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Coach's Corner: North Andover's John Rafferty

Football has taken John Rafferty from New England to New York and back.

The North Andover coach, 53, grew up in Wakefield, where he starred as a schoolboy, and eventually earned a scholarship to Syracuse.

He's a case worker for the Middlesex Sheriff's Department by day, but football is his passion. His Scarlet Knights may be 0-2, but he's optimistic about the season's prospects.

"The exciting part - the rewarding part - is to see kids improve," he said. "When they start to improve, when they start to come together. If you can get them to do that, then that's rewarding as heck."

1.You played college ball at Syracuse (Rafferty was a defensive back). How did that experience differ from your high school days?
"The intensity level wasn't any different than in high school. Everybody was just bigger and faster than everybody I went to high school with. It was pretty amazing."

2. Who was the best player you faced at the college level?
"(NFL Hall of Famer and University of Pittsburgh alum) Tony Dorsett. I guess he was pretty good. ... It was a little scary if you ended up one-on-one with him. He had speed, elusiveness..."

3. Did you ever come close to tackling him?
"Yes. If you do something like that you're kind of proud of it (laughs)."

4. How has the recruiting process changed since your playing days?
"It has grown exponentially. With the advent of the Internet and everything, communication is so different. Back then, there was some recruiting, but there weren't any (highlight) tapes. A lot of it was word-of-mouth situations. It's just vastly different now. College coaches, you can tell them whatever you want. But they'll say the same thing: 'Give me the tape.' It was a much simpler time back then. You'd go for your visits and that sort of thing. You basically tried to get a feel for where you might fit. It was a big thing for me ... I came from a working class family. To be able to go to college on scholarship was huge."

5. What was it like playing at Syracuse?
"That's the one thing about Upstate New York. It has the worst weather in the country (the Carrier Dome didn't open until 1980). There's no comparison (to New England). It was always gray and pretty darn cold out. I remember spring practice outside. We were shoveling snow off the field."

6. Did your family come see you play?
"My father (who made his living as a pipe fitter) had no problem jumping into a car and traveling (for the day). Whether it was (at Syracuse) or down at Penn State. He would just travel. Eventually the rest of my family got a hold of him and said 'you can stay over.'"

7. Getting back to high school football. Is the "Friday Night Lights" TV show realistic at all?
"Maybe it is down in Texas. Not necessarily around here. I read the book when it came out. It was great."

8. Can you weigh in on the recent allegations made against Belichick?
"There's so much that goes on that we don't even know about. The problem is, everything is so advanced now, everything has changed. The technology is unbelievable. If you want to find out something, you buy the gadget. And pick a sport, there's a rules interpretation argument."

9. Could you tell our readers a little bit about your job as a case worker?
"I always give this analogy. If prison was a high school, I'd be the guidance counselor. It was obviously an eye opener when I started working there (15 years ago). Obviously things can go wrong. ... I guess it's just part of the day."

10. Do you think sports can keep people out of trouble?
"Let's put it this way. People who function successfully are organized. They have an organized set of values they live by. They have a sense of respect for themselves, and respect for others. If everybody had that, the world would be a better place to live. It's all basic stuff that sounds so cliche, but it's true."