Just under two years ago, Foxboro athletic director Joe Cusack announced the creation fo the Foxboro High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Cusack’s goal was to recognize and preserve the deep tradition of success of past Warriors. On Thursday afternoon, Cusack and the Foxboro administration announced the inaugural class, highlighted by current football coach Jack Martinelli, one of the state’s best ever high school basketball players Sarah Behn, and professional football player Tom Nalen. Below is a press release announcing the first six individuals and the first team for the FHS Athletic Hall of Fame.
Release
Foxborough High School is pleased to announce the creation of our Athletic Hall of Fame to honor former student-athletes, coaches, supporters, and championship teams. This year’s class of inductees will be recognized at an event at the Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center on Saturday, October 21st at 6PM. This event is open to the public, and tickets can be purchased through the MRPAC box office or online.
“Foxborough High School has an incredibly rich tradition of athletic success both at the team and individual level. Starting a Hall of Fame is long overdue and will give our community something to celebrate, our inductees something to be fiercely proud of, and our student-athletes something to aspire to become a part of,” said Joe Cusack, Foxborough Athletic Director.
After two years of accepting nominations and research, the first class of inductees was selected by a six-person executive committee, which included the Foxborough High School Principal, Athletic Director, and four committee members who are former student-athletes, current or former coaches and/or school staff members.
This year’s Induction class includes Bobby Moreshead, Joe Heinricher, Sarah Behn, Tom Nalen, Joan Goodwin, Jack Martinelli, and the 1987 State Champion Girls Soccer team. (Individual athletes are listed by their year of graduation.)
Bobby Moreshead is a 1973 graduate of Foxborough High School who was a three-sport standout in football, wrestling, and baseball. Bobby was the football team’s MVP in 1972 and won the 1973 New England Championship in wrestling. Bobby graduated from Foxborough HS with a career wrestling record of 52-2 and was the head coach and later an assistant coach for the wrestling program for many years after graduation.
Joe Heinricher was a 1975 graduate of Foxborough High School who excelled in both football and track & field. Joe was a star two-way tackle for the football team, and he still holds the school record in the discus. During a career spanning more than three decades, Joe served as a teacher, Athletic Director, Assistant Principal, and coach for both football and track & field.
Sarah Behn is a 1989 graduate of Foxborough High School and was a three-sport standout on the soccer, basketball, and softball teams. Sarah led the softball team in batting for her junior and senior seasons. In soccer, Sarah was the starting goalie for the 1987 State Championship Team, was selected as an All-American, and graduated with 50 career shutouts. Sarah is best known for her accomplishments on the basketball court, where she set the state scoring record with 2,562 points and was selected as an All-American. Upon graduation, Sarah attended Boston College, played professional basketball, coached at the collegiate level, and at Foxborough High School.
Tom Nalen is a 1989 graduate of Foxborough High School who excelled on the football, basketball, and track & field teams. Tom was a dominant lineman for the football team, a power forward for the basketball team, and a thrower on the track team. Upon graduation from Foxborough HS, Tom went on to play football at Boston College and won back-to-back Super Bowl championships as a member of the NFL’s Denver Broncos. Tom was previously inducted into the Broncos Ring of Fame in 2013.
Joan “Joanie” Goodwin has lived in Foxborough for over 70 years and has garnered the moniker “Mrs. Foxboro.” Joanie played basketball and softball in her youth and first became involved as a volunteer with Foxborough Youth Football in the 1960s. She was President of the FHS Touchdown Club for over 30 years. Joanie was a bus driver for the Foxborough school district for over 40 years and is a former head of transportation for the district. In this role, she transported generations of athletic teams to their contests and was always a fixture in the stands cheering our student-athletes and teams on. You can still find Joanie in the stands or on the field supporting the Warriors and watching her son-in-law and grandson, who coach baseball together at FHS, as well as her granddaughter, who coaches softball.
Jack Martinelli, known to most as “Coach,” has been the head football coach at Foxborough High School since he was hired in 1982. During his 40-plus year head coaching career in Foxborough (and 55 years in total), Jack accumulated nearly 300 career wins, placing him in the top five all-time in Massachusetts. He has also captured four MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association) Super Bowl titles in eight appearances and twelve league championships while leading the Warriors. “Coach” is a steady fixture at Foxborough HS and has worked with generations of student-athletes.
The 1987 Girls’ Soccer Team won the MIAA state championship over Holyoke Catholic to conclude an undefeated season. At the end of the 1987 regular season, Foxborough held a 54-game regular season undefeated streak. On their path toward a state championship, the team finished the season with a 20-0-1 record, including 17 shutouts, while outscoring all opponents 117-4.
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