LETTER: Open Letter of Gratitude to Former WHS Coach John Barbati

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By Mark Roopenian
Watertown High School 1976

Coach Barbati,

No one has impacted my life and who I am today more than you. You taught me toughness, perseverance, preparation, poise, work ethic, and most importantly, that nothing is impossible. You saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself. How else could a skinny Armenian kid headed to Bates College get a full football scholarship to Boston College? Because you cared enough to put your hard-earned reputation on the line with BC Head Coach Joe Yukica. It was all because of you Coach.

I still vividly recall our going out together on to the field of an empty Alumni Stadium at Boston College. You turned your hat backwards and said, “Now let’s show Coach what great hands you have!”

I think you rekindled your glory days as a former QB from St. Michael’s College because you threw 20 perfect passes. I dove on the turf for a couple and scraped the skin off my knee on another, but I didn’t drop the ball. For those 15 minutes on that turf, I became Paul Warfield and didn’t miss a single pass! I didn’t want to let you down then, Coach.

Two days later BC Coach Barry Gallup showed up at 358 Charles River Road. I can still see the look of total consternation on my father’s face as Barry laid out the papers and made the formal offer for a full scholarship. The rest is history, and it’s all because of you, Coach.

I spent the next three years at BC in total anonymity, moving from tight end, linebacker, center, and finally defensive tackle. Freddy Smerlas — Waltham neighbor, BC legend and soon to be NFL star — and I became best friends during that time. He even taught me how to play nose tackle, a position he had redefined at BC. A few years later when asked why we became such great friends, Smerlas said “Because that skinny kid from Watertown never ever backed down no matter how much punishment I hit him with.” Believe me, I went home every day from practice with a huge headache. But you instilled a toughness in me that wouldn’t allow me to quit. It’s all because of you, Coach.

After graduation, I signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent. The Bills stacked me behind a host of nose tackles; I’ll never forget seeing my name listed sixth and last on depth chart. In front of me was my friend Fred Smerlas who started, Mike Kadish, a former All American at Notre Dame, and host of draft picks that team had invested in that year.

I was sure I was going to be on the next train home. But I never forgot the lessons that you instilled. Toughness – stay on the field and play through the pain; perseverance – give 100 percent effort all the time; poise and preparation – know your plays; most important, tenacity – don’t back down. That resolve served me so well, especially in moments like when I pitted against Conrad Dobler, who Sports Illustrated called the “dirtiest player in the NFL.” I remembered what you taught, and I didn’t back down.

The next game against the Detroit Lions, instead of being on the sidelines for the start of the game, head coach Chuck Knox assigned me to be one of the wedge-busters on the kickoff team. Apparently, I did a good job of busting the wedge because I caused a fumble that we recovered on the Detroit 25-yard line.

From that point on, I started to climb the depth chart and ended up making the team. All these years later, it still seems like an impossible dream come true. It’s all because of you, Coach, and I can’t thank you enough!

With Love and Respect,
Mark Roopenian

Watertown High School alums and community members are hosting a testimonial dinner in honor of former Head Football Coach John Barbati on Tuesday, November 26 th at the Watertown Sons of Italy.

The event, hosted by renowned Boston sportscaster Mike Lynch, is open to the community. Tickets may be purchased by clicking here.

A member of Massachusetts High School Football Coaches’ Association Hall of Fame and the WHS Hall of Fame, Barbati was Watertown’s head football coach from 1969 until 1992, retiring with a winning percentage of .595 and four championships (1973, 1976, 1977 and 1983) in the hyper-competitive Middlesex League.

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