Biography

"I just enjoyed being part of the team and learning from the older guys." That is how John Roberts described his football experience as a sophomore at North Attleboro High School. He put his time in, worked hard, and waited his tum. As a result Roberts became a darn good two way performer for the Red and White.

John was one of those kids whose week to week progress was very noticeable. A 6' 185 pounds he had more athletic ability than the average interior lineman. Midway through his junior season in 1980 John became an integral part of an offensive line that enabled North to score 239 points. From his guard position John helped open holes for Hall of Famers Tim Crosta and Ted Barrett.

During the 1981 season Roberts emerged as a dominant two way performer for North. He anchored an offensive line which allowed the North offense to accumulate 1469 yards rushing and 1434 yards passing. As a defensive tackle John was responsible for 31 tackles, 13 assists, and eight quarterback sacks. His outstanding defensive performance in the 1981 Turkey Day game led North to a hard fought 24-13 victory which concluded an outstanding 9-1 season.

As a result of his outstanding performance, Roberts was named to both the Hockomock League and Sun-Chronicle All-Star teams. However these honors were quite unique, his Hockomock League selection was as a defensive player and his Sun-Chronicle selection was as an offensive player. This speaks volumes about John's effectiveness on both sides of the ball.