Inductees

Athlete Bio


Basketball
9, 10, 11, 12

Baseball
9, 10, 11, 12

John Dolan

Class of 1983

A two-sport Dual County League MVP who established himself as one of the best baseball players in CCHS history, John Dolan went on to play collegiate baseball at Boston College and later with the Boston Red Sox.

John, older brother Tom and younger brother Chris grew up in the shadows of Ripley School on Dalton Road. He started playing little league in 1971, with games on what is now the softball field at CCHS, and Recreation Basketball at Hunt Gym.

John arrived at CCHS in the fall of 1979, and embarked on an outstanding four-year high school career. In baseball, Dolan was a three-year starter under coaches Brent Clark (sophomore year) and Rick Shannon as a junior and senior. A lefthanded pitcher, Dolan was second in the entire state of Massachusetts in strikeouts as a junior and had a minuscule 0.44 ERA as senior.  He was a two-time DCL All-Star and was named DCL MVP as a junior and senior.  Also a two-time Middlesex News All- Star, Dolan was honored by the Boston Globe as an Eastern Mass Division II All-Star after his senior year. Dolan saved his greatest moment for last, hurling a no-hitter in his final varsity appearance again hated rival Lincoln-Sudbury.

Winter found Dolan inside the James Hayes Memorial Gymnasium, competing for coaches Charlie Dixon and John MacNamara as a freshman and sophomore before lettering twice on varsity for Brent Clark’s Patriots. A two-time DCL All-Star as a shooting forward, Dolan was co-MVP of the League and team co-captain in senior year when the Patriots went 18-4 and made it all the way to semifinals of the state tournament.  A Middlesex News All-Star and Agganis game All-Star in 1983, Dolan scored 707 points in just two varsity seasons, and ended up #4 all time (for two year players) and #8 on the all-time school scoring list. 

“High School sports were really the first time that I was challenged to be as good as I could and I credit Brent Clark for that,” said Dolan. “He set ground rules and expectations that were tough but fair and emphasizing the characteristics that make better athletes and people.  The foundation of those were preparation, mental toughness, effort, willingness to try and fail, and aggressiveness. We had a lot of fun while still giving full effort and that’s the thing I remember most fondly. I have a lifelong friend from that team, David Pina, who defined the teams’ style and identity.  I will share a lot of great memories with my other teammates like Chris Swindell, Brian McLaughlin, Marc Moreau, Melvin Murphy, Pete Olsen and Rob Stubblebine.” 

Following graduation, Dolan headed off to Boston College, where he was a four-year starter on the mound for Coach Eddie Pellagrini’s Eagles. A Greater Boston League All-Star in 1984, Dolan also earned Honorable Mention Big East All-Star kudos as a sophomore in 1985.

After BC, John lived out the fantasy of every New England youth by signing a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox, and competed for affiliate teams in Elmira, NY, Lynchburg, VA and Winter Haven, FL. Dolan posted career professional totals of 18-13 with an ERA of 3.77 in 30 career games. Teammates from his minor league days included future Major Leaguers John Valentin, Tim Naehring and Phil Plantier.

Dolan is currently the Director of Research at Raptor Capital Management, a hedge fund based in Boston.  He resides in Wellesley, MA with my wife, Maura and their four children: Jack 12, Brendan 11, Caroline 10 and James 7.