Inductees

Coach Bio


Marybeth Crabtree

1989 - 1995

The architect of one of the greatest dynasties in school history, Marybeth Crabtree coached the girl's tennis team from 1989-1995, guiding the Patriots to five state championships in her tenure.

A native of nearby Belmont, Massachusetts, Crabtree attended Elmira College inupstate New York and moved to Concord with her husband Paul in 1974.
Crabtree came to coaching in 1988, serving as the junior varsity coach under then mentor Jim Pattie. Following Pattie's retirement the following spring, Crabtree assumed the varsity job and produced a Dual County League title and berth in the state finals with daughter Jennifer as senior captain. The following season found the Patriots back in the championship, the beginning of a remarkable run that produced state titles and DCL crowns in each of the next four seasons before a loss in the state semifinals in 1995. All told, Crabtree amassed a remarkable 132-4 record in dual matches in her tenure and produced numerous Singles and doubles state champions.

Along the way the Patriots racked up a remarkable 160-match winning streak in DCLplay, a streak that lasted for 13years before coming to an end in 1995. Crabtree also earned her share of coaching honors, including Boston Globe Coach of the Year in 1992 and National Federation of Interscholastic Coaches Association Coach of the Year on two occasions.

Crabtree's tutelage helped dozens of players go on to star at the collegiate level, including daughters Jennifer (Miami of Ohio) and Wendy (Notre Dame). Several others earned scholarships to Division I schools, including Jennifer Callen '89, who captained the University of Virginia team and went on to play professionally for several years.

"Those teams in the late 1980's were incredibly talented, and Marybeth helped keep things fun for us as a team," said Callen, who is currently the varsity women's tennis coach at Dartmouth College. "We all worked on our games individually during the off season, but playing for Concord-Carlisle and the success we had was an enjoyable part of being in high school for all of us."

Crabtree also coached at the collegiate level for three years, guiding the Babson College women's team in their fall season from 1993-1995. The Beavers showed great improvement under Crabtree, competing in the league and New England championships all three seasons.

"I have wonderful memories of coaching all those great teams in the late 80's and early 90's when I used to tell peoplethat a few broken legs were the only thing that could keep us from winning," said Crabtree. "As fun as those teams were, some of my best memories are of the teams we had a few years later without any ranked kids. The legacy of success of the program made these kids, who excelled at other sports as well, believe that playing tennis at ConcordCarlisle meant you should win. That was very gratifying as a coach."

The Tennis Governor at the Concord Country Club from 1994-1998, Crabtree has served on the junior selection committee for the United States Tennis Association for the past four years. A veteran of indoor and outdoor tennis leagues for the past 25 years, Crabtree now divides her time between the tennis court and golf course.