Malden Football Coach Resigns After 7 Successful Years

Coach Pappagallo (second row, fifth from left) is pictured with Malden officials and senior football players and cheerleaders at a luncheon with Medford at John Brewer’s Tavern on November 24.

– Steve Freker, Medford Daily Mercury/Malden Evening News

One of the most successful high school football coaches in the Greater Boston area coached his last game as the Golden Tornado football boss Thursday— and most certainly put an exclamation point on it.

Malden High head football coach Joe Pappagallo Thursday afternoon told the Malden Evening News & Medford Daily Mercury he tendered his resignation to athletic director Dan Keefe immediately after raucous 59-36 Thanksgiving win over Medford.

“It’s time,” the seventh-year Golden Tornado football boss said, citing family obligations primarily.

Coach Pappagallo, whose team finished 5-6 overall with the win on Thanksgiving and whose seen Malden go 6-1 on the holiday in his tenure, said the reason for the decision to hang up the whistle was fairly simple.

“I have to spend more time in my own house,” Coach Pappagallo told the Malden Evening News & Medford Daily Mercury. “It’s time for me to step away from coaching and be a full-time husband and dad, and a better one, too, hopefully.”

Coach Pappagallo did say that he was still open to coaching football as an assistant coach, not specifying where or at what level. “I just resigned from one job,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s not like I had another one lined up!” Coach Pappagallo does have stints both at the high school and college level, as a former assistant at two Division 3 college programs, Framingham State and Mt. Ida.

The Malden High seven-year head man, who replaced John Lopresti, who resigned after the 2008 season, pledged to remain the point man in navigating his senior players to the college ranks. “I will most definitely see that (recruiting) aspect through. We’ve got some prime time seniors here that still need our help.”

Coach Pappagallo said he informed Keefe after the game, but told his own team at halftime, when Malden had built a seemingly insurmountable, 45-8 lead.

“Honestly, we anticipated putting our JVs in after the first offensive series in the third quarter with that lead,” Pappagallo said, “but Medford didn’t let us. All credit to them, they turned it around and played us tough to the end.”

“But our kids knew (he was resigning) in the second half and they were very gracious at the end of the game,” he added, as the team awarded Coach Pappagallo the game ball.
“This particular group of kids had three great seasons all three years, a lot to be proud of,” Coach Pappagallo said. “They are also the only team in about 25 years to beat both Everett and Medford in the same season.

“It’s been a great run and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, and now it’s time to turn the keys over to someone else,” Pappagallo said.

“I certainly didn’t expect this kind of ending,” the coach added. “But we will certainly take it!” he said with a laugh.