Coach Bio
James A. Hayes
1957 - 1978
The late Jim Hayes will always be Mr. Basketball in Concord. Took over as the head boys' basketball coach in 1962 and coached the Pats for 16 years, or until his death on March 31, 1978.
The 6 foot-4 Hayes, who was only 42 when he succumbed to cancer, was one of the most widely respected basketball coaches in the state. He was a perfectionist who brought a head crammed with knowledge to every game he coached. He drove his teams relentlessly and pushed players to play beyond their natural capabilities.
Hayes' signature season was the 1963-64 campaign when his Concord-Carlisle team lost only once en route to the Middlesex League title and the old Class B Tech Tourney Championship.
The Patriots won the crown, on the parquet floor of Boston Garden, by pounding Braintree, 58-39. The 1960's was a golden era for Middlesex League basketball. In addition to Hayes, coaches like John Killilea (Melrose), Rollie Massimino (Lexington), Sonny Lane (Wakefield), Doug Grutchfield (Belmont) and Vandy French
(Winchester) matched wits and wills during the long and cold winters.
It might have been freezing outside, but it was toasty inside the gyms of the Middlesex League with so many coaching giants going at it night after night.
In addition to Coaching basketball, Hayes also coached freshman baseball and Cross Country at Concord-Carlisle High School. He also taught history and social studies.
As testimony to the respect he commanded, Hayes was voted into the State Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame.
Jim grew up in Arlington and he was an outstanding basketball player at both Matignon High School and Tufts University. Following College, he had a brief tryout with the Boston Celtics.
Jim and his wife, Carol, had two great kids, Jimmy and Sharon, both of whom are now adults.