By Stephen Tobey – Correspondent
When Tom Dalicandro took over as head coach in 2001, he was well aware of the Concord-Carlisle High School lacrosse program’s rich history.
“It’s definitely something that weighs on you a lot,” said Dalicandro. “When I played at Newton North (in the mid-1980s) I was aware of it. When I started teaching (physical education) and coaching football in Concord, I learned even more about it.”
Over the next 24 years, Dalicandro added to that history, winning 336 games and two MIAA Division 2 state championships, the first in 2012 and the second in 2021. He also coached 12 high school All-Americans.
Last month, Dalicandro decided he will not be returning as head coach this spring. According to a release that Concord-Carlisle Athletic director Aaron Joncas posted on X, Dalicandro informed his team that he was stepping down.
While Dalicandro did not elaborate on the reasons for stepping down, he did say it was his decision. He will continue to teach physical education at Concord Middle School and will stay on head coach Josh Reed’s football coaching staff.
“I feel good about where the program is,” he said. “I really have great relationships with the players, assistant coaches and former players. The parents have been amazing.”
The first day of practice for spring sports is March 17. Dalicandro said he hopes Jon Smith, an assistant coach in the program for 23 years and an elementary school teacher in Concord, will have a chance to lead the program.
“One thing that always struck me about Coach D was that it was never about him,” said State Representative Simon Cataldo, a 2004 C-C graduate who played lacrosse for Dalicandro. “This type of selflessness could only be properly taught by deed rather than by word. He had his own great playing career that he never mentioned, not even once. I also treasured my player-coach relationship Coach Smith and hope that he will be given serious consideration as the successor to Coach D.”
Return to prominence
Dalicandro was the fourth head coach in the history of C-C boys lacrosse, which played its first season in 1969. After a stint as head coach at Austin Prep in Reading, he spent seven years as an assistant coach, working with head coaches Dick Kerr and Nick Boynton. When Boynton stepped down before the 2001 season to devote more time to his family’s business, Dalicandro became the head coach.
He coached during the tenures of three athletic directors, Brent Clark, the late Barry Haley, and Joncas. In football he was on the coaching staffs of Kerr, Mike Robichaud, and Reed.
In 2004, when Kerr stepped aside for a year, Dalicandro was the head football coach, leading the Patriots to a 9-2 record.
“It definitely helped,” Dalicandro said. “Football is a huge program in any school. The experience was invaluable in helping me as a head lacrosse coach. I learned to budget my time.”
In lacrosse, there were a few growing pains in the early years. In his first two seasons, the team did not qualify for the postseason. By 2003, however, that changed.
“The first two years were difficult,” he said. “We had never not qualified for the postseason before that. We had players like Tim Butler, Greg Roberts, and Matt Ward, who really turned the tide. All three of them played football, too.”
“He had built something special, transforming a program that, in its early days under his leadership felt like it was up against the odds,” Ward said. “But through sheer dedication and an unwavering dedication to his players, he brought it back to Massachusetts high school lacrosse prominence.”
As is the case with many of Dalicandro’s former players, Ward remembered him as a coach who set high standards for his players and was not shy about holding them accountable.
“I was lucky to be a part of that first generation of players who had Coach D as head coach,” Ward said. “He taught us how to work, how to push past limits and how to handle the kind of tough straight talk that forces you to grow not just as an athlete, but as a person.”
As his career continued, Dalicandro left the same impression on many other players.
“To earn his respect meant you had to put in the extra mile,” said Tyler Koning, who played on two undefeated teams — the Super Bowl championship team in 2011 and the state championship team in 2012. “Most kids won’t understand this but the more he yelled at you the more he liked you. I was one of those kids Coach used to tear apart during practice just so I could outperform his words on the field. He was tough. He was straightforward, but man, he was good.”
Coaching is ‘in his DNA’
Anthony West was also on those undefeated football and lacrosse teams.
“From Day One, Coach emphasized the importance of fundamentals and demanded hard work from each of us. It wasn’t always easy but it was always worth it,” he said. “The discipline he instilled in us laid the foundation for everything that followed. My most cherished memories come from the 2012 season when we went 22-0 and brought home the state championship. Each day, Coach demanded the same level of energy and commitment. His consistency was unmatched and it helped push each of us to our potential.”
Jackson Finigan was one of the captains of that 2012 team. He went on to play at the University Delaware, where he was a three-year captain.
“Coach D. has been instrumental in not only my development as a lacrosse player and athlete but also as a human being,” Finigan said. “The lessons he taught always carried on so much further than any field and I have no doubt he will continue to mentor and teach in his next chapter. It’s in his DNA.”
Finigan was one of several players Dalicandro coached who went on to play lacrosse at the NCAA Division I level. On the 2012 team alone, there was Will Blumenberg, who was a freshman on that team. He later went on to play for Colgate University. The goalie, Doug Gouchoe, played for the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Nick Brozowski, a sophomore on the 2012 team, played for the University of Maryland, helping the Terrapins win the 2017 NCAA Division I national championship at Gillette Stadium.
“HIs attention to detail in preparation and just his overall knowledge of the game was like that of any coach at the D1 level, which helped prepare me for the challenges of the college game,” Brozowski said. “If you asked him about a certain game from more than 10 years ago he would remember almost every play that occurred.”
Respect from peers
Dalicandro served as president of the Eastern Massachusetts Lacrosse Coaches Association and earned the respect of many opposing coaches.
“He always had his teams prepared well,” said Acton-Boxborough coach Pat Ammendolia. “They liked to possess the ball and always had great defense and goalies.”
Former Reading High coach Charlie Hardy’s team played C-C in non-league games every year. In 2018, they met C-C in the Division 2 state final, defeating the Patriots. Three years later, on its way to the 2021 state title, C-C defeated Reading in the state semifinals.
“He’s just a class act,” said Hardy, who retired as Reading’s coach before the 2024 season. “They played good ball control and it was very tough to get the ball away from them.He was able to make adjustments on the fly. His teams were always well-disciplined.”
Dalicandro still believes he has plenty to offer lacrosse and its athletes. He’s open to taking another coaching position, though not as a head coach but rather an assistant or JV coach.
“It would have to be the right situation,” he said. “I can’t see myself staying home between 2:30 and 6 in the spring.”
