RallyNorth.net

Knights' Tarbox wins 400th game

Friday, October, 07 By Michael Muldoon
Staff writer

He’s already been in the Eastern Massachusetts Soccer Hall of Fame for six years, so his legacy has been in place for a while.
But North Andover boys soccer coach Bill Tarbox joined a select club when the Scarlet Knights beat North Reading 3-1 yesterday.
It was his 400th career win. He’s 278-87-53 in 21 years at North Andover and went 122-113-31 in 18 years at Greater Lawrence Tech.
And don’t rule out 500 wins.
He volunteers at the Guilmette School in Lawrence and when a girl there asked him his age. He asked her, “How old do you think I am.”
Her reply? 42.
For the record, he is only 61 (62 on Thursday) and hasn’t lost a step. This year’s club is 7-1-2 and his Knights teams have qualified for the postseason for all 21 years he’s been coach.
“It means a lot personally,” he said of the milestone. “I’ve always enjoyed doing it. I enjoy all the kids I’ve worked with.”
Tri-captain Zach Karalis said its been a pleasure playing for Tarbox.
“He’s a great guy and definitely knows his soccer,” said Karalis, a basketball and soccer star for the Knights. “He also wants us to do well in the classroom and in life. He’s a good guy and a fun guy to play for.”
The Knights knew this one was important.
“He came up to me and said it meant a lot to him,” said Karalis. “It’s a big accomplishment and he was proud of it.”
Young North Andoverites grow up looking forward to playing for him.
“My cousins Tom and Dave Gaffny played for him,” said Karalis. “I wanted to get to high school and play for him.”
Tarbox, an Andover native who has lived in North Andover for years, picked up the game at now defunct Ricker College in Maine.
The Tarbox name is synomous with both schools he has coached at. His late father, Fred, a prominent local businessman, was one of the movers and shakers behind the founding of Greater Lawrence Tech.
Bill started the soccer program and taught there 34 years, before retiring three years ago.
Tarbox and Andover’s Dave Amundsen helped fuel the growth of soccer in the region with their Andover Soccer Camp, which began in 1976.
Tarbox passed the love of the game on to his kids. Fred starred at North Andover and UMass Lowell and is the girls coach at Haverhill. Jana is the former coach at PMA.