Gadoury Named New Football Coach at Granby Memorial

Rich Gadoury, the new head coach of the football team, sounded less like a man inheriting a squad that went 2-8 last season and more like someone who held a winning Powerball ticket after learning he got the job.

In a sense, he did win the lottery, as there were just five head coaches’ positions that opened up this year out of the 167 high school programs in the state. And Gadoury got one of them.

“Words can’t describe how excited I am,” Gadoury said in a recent telephone interview. “It’s a great opportunity for me to grow with the program.”

It’s that enthusiasm that led Granby Memorial Athletic Director Ed Bobinski to select Gadoury from an extensive pool of candidates.

“I’m extremely excited; Rich is going to bring great enthusiasm and organization to the program,” Bobinski said. “The kids love him and respect him.”

Gadoury, previously served as the team’s defensive and offensive lines coach and defensive coordinator and is also the head coach of Granby Memorial High’s co-ed swimming and diving team, takes over a team previously helmed by .

Schmutz went 2-18 over the two seasons that Granby Memorial has been at the varsity level, but it’s a record that doesn’t necessarily reflect the talent or heart of the athletes that Gadoury inherits.

“They know their record,” Gadoury, the ISS coordinator at Windsor High School, said. “They’ve gone above and beyond everything that’s been asked of them. They all have desire and heart; that’s something you can’t teach.”

Gadoury played offensive line on the football team for two years at Framingham State, where he graduated in 2005. It’s that experience, in addition to coaching at the college and middle school levels, that leads Gadoury to believe that he will have success implementing a more modern approach to the team, particularly on offense.

“We’re going to see more confident make reads, where the quarterback will call plays based on what the defense giving them,” said Gadoury, who will take on offensive play-calling duties as well. “The quarterback is going to have to be a smart athlete.”

He said that he also wants all of his players to be able to “think on the fly” and be football smart.

Gadoury hopes that the modernization of the offense will attract new kids; the team has had just 30 to 35 players the last several years, while most successful teams have between 50 to 60 players.

“I hope word of mouth and change in coaching will bring kids out,” Gadoury said.

While the program has suffered through some growing pains, the current members of the team are thrilled to have Gadoury as the new coach.

“[Gadoury] was the first pick for us,” said Stephen Blake, a co-captain from last year’s team. “We know what to expect and what he wants. He has faith and cares about us on and off the field.”

Blake said that the team has already adopted Gadoury’s mantra co-opted from the New York Giants’ title winning squad: “Do you believe?”

“Hopefully, we’ll recreate [the Giants’] success,” Blake said.