LYNN — When Dick Newton was a student-athlete at Lynn English High, the pitcher/quarterback received a piece of advice from Guidance Counselor Don Toomey.
“When you’re a teacher, athletic director, or coach, if you’re not here to help kids – find another job.”
With that advice in mind, it’s been quite the career for Newton, who’s retiring as English’s athletic director at the end of the month.
“It’s kind of a cliche . . . but I just felt it was time,” said Newton, who was named AD in 2016. “Everyone wants to make a mark, and I just hope I made things a little bit better.”
Newton graduated from English in 1978, excelling in football and baseball. He received several athletic awards, most notably a Division 1 Player of the Year nod on the diamond.
“I’m a Bulldog and I’ve been one since I was a little kid,” Newton said. “I knew I was going to attend English since I was 6 years old.”
Next up was college – but first, a walk on the beach.
“I didn’t really have any offers, but I ran into Danny Dill (former teacher at Lynn Classical and school psychologist in Lynn),” Newton said. “I was walking down the beach one day and he asked me, ‘Hey, where are you going?’ I said that I didn’t know yet.”
Dill called the baseball coach at Saint Leo University in Florida, which had already accepted Newton.
“And the guy offered me a scholarship,” Newton said. “So, if it wasn’t for Danny Dill, I never would’ve been in the position I’m in right now. I owe him a great deal and that was a turning point in my life.”
The day before leaving for college, Newton got a call from Tom Iarrobino, Newton’s former Shoemaker Post 345 American Legion baseball coach.
“I always wanted to be a pro baseball player and everyone told me I was going to be one. Tom told me, ‘Study, get a degree, and set yourself up for success academically,’” Newton said. “That always stuck with me . . . I listened right away.”
Iarrobino spoke highly of his former star player.
“He’s retiring from a very successful career,” Iarrobino said. “He’s a hard-working, straightforward guy and his word is gold. I’m very fond of him and Lynn schools are really going to miss him.”
With a degree in physical education, Newton played four years on Saint Leo’s baseball team and was in the starting rotation. He played alongside J.P. Ricciardi (former Toronto Blue Jays’ general manager), Bob Tewksbury (13-year MLB pitcher), and Jim Corsi (10-year MLB pitcher).
Newton was always around athletics. He coached English football under Paul Duchane, baseball under Ron Bennett, and became head baseball coach at Marblehead High in 1996.
“Then, I was the assistant AD for six or seven years at English, Gary Molea got moved to vice principal, and Tom Strangie hired me as AD in 2016,” Newton said.
Molea (St. Mary’s ’76) said Newton “bleeds red and grey.
“He’s a Hall of Famer and always been an English guy,” said Molea, who remembers playing pop warner football as an 11-year-old with an 8-year-old Newton. “It’s always tough when you get to the end, but I think he’s ready. He leaves it in good shape.”
When asked about challenges of the job, Newton pointed to time.
“If you’re not willing to put the time in, you just won’t do a good job,” he said. “That’s the challenge of the job.”
But if you have good people by your side, it makes the challenges a lot easier, according to Newton. He credits coaches Antonio Anderson, Alvin Abreu, Ashley Aldred, Brenda Martin, and Kerry King, as well as Colleen Peterson, immediate supervisor of ADs in Lynn, Lynn Tech AD Adolph Graciale, Lynn Classical AD Josh Mower, assistant AD and athletic trainer Jessica Whitehead, and former Classical AD Billy Devin.
“Those guys have been top-shelf people,” Newton said. “If you hire good people and work together, you’ll get good results.”
Newton won’t forget about back-to-back state titles, either.
“I think some of the highlights of the job were the back-to-back state championships in boys basketball (2019, 2020) and the softball team getting back to the state tournament a couple of years ago.”
And if you ask Newton, the most important thing about being an AD is having a good partner.
“My wife, Trisha, has been outstanding,” he said. “When you’re away from your family, it really takes a toll and you need a partner who’s supportive, caring, and wants you to do a great job.”
