He attended the Catholic Keith Academy in Lowell and earned a bachelor's degree in English from University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1965. After graduating he taught English and coached football and hockey at Tewksbury Memorial High School.
After attending the Catholic Keith Academy in Lowell and earning his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1965, he began his career as a teacher, coaching both football and hockey at Tewksbury Memorial High School.