Director of Athletics Kevin McHugh announced that he will step down on June 30, 2017, after a decade of service to �ֲ���ý athletics marked by competitive success, a growing national reputation for inclusivity and community engagement, and significant improvements to �ֲ���ý’ athletics facilities.

�ֲ���ý College Director of Athletics Kevin McHugh will step down at the conclusion of the 2016-17 academic year. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

“I have truly valued my time at �ֲ���ý, and after a decade in the role, I am ready to seek new challenges,” said McHugh, who is chair of the Department of Physical Education. “I am extremely proud of the progress we have made on and off the field, as well as the student-athletes and staff with whom I have had the privilege of working.”

McHugh added that he feels “great fulfillment in how �ֲ���ý athletics helps our student-athletes ‘engage the transformative power of our differences,’ in the words of our mission statement. Every student-athlete is supported by so many others — from professors and staff to a wide community of friends, family, and alumni. I appreciate the power of Bobcat spirit and am proud to have been a part of this community during so many notable athletic achievements.”

Dean of the Faculty and Vice President of Academic Affairs Matthew R. Auer, in sharing the news with the �ֲ���ý campus community today, praised McHugh’s “vital contributions to our athletics program at �ֲ���ý,” adding that “I am extremely grateful for his leadership of this essential area of college life, his dedicated support of our student-athletes and coaches, and his personal contributions to our institutional ideal of educating students not only as competitors but as whole persons.”

“I have admired Kevin’s extraordinary dedication to our students and coaches and his service to the college as a whole since I first arrived on campus four years ago,” said President Clayton Spencer. “Kevin has strengthened �ֲ���ý’ national identity and our position in NESCAC, the most competitive Division III academic and athletic conference in the country.”

The �ֲ���ý athletics program comprises 31 varsity sports and 11 club sports as well as numerous intramural programs. Approximately half of the college’s 1,750 students participate in varsity or club intercollegiate athletics.

Since arriving in 2007, McHugh has overseen historic achievements on the field, including the college’s best-ever ranking, in 2015, in the annual Directors’ Cup measuring U.S. collegiate success at the NCAA tournament level.

His tenure has included �ֲ���ý’ first NCAA team championship, in women’s rowing in 2015; individual national titles in track and field, squash, and tennis; a first-ever NCAA tournament bid for men’s lacrosse; a return to the NCAAs for women’s lacrosse and men’s basketball; and the improvement of the football program, now at its strongest in 30 years and winners of a share of the Colby-�ֲ���ý-Bowdoin Conference title for five straight years. �ֲ���ý athletes have earned more than 200 All-America honors since 2007, and the college has hosted two NCAA championships, in skiing and men’s tennis.

In October 2010 Director of Athletics Kevin McHugh and then-President Elaine Hansen shared ribbon-cutting honors to dedicate major donor-funded renovations of Garcelon Field. (Photograph by Janet Ciummei / Northeast Pro Photo)

Off the field, McHugh and his staff have led numerous initiatives designed to improve the student-athlete experience, to support �ֲ���ý’ historic commitment to diversity and inclusion, and to foster community engagement.

In 2013, �ֲ���ý joined the national You Can Play initiative to support LGBTQ inclusion. Featuring President Spencer and �ֲ���ý athletes, the college’s testimonial video for the project was the first in the nation to include a college president. In May 2012, �ֲ���ý was one of 10 colleges to be included on Campus Pride’s first ever “Out to Play List,” for its inclusive tradition and practices.

Other student-focused initiatives include leadership training for captains and emerging team leaders; sexual-assault prevention and education programming; and co-sponsorship of campus climate and social justice programs.

“�ֲ���ý has a commitment to offer athletics opportunities for anyone who wishes to stay active.”

�ֲ���ý athletics’ engagement with the Lewiston-Auburn community includes, among other examples, free youth clinics and after-school programming; raising funds for holiday support for families in need; volunteering at a local food bank; donating sports equipment; and “adopting” a child facing a life-threatening illness. The athletics program enjoys an extensive partnership with Special Olympics and sponsors an annual Student-Athlete Advisory Council Field Day that brings local children and �ֲ���ý athletes together on campus for a day of play.

Facility improvements during McHugh’s tenure include the major renovation of historic Garcelon Field in 2010 and a new rowing boathouse in 2016, both 100 percent funded by donors. Speaking about the Garcelon Field renovation, McHugh underscored its importance to all students who wish to stay active. “�ֲ���ý has a commitment to offer athletics opportunities for anyone who wishes to stay active,” he said. “Those lights will often be on until 11 p.m. for everything from varsity practices to intramural games, smack in the middle of campus near all our other great facilities.”

