01907 Summer 2018

Jauron brothers
Mike, Bob and
Dick reflect on the
Big Blue streak.
days so special was community, or ‘family.’”
And the family grew. One of Mike
Jauron's teammates was Billy Vousboukas,
“and the next time Swampscott won a Super
Bowl (in 2007), Vousboukas’ son (Paul)
was on the team.”
“I think Bondy fostered an inclusive
‘all-in’ environment that set the stage for
something special," said Bob Jauron. “But
it was never just one man, or one anything
… it was a family of coaches and
players, students and teachers, parents and
boosters, all joining together in common
cause to support the efforts of a group of
teenagers playing as a team.”
And of course, there was more than one
man giving direction too. Most notably,
there was Dick Lynch, who died in April
at the age of 91, and who, most observers
from the era say, played a major role in
fashioning the Big Blue dynasty.
“I was so fortunate to have coached
with him,” said Frank DeFelice, the
other rock of granite on the Swampscott
coaching staff. “We shared the same office,
and he was a mentor. I worked alongside
of him, and I learned a lot from him. He
guided me along pretty well.”
If Bondelevitch motivated his players
to run through the proverbial brick wall,
Lynch told them what to do once they
got through. And his toughness served as
a counterpoint to Bondelevitch's general
optimism and joie de vivre.
Even his own son wasn't immune.
“I didn't get my driver's license until
late," he said. "So if we had a good practice,
he'd drive me home. If we had a bad
practice, I walked (from the high school
on Greenwood Avenue to the bottom of
Banks Road).”
Bob Jauron delves into the move from
Lynn to Swampscott in the book, recounting
the tremendous amount of help certain
people from the town — one a lawyer and
one a businessman (neither of whom he
“I recall crowded, loud
and colorful pep rallies,
Cheerleaders, pep squad
and band members
marching through town,
and to players’ homes on
Friday nights to put up
signs and decorations.”
- ROBERT E. JAURON
names) — for getting his father back on
his feet after a tough stretch.
The family eventually moved into a duplex
owned by Myron Stone (who is still
very much involved in the Swampscott
Gridiron Club, and helps run the annual
Marblehead-Swampscott pre-Thanksgiving
dinner at the Gerry 5 in Marblehead).
Jauron takes pains to recount the early
days of the Bondy era, his arrival to the
town from Hudson, and the fact that
he met his future wife, Dot, after jousting
with her over the use of the gym in
Maynard, where they were both coaching
at the time.
Though the Swampscott story has a
plethora of glittering stars (Dick Jauron
being perhaps the biggest), there's no
denying that the true luminary in this
Swampscott story is Bondy himself, whom
Jauron portrays as a combination pied
piper and tent preacher.
Bondelevitch, Jauron said, knew how
fragile even the toughest kids were. There
are several stories in the book where
Bondy senses (or outright knows) that
some of his players are having difficult
home lives, and makes it his point to look
out for those boys.
Also, he said, Bondelevitch had the
right touch for knowing when to push the
throttle down on a kid and when to ease
up, Jauron said. His only consistent motivation
was to keep the program vibrant
and stocked with talent.
Could it happen today?
Of course, said Dick Jauron. All it takes
is commitment.
“Commitment precedes everything
else," he said. "It is no mystery. Without
commitment nothing of value occurs.”
“If you mean the incredible run of win
streaks and championships in that small
town, it might be possible but it's highly
improbable.” he said. “I've heard a number
of folks say that it will never happen again
in Swampscott. At the very least it would
take an almost miraculous combination of
organizational and motivational skill.
“But if you mean the aspects that were
most important in making those times
so special, I'm guessing that it may have
already happened a number of times in
Swampscott and many, many other places.
“What was most special about those
times was not all the winning, it was all
the learning,” he said. “The most valuable
sports lessons sometimes have nothing to
do with final scores or records. When
coaches know that their most important
job is to teach essential life
lessons; when players commit
to the team concept and, in
so doing, develop a unique
confidence in themselves
and their teammates; and
when an entire community of
students, parents and Boosters,
positively support the efforts of
the team - win, lose, or draw, the
stage is set for such special times in
a special place.”
PHOTO BY SPENSER HASAK
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