Truth be told, even the Blizzard of ’78 couldn’t get in Bob Guidi’s way. For the longtime coach who had been involved with high school athletics since 1965, it was like that until his death last week at age 81.

“There were no days off with Bob Guidi,” said Tom Dawley (St. Mary’s ’78), who played baseball for Guidi and was a part of the 1977 Eastern Massachusetts championship team. “During the days after the blizzard, the snow banks were 25 feet high. He had us out there practicing on just the coldest, rawest days in the preseason. Practice was so important to him and no one would make you work harder than Bob Guidi.”

Guidi’s journey in the world of sports began in Winthrop, where he was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010. He played four sports – football, basketball, tennis, baseball – before playing three at Tufts University.

“He was the kid who lived around the corner, and he could hit. He caught your eye because he could hit,” said Frank DeFelice, who coached baseball and football at Swampscott High. “He played on the town teams. As I’ve always said, ‘If you can hit, you’re going to find a place.’ Let’s put it this way: He was always a tough out.”

Bob DeFelice, who retired from coaching Bentley University’s baseball program in 2022 after 54 years, couldn’t have agreed more with his brother.

“He was a great teammate and loved playing,” Bob DeFelice said. “He didn’t look like a great player, but he made all the plays. Then, he went out for football his senior year and became the starting quarterback, so he was a gifted athlete. He picked up tennis later in life and was the town champion. Whether it was darts, pool, or whatever, he would excel. On pickup teams, he’s the first guy you would pick.”

After graduating from Tufts in 1964, Guidi began his coaching career – and what a career it was.

After a stint in Winthrop as the freshman baseball coach, he coached the St. Mary’s varsity team for 15 years. His run included three Catholic Central League titles to go along with the EMass title and a record of 145-77.

Guidi also coached basketball at North Shore Community College, Matignon High, and for 10 years at Lynnfield High. There was also baseball at Wakefield High for 12 years (four consecutive state tournament appearances) and 24 years as a freshman and junior varsity football coach at schools throughout the region, among other coaching jobs, including sub-varsity basketball at Belmont.

“I just enjoy coaching,” Guidi said in 2021. “I was willing to coach anything. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.”

In the classroom, Guidi taught math for more than 30 years at Malden High, where he helmed the tennis program for five years, all of which included state tournament berths. He was also a basketball and soccer official.

“He was a great coach and a great disciplinarian. He took a ton of pride in his work,” said Dawley, who still remembers rides home in Guidi’s car after nearly every practice and game. “He was also a guy of high values and that’s what he instilled in all of us. Just a well-rounded guy and he’ll be missed.”

Dawley went on to talk about Guidi’s “lifelong impression.”

“Whether it was sports-related or not, he’s a guy who you wouldn’t forget,” Dawley said. “I still have vivid memories of him. Just a top-notch coach and great for high school athletes. He taught his players what it took to win.”

Someone else with vivid memories of Guidi is Ed Ford, who pitched for St. Mary’s and graduated in 1969.

“I’ve got nothing but fond memories of him. He was a good baseball guy – a really good baseball guy,” Ford said. “I know he’s up there at the Pearly Gates now, looking down at us and laughing.”

Bob FeFelice said he always stayed connected with Guidi.

“In fact, I saw him about a month ago and we ended up talking about tennis for half-an-hour,” he said. “He looked great and seemed to be good, so I was shocked when I found out he passed away.”

Ted Grant, publisher of The Item who played and coached for Guidi at St. Mary’s, said he could draw a straight line between playing for Guidi and professional successes.

“Because I played for Bob, I later coached with him. Because I coached with him, I made connections at The Item, which led to me being hired as a sportswriter,” Grant said. “Because of The Item, I made the connections that helped me form the Lynn Business Partnership. Because of the LBP, I met the leaders who would become the clients who helped me start a marketing company, which eventually enabled me to put together the team that acquired The Item.

“And I’m just one of hundreds of his former players upon whom he had a lifelong impact,” Grant said.

Guidi was present on the sidelines of high school sporting events for decades, doing things his own way from beginning to end.

“But more importantly, a really good guy,” Frank DeFelice said. “That’s the bottom line.”