As Mike Dubzinski shared hugs with his fellow football coaches Friday night in Northborough after a 32-27 win over Algonquin , the longtime Wachusett coach had a surprise waiting for him.
In the hands of Wachusett senior captains Logan Dennett and Angel Rosa was a banner that read: Congratulations Wachusett Football Coach Mike Dubzsinki (on) 200 Wins And A Million More Memories.
Surprise, Coach! Oh, and here’s the game ball.
“It means the world to everyone because everyone sees every day how much work he puts into the football team and the environment, and it’s really amazing to see him get that milestone,” Dennett said. “You could see how much it meant to not only the team but to him and his family.”
For the kids
Mike Dubzinski grew up in Gardner, played football for his father at Lunenburg, moved on to play at Cushing Academy and finished up at Middlebury College.
He soon embarked on a coaching career that took him to Natick High for a few years (where he won 24 games) before stepping in as coach at Wachusett in 1999.
Now, 25 years and 176 wins later, which includes four Super Bowl titles, Dubzinski is the latest member to join the prestigious 200-win club.
“The win thing is not about me at all,” Dubzinski, 59, said. “For me, it’s seeing the joy of watching the kids grow and compete and improve each day. I’ve been lucky enough to be around a lot of good players. But it’s not about me, it’s never been about me, and it never will be.”
“It’s genuinely who he is. He’s never too high, never too low,” said his brother, Steven. “He never did this for the banner or the ball.”
A bond beyond football
For three seasons, Tucker McDonald played quarterback at Wachusett Regional under the watchful eye of Mike Dubzinski.
McDonald, now a sophomore on the University of Connecticut football team, happens to be the nephew of the Wachusett football coach.
“It was always coach on the field,” McDonald said, “and at home, it was always Michael.”
From the highs of winning Thanksgiving Day football games together, to the lows of McDonald losing his father and Dubzinski his brother-in-law, the two have developed a deep bond on and off the gridiron.
“He has always been there for me,” McDonald said. “But since my dad passed, he has taken on that father figure role in my life along with many more people. It’s awesome to see him get his 200th win and see his team celebrate him.
“It’s such a huge accomplishment that he deserves to be celebrated.”
Coach gets his flowers
As word trickled out Friday night that the Mountaineers held on to beat Algonquin, well wishes started to spread across social media for Mike Dubzinski.
“Congratulations to Coach Mike Dubzinski on his 200th career win. The ultimate coach, educator, mentor and professional. Truly the best of the best in high school educational athletics,” wrote the Wachusett Athletics account on X, formerly known as Twitter.
With Dubzinski’s brother also posting a message of congratulations online, current Lincoln-Sudbury coach Justin McKay responded with: “Absolutely the best to ever do it!! Here’s to 200 more!”
McKay spent eight seasons working under Dubzinski at Wachusett before taking over as coach at Algonquin in 2012. The Holden resident — who still runs into Dubzinski (who lives in Rutland) around town — couldn’t be happier for his friend and mentor.
“There isn’t a person who cares more about the student-athletes and the people in the Wachusett School District than Michael Dubzinski,” McKay said. “He’s established such a culture of success there that breeds a commitment to each other, and it means the world to him to have relationships with people he’s coached and the community.
“He could care less about this record,” McKay added. “If you know Mike Dubzinski, that’s the character of who he is as a person. He doesn’t promote himself that way, he doesn’t brag, and that’s really who he is.”
Although Dubzinski may not care much about milestone, other current and former coaches from the area wanted to share their congratulations to the Wachusett coach on joining the 200-win club.
“He does it for the kids, he does it for the right reasons and obviously he’s had a lot of success,” Shrewsbury coach John Aloisi said. “I have a lot of respect for him as a coach and a man.”
Said Leominster coach Devin Gates: “A huge congratulations to Mike. He has won a lot of games doing it the right way. Very happy for him, his program and his family.”
“It’s a tough thing to do, there’s a lot of losses in there, too,” added Dubzinski’s uncle, John Dubzinski Sr., who coached at Fitchburg and Leominster and won 214 games in a 30-year career. “You have to be doing it a long time. He’s done a great job there; they were kind of a struggling program when they took it over, and he’s built them up to be a very formidable opponent.”
Sharing the spotlight
After watching Jon Linberg run for two touchdowns, Thomas Anderson pass for two scores and Dennett recover a key fumble on Friday, Mike Dubzinski was presented with the banner and game ball following Wachusett’s fourth win of the season.
Yet Dubzinski quickly gave the ball back to his starting quarterback in Anderson, who proceeded to toss the pigskin around with his coach like a hot potato. Eventually, Dubzinski tossed the ball to his wife, Erin.
“He wanted me to keep using it,” Anderson said. “I was like ‘It’s fine, I’ll get a new (one), you keep that as a memory or a trophy.’ ”
No, Coach wanted you to keep it, kid. That’s just who he is.
“Michael would never ever want to take away from the kids and their accomplishment (Friday) or any other game he’s coached in,” said his sister, Kathryn McDonald. “He’s just always been about his team and his assistants.”
But for one night this fall, the spotlight shined on Mike Dubzinski.
Two hundred wins and a million memories made.
“I’m incredibly proud of him,” Tucker McDonald said.
“We have great kids. They work hard,” Dubzinski said. “We’re very fortunate.”
—Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 'He does it for the kids': Wachusett football coach Mike Dubzinski joins 200-win club
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