Oldest H.S. Football Coach To Retire

The question had been asked for years and the answer was always the same: no. But this fall is different. Lexington’s Bill Tighe is retiring.

The 86-year-old football coach made it official Sunday night, telling athletic director Naomi Martin that the 514th game of his career, Thanksgiving against Burlington, will be his last. The decision ends 62 years of coaching high school football in Massachusetts.

Tighe is recognized by the National Federation of Interscholastic Coaches as the country’s oldest high school football coach. He took over at Lexington High in 1975. In total he has been on the sideline since 1949, when he began as an assistant coach at Wakefield. Entering his final game, his career mark is 268-232-13. Only five other coaches in state history have won more games. At Lexington, he is 185-181-9 and has won three Middlesex titles.

Known for his gregarious nature and quick wit, Tighe was the head coach at Malden High for nine seasons, from 1964-1972, winning two Greater Boston League titles during the stretch.

“The curtain has to come down some time,’ Tighe said yesterday. “It really is tough because I love kids and I love all the associations I’ve had over the years. Every year you meet different kids with different personalities. What I appreciate the most is seeing them come back.’

The decision was difficult.

“It was. But, I’m old, although I don’t feel old,’ said Tighe, who has nine grandchildren and four great grandchildren. “I’m older than [Penn State coach] Joe Paterno [who is 83]. I feel young though. I still have great energy. My daughters have been after me to do more grandfather things.’

Lexington is 5-5 this fall and the home game Thanksgiving will be his last. The school already has begun plans to honor Tighe at halftime.

Tighe graduated from Ashland High in 1942 and played football at Boston University, from which he graduated in 1949. In between he served in the Pacific with the Army Air Corps during World War II. After the stint as an assistant in Wakefield, he became a head coach in 1957. He’s a member of eight Halls of Fame, including Lexington, Wakefield, and Malden highs, along with BU, the Massachusetts Football Coaches, and the National Federation of Interscholastic Coaches.

“It’s been an emotional time,’ Martin said. “You know how fortunate you are to have Bill working for you and with you. He’s been such a beloved institution in Lexington. And it has nothing to do with the Xs and Os. There’s this human connection with Bill. It’s who he is as a person that is his greatest quality. Few people have the human grace, dignity, and class that Bill Tighe has.’

And after the season ends, Lexington will interview for a football coach for the first time since 1974.