Clinton's Gaughan retires; Led Gaels to Div. 2 baseball state title in 1993.

Byline: Jim Wilson 

CLINTON - It's the end of an era at Clinton High, as longtime baseball coach Bernie Gaughan announced his retirement yesterday.

Gaughan came to Clinton as a track and basketball coach in 1965 after two seasons coaching at Compton (R.I) High. In 1979, Gaughan became the head baseball and girls' basketball coach for the Gaels and has been there ever since, going 385-202 in baseball during that span.

Gaughan said he was thinking of the decision for the last few years and after graduating a large senior class last spring, he said everything fell into place.

"It was just time to leave," Gaughan said. "We had a very senior group last year and my wife just retired and we wanted to do some traveling, maybe head down to Florida."

Last spring, Gaughan led Clinton to a 19-3 mark and a spot in the Division 2 semifinal before losing to Auburn. Last year, Gaughan was inducted to the Massachusetts High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

"I'm sure I'll miss it," Gaughan said. "But I won't miss the long, cold days of practice."

Clinton won the Division 2 state title in 1993 with a 25-1 record, Gaughan's only state title. Gaughan played on Clinton's 1949 District E championship team that fell in the state final to Pittsfield, 3-1.

Gaughan, a member of the Assumption College Hall of Fame, also coached the Greyhounds' football team from 1983-95, posting a 52-64-1 mark.

Between the recent Hall of Fame ceremony and his plans to call it a career, Gaughan said he had plenty of time to reflect on his many memories of coaching at Clinton.

"The other coaches and the teams we've played in the league, the coaches get along famously," Gaughan said. "It's a lot of laughs and a lot of fun and some good competition."

Gaughan's longtime assistant Bob Bonci also has been there since Day One, stepping in as the junior varsity coach in 1979.

"He's a class guy," Bonci said. "Everything was always fundamentals first with Bernie. Being the JV coach, we run the same programs together so if a kid comes from me to Bernie, everything is the same. All the signals are the same, so it's not like the kid has to learn something new again."

Like longtime football coach Archie Cataldi, who stepped down prior to last season after coming to Clinton in 1975, Gaughan has been a Clinton staple.

"With Bernie leaving, it's really a changing of the guard," Bonci said. "You relate football in Clinton with Archie Cataldi and baseball with Bernie."

While he may not be filling out the Gaels' lineup card next spring, Gaughan still plans on being a fixture at the field.

"I can always go watch the games and relax," Gaughan said. "I can just sit on my lawn chair and watch the games now."

NAME: CLINTON HIGH SCHOOL 

ART: PHOTO

CUTLINE: Bernie Gaughan, photographed during Clinton's girls' basketball game last night, has stepped down as coach of the school's baseball team.

PHOTOG: ED COLLIER