Richie Hebner Denied Norwood High Hockey Coach Position-July 24, 1986

On July 24, 1986, former Major League Baseball star and professional hockey player Richie Hebner was passed over for the position of Norwood High School hockey coach.

Richie Hebner, 38, who famously gave up a professional hockey contract with the Boston Bruins to pursue a 17-year career in Major League Baseball, was one of three applicants rejected by the school committee for the part-time coaching post, which carried an annual stipend of $3,256. Instead, the committee voted unanimously on a 7-0 voice vote to accept the five-member selection committee’s recommendation and hire Robert Lovell, who had served as the high school’s assistant hockey coach for the previous two years.

A native son of Norwood who rose from local Little League fields to star in the 1971 World Series, Richie Hebner was once praised by former Superintendent Philip O. Coakley as “perhaps the school’s most illustrious graduate.” Following his heroics in the 1971 Fall Classic—where he hit two crucial home runs to help the Pittsburgh Pirates capture the National League pennant and subsequently defeated the Baltimore Orioles in a seven-game series—he was honored with a celebratory town parade and presented with the key to the town. Richie Hebner, who resides in Walpole and works digging graves (an occupation he originally maintained during his playing off-seasons), remained heavily connected to local athletics, serving as the third-base coach for his former American Legion baseball team.

Explaining the unanimous decision, Assistant Superintendent Ralph A. Toran, a member of the selection panel, emphasized that the committee evaluated candidates based strictly on institutional familiarity and program continuity. “We had to look at the strengths and weaknesses of each applicant,” Ralph A. Toran stated. “Mr. Lovell knows the kids, the undergraduates, and he’s set up some very good programs in the past, and many of the students have taken part in those programs. He also came very strongly recommended.” While Richie Hebner was unavailable for comment following the vote, Ralph A. Toran noted that the selection committee was thoroughly impressed by his background and would strongly consider him for other athletic department vacancies in the future. Richie Hebner‘s illustrious professional baseball career spanned stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago Cubs, finally concluding during spring training with the Cubs earlier that year.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger