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Head Coaches who've won National Championship(s) as players ...

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  • Head Coaches who've won National Championship(s) as players ...

    An off-hand remark by one of the commentators in yesterday's RIT-UNO game really piqued my curiosity ... At some point during the game it was noted that RIT Head Coach Wayne Wilson had been a member of Jerry York's first NC-winning team at Bowling Green in 1984, a game I attended at the Olympic Arena in Lake Placid. Hmmm, thinks I - how many other DivI Head Coaches can make the same claim? A few jumped right out, but several were quite a surprise (at least to me) ... Current (at least for now :-) Wisconsin Head Coach Mike Eaves won a title with his alma mater in 1977 in Detroit, as did Harvard coach Ted Donato with Harvard in 1989 in St. Paul. What I hadn't realized until doing a little research this morning was that Vermont Head Coach Kevin Sneddon (as a teammate of Donato's for several years) was apparently also a member of that same NC-winning team. Denver Head Coach Jim Montgomery won a title (1993) with Maine in Milwaukee, while OSU Head Coach Scott Rohlik was a member of Bucky's 1990 title-winning team. I suspected that UNO Head Coach Dean Blais might be a likely candidate for this list, but again didn't realize until today that he actually won *TWO* National Championships playing for Minnesota in 1974 and 1976, the first, ironically, in Boston at old Boston Garden; time will tell if he can shortly add a third National Title as coach (following 2 with North Dakota in 1997 and 2000) in the city where he won his first as a player ...

    Some other interesting tidbits uncovered while researching the archives this morning ... NoDak Head Coach Dave Hakstoll has been, ahem, criticized in some quarters for never having won a National Title as bench boss of the team-formerly-known-as-the-Fighting-Sioux, but his time as a player at North Dakota was equally as barren, as none of their 7 titles were won while he wore the green & white. UMD Head Coach Scott Sandelin was equally snake-bitten; NoDak's National Championships in 1982 and 1987 perfectly bracketed his title-less time (1983-1986) in Grand Forks. Another name that I suspected should be on this list was Notre Dame Head Coach Jeff Jackson; he, of course, won 2 National titles with LSSU in 1992 and 1994 (and famously lost to Paul Kariya and Jim Montgomery in the 1993 title game), but I couldn't confirm his undergraduate playing experience. His bio notes that he 'attended' Michigan State, and his age suggests he *might* have been a member of Sparty's 1986 title team; does anyone know for certain? Are there other names I've overlooked? Are there any DivII or DivIII Head Coaches who won titles as DivI players? I'm hoping the vast historical knowledge of the USCHO community can fill in the gaps ...

  • #2
    Re: Head Coaches who've won National Championship(s) as players ...

    Kevin Sneddon, coach of UVM, won as a player at Harvard.

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    • #3
      Re: Head Coaches who've won National Championship(s) as players ...

      Originally posted by jeteye1717 View Post
      Another name that I suspected should be on this list was Notre Dame Head Coach Jeff Jackson; he, of course, won 2 National titles with LSSU in 1992 and 1994 (and famously lost to Paul Kariya and Jim Montgomery in the 1993 title game), but I couldn't confirm his undergraduate playing experience. His bio notes that he 'attended' Michigan State, and his age suggests he *might* have been a member of Sparty's 1986 title team; does anyone know for certain?
      Jeff Jackson was 31 in 1986 when the Spartans won that year's title. I know college hockey has some overage players (I swear I've seen some 25 year old "freshmen" at Western Michigan ) but come on now... He was actually an assistant on Crazy Frank Anzalone's LSSU team by 1986. He never played varsity hockey at MSU, in part due to a serious injury. His undergrad days there ended with two BAs in the 1970s.

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      • #4
        Re: Head Coaches who've won National Championship(s) as players ...

        Gwozdecky is still the only one to win national titles as a player, as an assistant coach, and as a head coach. Of course he's not in the college game at Denver anymore, but still impressive!

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        • #5
          Re: Head Coaches who've won National Championship(s) as players ...

          Kevin Sneddon, coach of UVM, won as a player at Harvard.
          a legend and an out of work bum look a lot alike, daddy.

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          • #6
            Re: Head Coaches who've won National Championship(s) as players ...

            Originally posted by jeteye1717 View Post
            ... What I hadn't realized until doing a little research this morning was that Vermont Head Coach Kevin Sneddon (as a teammate of Donato's for several years) was apparently also a member of that same NC-winning team. ...
            Kevin Sneddon, coach of UVM, won as a player at Harvard. by UVM Cat
            Kevin Sneddon, coach of UVM, won as a player at Harvard. by Mookie

            Now that this has been listed 3 times, does anyone have any others??
            Not a real doctor, nor do I play one on TV!
            Clarkson 1990

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            • #7
              Re: Head Coaches who've won National Championship(s) as players ...

