When CM opens its regular season against Saint John’s High School (Shrewsbury) at Assumption College on Saturday, September 8th, expect the whole state to watch every move Coach DiBiaso makes.
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Catholic Memorial, the Christian Brothers School of Boston, prepares boys for college, manhood and a world full of unknown challenges, ambiguity and complex problems and the importance of relationships.
