RICK GONSALVES • VIETNAM WAR
Rick Gonsalves, 80
Gloucester, MA
Born: 7/26/1945
Born/Raised: Gloucester MA
Service: US Coast Guard Quartermaster
Rank: Spec. Petty Officer 3rd Class
Dates of Service: 1969-1977 (6 yrs Reserves)
Rick Gonsalves is the son of Yvonne and Richard Sr., a WWII Navy veteran who served in both the Pacific and Atlantic running convoys. Born and raised in Gloucester along with his brother Dana, on Haskell Street in East Gloucester. Rick graduated from GHS in 1963 and attended Bridgewater State starting in 1966 as an English and Education/History major. In 1969, he went to enlist and put his name on all the various services. The United States Coast Guard pulled his number and it was off to Cape May, NJ, for basic training.
He served aboard the Unimak, a 311’ high endurance cutter out of Cape May, and the Cuyahoga, a 125’ cutter out of Norfolk, VA. They would patrol the length of the eastern seaboard, from Maine down through Florida monitoring Russian fishing activities. He finished his degree from Salem State in 1970 often doing coursework onboard his ships. Upon leaving active service he took a position teaching English, History and Math at the Beverly Trade School, a job he’d have for 15 years. He was married for ten years to Mary Jane Kelso, from Scotland.
In 1985 he took a job with the Gloucester DPW working at the beaches and cemeteries. During his teaching years and onward Rick began a 54-year career as a football kicking coach, both at the high school level and at the professional level collecting stats for the New England Patriots, NY Jets and Cleveland Browns. He has become a recognized expert in football kicking statistics. He wrote two books on the subject, “Specialty Teams” in 1977 and “Placekicking in the NFL – A History and Analysis” in 2014. He has a collection of Superbowl helmets, including a signed Superbowl 36 helmet from legendary kicker Adam Vinatieri. He retired in 2006.