FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Hyde Park High School's Rich Moran has been named the New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week in recognition of his team's victory over O'Bryant last week en route to the school's first Super Bowl berth in 32 years.
Hyde Park moved to 6-2 on the season with a 14-0 win over O'Bryant High School of Roxbury on Nov. 5. With the win, Hyde Park moved to 4-0 in the Boston South Conference and took over first place in the division.
Moran is in his 10th year as a high school football coach in Massachusetts and in his fifth at the helm of Hyde Park. He played high school football at Cathedral High in Boston and his collegiate football at Curry College where he was a 4-year letterman. Since taking over as head coach at Hyde Park, Moran has taken the football program from junior varsity status to varsity status, which it has maintained for five years.
This season marks the ninth year in which the Patriots have joined the National Football League in conducting the High School Coach of the Week program, which recognizes outstanding high school coaches and promotes youth football throughout New England.
Patriots Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, who is now the team's director of football development and promotions, oversees the program as part of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation's commitment to youth football initiatives. Each week during the season, Tippett, along with WCVB Channel 5 sports anchor Mike Lynch, will honor the selected coach on the team's weekly magazine show, Patriots All Access. The broadcast airs on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and 7 p.m. on WCVB.
"There are three words to describe this Hyde Park Football team - character, pride and desire," Tippet said. "This is a great opportunity for these 33 young men and coaches to leave a mark in history."
The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation will donate $1,000 to Hyde Park High School's football program in Moran's name in recognition of his selection as Coach of the Week. At the conclusion of the season, one of the previous weekly honorees will be named the New England Patriots High School Coach of the Year, and will receive a $2,000 contribution to go toward the school's football program.
The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, Inc. is the non-profit organization through which the Patriots support charitable and philanthropic organizations throughout New England. This support comes in the form of both direct grants and in-kind donations, and through player appearances at a number of charity functions and educational programs. The foundation assists a variety of charitable organizations and programs throughout New England by supporting their educational, family and health initiatives.
