Episode #60- Harry Sheehy, retired collegiate basketball coach and athletic director, Williamstown, MA

Harry Sheehy is a retired athletic administrator and former coach who led Williams College (MA) to 17 Division III national team championships during his 10 years as the college’s Chair and Director of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation. He also served as Dartmouth College’s Director of Athletics and Recreation for nearly 11 years. During each year of Sheehy’s decade guiding the Williams athletics department, the Ephs won the NCAA Division III Directors’ Cup, given to the athletics program (out of more than 400 Division III colleges) that achieves the greatest success over a variety of 18 sports. He oversaw 35 NCAA Division I varsity sports at Dartmouth, a member of the Ivy League- 16 men’s, 17 women’s and two coed- as well as 35 club sports and an extensive intramural program. He also oversaw physical education courses, the Fitness and Lifestyle Improvement Program (FLIP), and recreational activities serving about 1,500 individuals a day. Sheehy was the head men’s basketball coach for the Ephs for 17 years, compiling a record of 324-104 (.757) which is the fourth best winning percentage in the history of Division III men’s basketball. Williams made 13 appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament under Sheehy’s tutelage, including his last 12 seasons. In 1997 and 1998, the Ephs played in the Division III Final Four, finishing third nationally in both years. He finished his coaching career with eight straight 20-win seasons and the 2000 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) title. During his coaching career, Sheehy was named the Northeast Coach of the Year (1997, 1998), the Eastern Basketball Magazine Coach of the Year (1998) and the NESCAC Coach of the Year (2000). In 2002, he was elected to be in the inaugural class of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame, joining others such as Bob Cousy, Patrick Ewing, Julius Erving, Jim Calhoun, and Geno Auriemma. Before his coaching and administrative career, he was a basketball All-American at Williams where he became the program's all-time leading scorer. He then played eight years with Athletes in Action and finished his career as the team’s leading career scorer and fifth in career assists. Sheehy represented the United States in the 1978 Pan American Confederation Games as the U.S. won the gold medal in Argentina. His 2002 book, “Raising a Team Player,” has received critical acclaim: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1580174477/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_TVZ2XZ28EZW6BGKNK8A6 He is married to Constance Durrell Sheehy. They reside in Williamstown, MA.