Class of 1972
You have to love those old three sport athletes, the gym rat, the turf terror, the field master, the tough kid that no one wants to mess with. He was the great teammate who always, always put team in front of individual goals. When you add superb hand-eye coordination, quick feet, exquisite field sense and the ultimate winner's mentality, you have Rene Beaudoin. Growing up as one of the scourges of West Acton, Rene was always the first selection in all the pickup games. From Kinsley Field he graduated to Blanchard "Win City" Gymnasium, Quagmire Field and the maple tree lined Charter Road Diamond. It was in Rene's junior year that the diminutive demon grew 6 inches, then terrorized opponents in all three sports.
The early 1970's was era without stats. That suited Rene just fine, because the only stat that mattered to him was a W. In football he was an outstanding corner and highly skilled wide receiver. On the hardwood, he was a maniacal defender and deadly long range shooter. However, baseball was where Rene's abilities blossomed. A true five tool ball player, he was a nightmare for opposing coaches and teams to defend. Equally as good a fielder as he was a lifetime 320+ hitter, he was most explosive on the base paths, where his intuition, quickness and speed wreaked havoc on the opposition. Rene was a DCL All-star in Football and
Baseball and chose to run indoor track his senior year, where legendary track coach and Hall of Famer Dick Dow recounted Rene's death run at the DCL Championship Meet.
Post AB, Rene Beaudoin turned his talents to Slow, Modified and Fast Pitch Softball, playing for teams all over Massachusetts, the US and Canada. In 1984 Rene played for
the Tighe Club out of Lowell that won the National Championship in Tennessee. Again, his 5 tool play, hit, run field throw base running, won him accolade as one of the finest softball players in New England history.
Rene stopped playing organized sports to help raise his sons Nick and Nate and spent many years coaching Pop Warner Football, basketball, and baseball. Rene resides in Leominster with his wife Anne Marie (Ri) as well as his two step daughters Lindsay and Alicia. Those talented hands have served Rene well as a Master Plumber. His most memorable moment was AB winning the State Championship in 1971 and playing in the old Boston Garden with his best friends.
