After a legendary coaching run, Bob Foley called it a career last week.
Foley, the longtime boys head coach at St. John’s Shrewsbury, announced his retirement last Tuesday after 61 years of coaching, including 44 leading the Pioneers. The all-time winningest coach in New England and Massachusetts history, Foley amassed 980 victories, including 774 at St. John's.
Foley began his coaching career in 1963, when he was a fresh 21-year-old graduate from Holy Cross. He started his journey at Uxbridge High School for six years, then went to St. Peter-Marion in 1969. In 1980, he was hired at St. John's Shrewsbury, where he spent the rest of his career. He won two state championships — 2000 and 2009 — and led the Pioneers to 14 Central championships, and he was inducted into the St. John's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.
After his emotional retirement day, New England Basketball Journal caught up with Foley for a reflective Q&A. He discussed what led to his decision to retire and looked back at some of the most memorable moments of his career.
