Biography

In 1988 Head Coach Ray Beaupre stated “this season could be the best group I’ve ever had when it comes to working and practicing hard every day”, and no player better exemplified that work ethic than two-way standout Barry Gaumond.

At 5’11 and 200 lbs, Gaumond teamed with fellow Hall of Famer Matt Slaney as the best offensive guard tandem in the Hockomock League, paving the way for future Hall of Fame running backs Mark Newport, Marc Robichaud, Randy Silvestri, and QB Jeff Kraskouskas.  This talented offense combined with a stingy defense to lead the Red Rocketeers to 9 victories and a super bowl berth.

In a dramatic 7-6 victory over arch rival Bishop Feehan, North held on for victory on the strength of their defense, led by Gaumond at linebacker.  With Feehan driving deep into North territory on several occasions, Barry forced a fumble at North’s two yard line, helped block a 20 yard FG attempt, and was in on 14 tackles, earning him Player of the Week honors in both the Sun Chronicle and Boston Globe.

Perhaps Gaumond’s greatest effort came in a mid-season clash against the undefeated Canton Bulldogs, who were #1 in the Division III rankings at the time.  Setting the tone with a tackle for loss on the game’s first series, Gaumond also recovered a fumble to set-up North’s 1st TD and intercepted a pass to set-up their 2nd TD – all before half-time.  For the game he recorded 12 tackles and also blocked the conversion pass after Canton’s lone touchdown, as the Red and White pounded Canton 17-6.

With Gaumond leading the team with 61 tackles, the Big Red defense held 10 opponents to just 9.4 points per game, including a 40-8 thrashing of Attleboro on Thanksgiving before falling 18-14 in an emotional and heartbreaking super bowl loss to Foxboro.  North Assistant Coach Paul Sullivan noted “Barry always ‘showed up’ to play, and football, whether a game or practice, was always fun to him….he was smart and understood offensive and defensive concepts, which made him better able to sniff out plays on defense and make key blocks on offense”.  

Over his three-year varsity career Barry accounted for 100 tackles, 33 assists, 3 fumble recoveries, and 1 interception.  For his fantastic efforts in the 1988 season, Barry was recognized as the team’s Defensive Player of the Year, and he was named to the Hockomock League All Star Team.