              Isn't anyone going to mention Kevin Sneddon?

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              • #8
                Re: Head Coaches who've won National Championship(s) as players ...

                You mentioned Wisconsin's Mike Eaves winning a title with the '77 Badgers, and although it's not the question, it's a little unique that both UW assistants won titles as players as well. Matt Walsh was a defenseman with the '83 champs and Gary Shuchuk was an All-American forward for the Badger's '90 championship team.


                Also I believe I read somewhere UVM's Kevin Sneddon won a championship as a player.
                Originally posted by WiscTJK
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                • #9
                  Re: Head Coaches who've won National Championship(s) as players ...

                  Did Red Berenson ever win a national title with Michigan as a player? He missed out on winning a Stanley Cup with St. Louis but I don't know if he ever played on an NCAA champion.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Head Coaches who've won National Championship(s) as players ...

                    Originally posted by Skate79 View Post
                    Did Red Berenson ever win a national title with Michigan as a player? He missed out on winning a Stanley Cup with St. Louis but I don't know if he ever played on an NCAA champion.
                    Red did not win as a player at Michigan. DU won in 1960 and 1961 and Michigan Tech won in 1962, the three years he played at Michigan.
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                    • #11
                      Re: Head Coaches who've won National Championship(s) as players ...

                      Originally posted by Wisko McBadgerton View Post
                      You mentioned Wisconsin's Mike Eaves winning a title with the '77 Badgers, and although it's not the question, it's a little unique that both UW assistants won titles as players as well. Matt Walsh was a defenseman with the '83 champs and Gary Shuchuk was an All-American forward for the Badger's '90 championship team.


                      Also I believe I read somewhere UVM's Kevin Sneddon won a championship as a player.
                      What's also unique is those three combined to set all kinds of Wisconsin records this year on the bad side - fewest wins, most shutouts against, longest losing streak, etc, etc.....But don't worry all is well as AD King Barry is comfortable bringing him back.
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                      • #12
                        Re: Head Coaches who've won National Championship(s) as players ...

                        Originally posted by WeAreNDHockey View Post
                        Jeff Jackson was 31 in 1986 when the Spartans won that year's title. I know college hockey has some overage players (I swear I've seen some 25 year old "freshmen" at Western Michigan ) but come on now... He was actually an assistant on Crazy Frank Anzalone's LSSU team by 1986. He never played varsity hockey at MSU, in part due to a serious injury. His undergrad days there ended with two BAs in the 1970s.
                        Ooops, my bad :-( It may be 'simple math' - as is so often noted here in the run-up to Tourney team selection - but I botched the number-crunching in my head, and had him as 21 - not 31 - years old when Sparty won the 1986 Tournament. Thanks for the update on his bio; I'd always assumed he'd played college hockey at some point in his past, and never realized that injury prevented him from doing so. If he was a Spartan undergraduate in the early-to-mid-70s, was he recruited by then coach Amo Bessone to play for MSU, even as a walk-on? I doubt that few DivI programs today would bring on an assistant coach who'd never played collegiately, but I suspect things were quite different back then, especially for small schools such as the formerly NAIA Lakers who were looking to make a splash in the Big Boy pond. He certainly took to heart whatever Anzalone was preaching; those early 1990s LSSU squads with players like Jim Dowd and Clayton Beddoes (who seemingly played more than than just 4 years :-) were something to see. Time will tell if he can bring Notre Dame to the promised land as he once did in another time & place up in the Soo ...

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                        • #13
                          Re: Head Coaches who've won National Championship(s) as players ...

                          Originally posted by jeteye1717 View Post
                          Time will tell if he can bring Notre Dame to the promised land as he once did in another time & place up in the Soo ...
                          I've spoken to Time and he already told me it ain't gonna happen at Notre Dame.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Head Coaches who've won National Championship(s) as players ...

                            Originally posted by WiscTJK View Post
                            What's also unique is those three combined to set all kinds of Wisconsin records this year on the bad side - fewest wins, most shutouts against, longest losing streak, etc, etc.....But don't worry all is well as AD King Barry is comfortable bringing him back.
                            I don't see why Barry doesn't just step in, and coach them to a Championship.
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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Happy View Post
                              I don't see why Barry doesn't just step in, and coach them to a Championship.
                              Dean Blais was not a player on those two title teams at Minnesota...he was a senior in 71 when they lost in the finals!

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