The importance of placekicking and punting is often times overlooked in the physical sport that is football.
But it certainly shouldn’t be.
Yes, it’s the quarterback who captains the ship, running the offense with the ultimate goal of scoring more touchdowns than the opponent. The running backs dazzle out of the backfield, the wide receivers and tight ends make highlight reel catches, and the linemen play an integral role in slowing down the pass rush and opening up holes for those heavily utilized skill players.
But failing to roster a reliable kicker can prove to be the difference between a win and a loss. and failing to roster a dependable punter can make things a whole lot harder on your defense.
Essex’s Rick Gonsalves realized this from a young age, and for the past 53 years, he made it his life’s work to teach the fundamentals of kicking and punting to players of all skill levels. For years Gonsalves hosted a summer kicking camp at Gloucester High, spending time working with youth and high school level booters who aspired to improve their techniques. He served a role at the professional level, too, most notably offering reports and advice to his hometown New England Patriots.
After more than five decades of making a difference, Gonsalves has decided to call it a career, officially announcing his retirement at age 79.
“It’s funny, word of mouth travels quick among coaches and players,” Gonsalves said of how swiftly his annual kicking camp took off after he founded it in 1971. “I was very fortunate … but it was just my time, it felt like the right time to step away.”
Building his brand
During his high school days, Gonsalves served as a placekicker and punter at Gloucester High. He went on to kick at Bridgewater State University for two years in the 1960s.
“There were always guys that could do one or the other (placekicking or punting),” Gonsalves said. “I could do both.”
In those playing days, Gonsalves admits he was never granted the opportunity to attempt a real lengthy field goal. In fact, his longest make was from 38 yards out — although he was certainly capable of dialing up a deeper one if needed.
But Gonsalves’ main objective was not always about distance, rather mastering all the intangibles that build consistency: balance, length of steps, contact with the ball and follow through. That’s what he preached at his kicking academy, and that’s what led to the success of so many of his pupils.
“I work on each facet of (kicking) separately, breaking it down step by step,” said Gonsalves, who worked closely with Bob Karcher, a former physical education teacher and vice principal at Gloucester High, during his early days with the camp.
“All my kickers are going to be able to placekick and punt; I don’t care what they are,” he added. “You have no idea how handy that was when a kid got hurt.”
Perhaps the most important piece of his tutelage revolved around the mental aspect of the game.
“The mental part of the game, that’s so important. I don’t care what kid of leg you have or what kind of athlete you are,” Gonsalves said. “The mental part of the game is 90 percent of it … where’s your head? and my advice was ‘don’t think’.”
In 1977 Gonsalves published “Specialty Teams”, one of the first books to cover all phases of the pro kicking game. It helped him land positions with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns (1979), New York Jets (1980-84) and New England Patriots (1985-1995), roles where he would prepare special teams reports and kicker evaluations for the teams.
“For the pros you want to know how the guy does from his marks, on artificial turf vs. grass, indoors vs. outdoors in cold, rainy whether … it was about getting a good overall view of how well that particular kicker could produce under the circumstances,” said Gonsalves. “I started tracking all that stuff, and it was useful to them.”
Gonsalves had the pleasure of working with Patriots’ legend Adam Vinatieri and later chipped in at Rob Gronkowski’s summer camps held at Woburn High and Gillette Stadium.
“I had a good relationship with Adam Vinatieri; he was a hell of a nice guy,” Gonsalves said. “I used to go down there and meet him from time to time and we would go over to Papa Gino’s, I’d give him his stat sheet and we’d go over things.
“(But) one of my best experiences was working for Gronk at his camps for three years,” he said. “It was great. Period. What you see is what you get with Gronk. He’s a great guy, you never hear him yell or swear, and he had a great relationship with the kids.”
Among his other involvements with the professional game, Gonsalves was named to the coaching staff for Gino Cappelletti’s Boot Camp in 1993 and was featured in the 2002 documentary “The NFL Presents: The Kicking Game.” He coached kickers for USA Football Clinics held at Gillette Stadium in the early 2000s and later published another book, “Placekicking in the NFL, a History and Analysis” in 2014.
Setting the (kicking) standard
While Gonsalves undoubtedly cherished his experiences in the pros, it’s what he was able to accomplish at the high school level that truly defined his career.
Perhaps most notably, Gonsalves worked as the kicking coach for legendary high school football coach John DiBiaso for the past 15 years. He joined him at Everett High, where DiBiaso won 12 Super Bowls, and later followed him to Catholic Memorial where he remained on staff until his recent retirement.
“Dibs is one of the best high school coaches in New England,” Gonsalves said.
Gonsalves had two kids — John Zarella, a punter, and Kyle Costa, a kicker — that really stood out.
“Kyle was from Brazil so he played soccer and this kid had such a strong leg that he could put the ball through the end zone which gave us a huge advantage on kickoffs,” Gonsalves said. “I believe it was against St. John’s Prep where Dibs gave him a chance for a 56-yard field goal and it just fell short. I don’t think anyone has tried that long of a kick in a high school Super Bowl.”
As for Zarella, Gonsalves was just happy to see him implement the techniques and approaches he preached on a regular basis.
“I teach my punters what to do if the ball goes over their head. Well, against St. John’s, we’re down deep in our own territory at the 10-yard line,” he recalled. “The snap goes over John’s head, he gets the ball, makes a big circle to the right like I taught him, and gets the kick away. It ended up being a 45-yard punt and got us out of a hole simply because he knew what to do.”
Gonsalves also coached brothers Matt and Jack Sokol at Catholic Memorial, and on one occasion, both brothers kicked an extra point in the same game for the same school.
“That had never happened before to my knowledge. I’ve talked to a lot of people who did a lot of research, and nobody can ever find (a sibling duo) that did that,” he said.
Moreover, Gonsalves had the pleasure of coaching Anna Zerilli, the first female kicker in the North Shore/Cape Ann area. A former Rockport High student athlete and 2019 graduate, Zerilli kicked for the Manchester Essex varsity football team, breaking a 60-year-old program record for most points scored (7) by a placekicker in a game.
She was also the first female freshman in American history to score in a varsity football game. Zerilli went on to kick at Lake Forest College, scoring the first point ever by a female in a varsity football game for the college in October 2019.
In total, six of Gonsalves’ kickers earned tryouts in the NFL, with two making it to the final cuts.
When he wasn’t coaching, Gonsalves worked for the Department of Public Works in Gloucester, holding various jobs. He was also an English, history, civics and modern war events teacher at Beverly High from 1971-85.
Gonsalves may be calling it a career, but he’ll never shy away from offering advice to young, aspiring kickers down the line.
“If a kid comes up to me and wanted me to look at him or help him along, I’d definitely do that,” he said.
Sports Editor Nick Giannino may be contacted at 978-675-2712 or ngiannino@northofboston.com.