After Ten Years, Athletic Director Cleary Retires

William J. "Bill" Cleary '56, a legendary figure in Harvard athletics, announced his retirement Friday from his position as Nichols Family Director of Athletics, effective June 30, 2001.

Cleary has held the position for nearly 10 years, taking the reins after he won the NCAA championship as coach of the men's hockey team in 1989. His career at Harvard spans six decades as student athlete, coach and administrator.

"Harvard is a very special place and it has been a privilege to be a part of such a tremendous educational and athletic environment for so many years," Cleary said in a press release.

As athletic director, Cleary presided over the largest Division I program in the nation. Harvard fields 41varsity sports and approximately 20 junior varsity teams, in addition to numerous club sports. More than 1,500 students compete in intercollegiate athletics at Harvard.

Members of the search committee to find Cleary's successor have not yet been named.

Cleary has made strides over the past 10 years to improve facilities for all of Harvard's programs. Last year, he opened Jordan Field, an artificial turf facility that serves the field hockey and lacrosse teams. Also last year, Harvard dedicated the Beren Tennis Center, which boasts 18 outdoor courts, and two years ago opened the Murr Center, the new headquarters for Harvard athletics.

The Murr Center consolidated the department entirely within the Soldiers Field athletic complex. The athletic department administrative offices, which used to be at 60 JFK Street, and the ticket office, which was located in the basement of Harvard Hall, were relocated to the Murr Center, as were the varsity weight room, the hall of history and 16 regulation squash courts.

In addition to expanding Harvard's facilities, Cleary just this past summer received funding from Harvard to hire full time assistant coaches for every varsity program.

"He wanted to make sure the program was in good hands with all the big changes made before he left," said John Kerr, the men's soccer coach. "He improved many facilities and got all of us coaches full time assistants, which in today's world is an increasing necessity if you want to compete with other programs."

Cleary's performance as athletic director was consistent with his national reputation as one of the foremost advocates for amateur athletics. In 1956, he was part of the silver medal-winning U.S. Olympic hockey team. He won a gold medal four years later. He was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1989, and he received the Lester Patrick Award in 1997 for contributions to hockey.

Under his leadership, Harvard has also worked to offer more opportunities for women athletes. There are more women's programs at Harvard than in any other school in the nation, and its teams have achieved national success.

In 1998, the women's hockey team won the national championship and the basketball team became the first No. 16 seed in the history of the NCAA tournament--men's or women's--to knock off the top seed. In May, the softball team advanced to the NCAA tournament and just this past November, the women's soccer team made it to the NCAA quarterfinals.

"Cleary was really a proponent of athletics for all," said Jenny Allard, the women's softball coach. "The JV women's hockey program started under his tenure. The kids came together and proposed it, and he said sure. If there was interest, he was all for it."

The only major criticism that has been leveled against Cleary over the past 10 years has been his inability to hire minority coaches. Despite efforts to extend feelers into black coaches' organizations, virtually all of his appointees to top positions have been white.

Moreover, while athletes and coaches have had access to him, his policies have not always been transparent to the greater student body. Cleary declined to be interviewed for this story, as has been his policy over the past several years towards The Harvard Crimson.

Cleary still holds or shares seven school athletic records at Harvard. He was a First Team All-America selection in 1954-55, leading the Crimson to a Beanpot title and a berth in the NCAA Final Four.

In 1999, Sports Illustrated named him Massachusetts' 33rd best athlete in the 20th century. The Boston Globe labeled him 68th among New England's top 100 of the past century.

During his 19 years as coach, the Crimson reached the Final Four seven times and the national championship game three times. In 1989, Harvard went 31-3 and defeated Minnesota, 4-3, in overtime to win Harvard's first NCAA championship.

"He was a great player and coach and really made the game fun," said Scott M. Fusco '85-'86, who won the Hobey Baker Award playing under Cleary. "He allowed the players to be creative, but within the team concept....He was a great teacher."

As a coach, Cleary endeared himself to both players and fans with a friendly personality and a wide-open style of hockey that allowed his team to display all of its skill. Fusco claimed that he and many of his teammates developed close relationships with Cleary that still exist to this day.

It was a style of management that transferred over to his administration.

"Billy is everything you hope for in a boss," said Assistant Director of Sports Media Relations John P. Veneziano. "He has a way of building confidence in people that is truly remarkable. He's encouraging, supportive and understanding. He only asks for one thing back--loyalty."

The announcement on Friday did not come as a surprise, however. Cleary has privately communicated a desire to retire over the past couple of years, and discussed the matter more intently with Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles over the past months, Knowles said. The biggest question for Cleary, he said, was a matter of timing.

Cleary, 66, reportedly felt with most of his major projects completed, it was time to move on.

The task now falls upon Knowles to name a successor to the position. Harvard has only had six athletic directors since the position was first filled by William J. Bingham '16 in 1926. Knowles will quickly move to form a committee that will conduct a national search for his replacement.

No names have as yet surfaced as potential candidates. However, talk in the athletic office is that the person will most likely come from within the Harvard athletic community--all previous directors have been College alums. Without a doubt, sources say, Cleary will have a strong hand in choosing his successor.

"You should never use the word 'replacement' [when talking about Cleary]," Knowles said. "Such people are simply irreplaceable."