East Boston High School Basketball court named after Michael Rubin
Story and photos by Bob Marra
Michael Rubin at the unveiling ceremony designating the Michael Rubin Court at the high school in his
honor.
After graduating from Tufts University in 1978, Michael Rubin planned to go to law school. But first, he recalls, “I was going to teach. I wanted to give back, as a tribute to a school counselor and a coach who were so influential in my life at that time.”
Rubin became a Special Education teacher at East Boston’s Barnes Middle School. Having played basketball at Tufts, he took on the head coaching duties for the East Boston High junior varsity basketball team.
“Right then I knew: God put me on earth for this,” he said. And so began a career that spanned 36 years—the last 35 at East Boston High School, where Rubin was a teacher, basketball coach, administrative assistant, and, ultimately, Headmaster until his retirement in 2013.
On February 3, dozens of Rubin’s former players, students, and colleagues joined several hundred fans who filled the stands at the venerable East Boston High School gym at a ceremony to unveil his signature and name upon “Michael Rubin Court” and to retire the “Number 1” jersey in his honor.
“I was surprised by the number of people there,” Rubin said a few days later. “I thought it would be just a small event, but I saw people from all over the city. It made me feel loved.”
Love surely was in abundance, all of it directed at the slender man with the salt-and-pepper beard wearing a grey vest over his blue East Boston Basketball sweatshirt—(and a New England Patriots cap)—who sat quietly as one speaker after another praised him for his leadership, wisdom, compassion, and discipline.
After listening to his colleague’s admiration for nearly half an hour, Rubin addressed the crowd and humbly deflected all the compliments. He wasn’t big on ceremony and glory, he said, “especially when it’s all about me.”
But on this day, Rubin’s reticence simply did not matter. Phil Brangiforte, Rubin’s successor as East Boston Headmaster, teamed with others who were determined that Rubin’s name own a memorable place in East Boston High School lore. Or, as Brangiforte called the school, “the Castle on the Hill.”
Rubin was 24 years old when he started coaching the varsity Jets, who hadn’t achieved a winning season in decades. During his 24-year stint from 1980 to 2004, Rubin’s teams went on to win 407 games, 10 City League titles, and four Division 2 state titles during his Hall of Fame career. The Boston Globe named him “Coach of the Year” in 1985 and 1992.
Rubin was quick to credit his success to his players and all those he worked with over the years. “I haven’t scored an official point on a basketball court since 1978,” he said with a laugh. “I stand on the shoulders of the players. All glory to the players and to God.”
Rubin’s genuine humility endeared him to those with whom he associated, and that bond is as strong today as ever. “I was honored and humbled to have him in my life,” said Headmaster Brangiforte, who graduated East Boston High in 1986. “He taught me a lot. He allowed me to flourish as a student, as a coach, and as teacher and administrator.”
Jayson Harris, an East Boston High teacher and head coach of the girls varsity basketball team, played for Rubin, but Rubin was more than just a coach. “Michael Rubin is now and has been one of the most important and influential people in my life,” said Harris. “As my coach, he taught the value of discipline, teamwork, hard work, and dedication to a common goal. As a boss, colleague, and mentor, he continued to teach me the value of hard work, the importance of strong leadership, and how I can incorporate some of that into my own life as a man, a father, a teacher, a coach and mentor now, too.”
Brangiforte summarized Rubin’s character succinctly: “…tough, but fair. “He ran a tight ship,” said Brangiforte. “He always taught that no one player on a team was above the team, and that was true outside of sports, too. He treated everyone as if they were the best player on the team, and he always was true to what he believed.
East Boston Athletic Director Michael Smith attributes his own professional path to Rubin. “I am sincerely grateful to my former high school administrator and mentor,” Smith said. “He consistently demonstrated exceptional professionalism, thoughtful leadership, and remarkable composure in the face of constant challenges.”
Rubin learned to overcome challenges early in his life. As a child in a poor neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee, he lost his Mom when he was 9 and his Dad two years later. Two educators guided Rubin through his hardship. “A guidance counselor, Yvonne Green, and a coach, Lavaughn Bridges, were so important during my formative years.”
Green steered Rubin to a program that led him to a prestigious Tennessee prep school, from where he matriculated to Tufts University. Bridges instilled respect, discipline, and an appreciation for hard work. “He always wore a three-piece suit,” Rubin said. “I looked up to him, and he taught us always to be on time, be respectful, work to be your best, and if you get knocked down, get back up and try harder.”
Rubin exalts Green and Bridges. “They are the reasons that I wanted to teach before going to law school.”
While Rubin’s statistical achievements as a coach are remarkable, Headmaster Brangiforte emphasized Rubin’s human connections. “Wins and losses can never measure his true contributions and his influence on countless lives.”
Harris echoed that sentiment. “Through basketball, he taught us life lessons that have carried over into other areas of life.”
Harris, whose late father Leslie was an esteemed Juvenile Court judge, was one of the high school basketball players who regarded Rubin as if he was a father. “Michael Rubin has given me and my brothers so much in the way of a strong Black male role model. I am forever thankful for all he has done for me, grateful for his continued support and presence in my life, and proud to be able to say that I played for an amazing coach and learned from a great man,” said Harris.
While grateful for the praise, Rubin characteristically shrugs it off and prefers to reflect on his experience. “When I first started coaching, Boston schools were still dealing with the trouble that came with busing. As a coach, I became a mediator, I was able to reach Black and white kids and teach them to work together. Coaching in the city, I tried to prepare my players and students for life beyond basketball, beyond school. I knew I found my niche.”
Rubin now works with the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) as a liaison to various committees and a leader of the MIAA “Respect and Civility” initiative, which emphasizes respect, fairness, civility, honesty, and responsibility as integral to all athletic contests. Appropriately enough, they are very principles that denote Rubin’s career as coach and administrator.
“I like to stay around sports and young people, to watch them grow and mature,” said Rubin. “I look back on 36 years in the Boston Public Schools, and I would not change a thing.”
Countless students and athletes always will be grateful that Michael Rubin chose teaching and coaching over law. And from now on, he will preside in his court, where the name Michael Rubin, painted in bright blue on the polished golden hardwood floor, will inspire future generations. As AD Smith said, no one is more deserving of the honor.