Prior to his arrival at �ֲ���ý in 2007, McHugh served in a variety of leadership positions at Yale University, Bowling Green State University, and The College of New Jersey, where he served as director of athletics from 1987 to 2007 and was inducted into the college’s hall of fame in 2013.

After the academic year opens in September, the college will begin the process of organizing a search, which will include broad consultation with the college community.

After 21 seasons, 343 victories and six NCAA Tournament appearances, Jim Murphy is retiring as head coach of the �ֲ���ý College women’s basketball team, effective at the end of the 2014–15 academic year.

The �ֲ���ý Department of Athletics will immediately begin a national search for the team’s new head coach.

Jim Murphy congratulates his team after a win vs. Bowdoin on Feb. 1, 2005. The victory was the 200th in Murphy’s career, en route to 343 career victories. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

Murphy, who also coached women’s soccer at �ֲ���ý between 1994 and 2011, “has been one of the most successful coaches that we have ever had at �ֲ���ý College,” said Director of Athletics Kevin McHugh.

“Throughout his tenure he has led his programs with the utmost integrity, an amazing work ethic and a passion for excellence. Beyond the multitude of achievements, Jim’s outstanding leadership is also reflected in the scores of young women who played for him and have gone on to distinguish themselves after their �ֲ���ý careers.

“Jim always brought a sense of humor and has been a quiet, steadfast influence, instrumental in the development of our younger staff. He will be sorely missed but remembered fondly.”

Murphy has led the women’s basketball program through 21 of its 47 years in existence, and is the program’s longest-tenured coach by far. Murphy entered the 2014–15 season ranked 49th among active Division III coaches in career wins (333), and finishes his career with a 343–187 record — a winning percentage of .647.

Murphy talks with his team in the locker room during a 2012 game in Alumni Gymnaisum. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

Meg Coffin '08, a two-time All-American for Murphy, in both soccer and basketball, typified the mental and physical toughness displayed by Murphy's players. (Phylllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

"The things in life that are earned...are much more valuable than something that's given to you," Murphy once said.

Murphy exults after an NCAA Tournament win vs. Emmanuel College on March 5, 2005. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

A packed Alumni Gym watches the Bobcats defeat Emmanuel College in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/�ֲ���ý College)

A 1969 graduate of �ֲ���ý, Murphy taught English for 24 years at Masconomet Regional High School in Topsfield, Massachusetts, where he coached the girls’ soccer team to a 269–40–16 record and the girls’ basketball team to a 132–31 mark. Murphy returned to his alma mater in 1994 to lead the women’s varsity soccer and basketball programs.

At �ֲ���ý, he spearheaded an almost immediate turnaround in the basketball team’s fortunes. Murphy led the Bobcats to a 17–7 mark in his second season, 1995–96, kicking off a run of 15 consecutive winning seasons. �ֲ���ý competed in the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in 1996–97, finishing 20–5, then returned to the NCAAs for three more years in a row, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1997–98.

�ֲ���ý reached new heights in 2004–05, earning the No. 1 national ranking for four weeks and finishing 25–3 with a second NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance. �ֲ���ý returned to the tournament for a sixth time in 2006, finishing 19–9. Sixteen of Murphy’s 21 teams finished with a winning record, and six former players were named All-America.

Murphy led the women’s soccer team for 16 seasons beginning in 1994, amassing a 146–93–13 record, including the 2005 NESCAC Women’s Soccer Championship and NCAA Division III Championship tournament appearances in 1996, 1997 and 2005. Murphy also coached the team to two ECAC Championship finals, winning the title in 1998.

As an undergraduate, Murphy was one of the finest players in the history of �ֲ���ý football, and perhaps the program’s greatest quarterback. He still owns the team’s records for touchdown passes in a career (50) and season (17), and is one of just three players to have his number (10) retired, in 1968. He also played two years of varsity basketball at �ֲ���ý.

Murphy’s reputation even in his student days was built on his hard work and pursuit of team goals. “He was kind of humble about it all,” the late Bob Hatch, former �ֲ���ý football coach, told �ֲ���ý Magazine in 1997. “He never considered himself a big star, even though he clearly was.”

A native of Portland, Maine, Murphy brought his simple, hard-boiled ethos into his coaching philosophy, and his players were known for their mental toughness. In the �ֲ���ý Magazine story, he said, “Everything has to be earned. If you’re a member of varsity or a starter, you should be proud, but come fall or spring, it’s something you have to earn.

“The things in life that are earned are to be cherished and treasured and are much more valuable than something that’s given to you. Competing for your school is the greatest opportunity someone can have, and you have to earn the right to be on the team, or to get playing time, or to start.”