Peter Roby Named Basketball Head Coach

Peter P. Roby last night was named head coach of the Harvard men's basketball team.

Roby, an assistant coach at Harvard the past three seasons, succeeds Frank McLaughlin, who this morning will be named the athletic director at Fordham University.

A 1979 graduate of Dartmouth, Roby has spent the past three seasons as McLaughlin's top assistant, specifically handling the Crimson's scouting, recruiting and game plans.

"This is like a dream come true," said Roby, who served as an assistant coach at Dartmouth, Army and Stanford before moving to Harvard in 1982.

"Ever since I went into coaching, I felt I'd like to be a head coach," added the New Britain, Conn., native. "And I can think of no better place than Harvard in which to help young people realize their academic and athletic goals."

Roby, who will be the 15th Harvard men's basketball coach, captained the 1979 Dartmouth squad, and he was awarded the Alvin F. "Doggie" Julian Award for Outstanding Leadership in Varsity Athletics that year.

Now in his third year as a freshman proctor, Roby said he plans no major changes in the Harvard program, but added that "we'll certainly have a new look" because of last year's graduation of the Crimson's number-one and number-three all-time leading scorers.

Roby, who will be the highest-ranking Black coach at Harvard, said he will begin a search for an assistant coach shortly.

Succeeds McLaughlin

Meanwhile, McLaughlin--who starred on the 1968 and 1969 Fordham basketball squads--will be introduced as Fordham's new athletic director at a 10:30 a.m. press conference in New York today.

At Fordham, the former Notre Dame, Fordham and Holy Cross assistant coach will oversee an athletic department that includes 19 varsity sports.

In his eight years at Harvard, McLaughlin compiled a 99-110 record and pushed the historically weak Crimson program to the upper reaches of Ivy basketball, although his teams never managed to claim the league crown.

Last week, McLaughlin cited "an extremely attractive offer" from Fordham, and close ties to his alma mater, as his primary reasons for accepting the offer.

McLaughlin, who will be on hand for today's press conference, could not be reached for comment yesterday.