Trinity College lost a beloved member of its community on September 19, 2014, as Bill Detrick, former head coach of the Bantam golf team, passed away at the age of 87. This past fall, Trinity renamed its annual golf tournament in honor of its longtime head coach.
Detrick was the NESCAC Golf Coach of the Year three times (2001, 2006, 2007) and spent 23 seasons (1991-2013) at the helm of the Trinity golf program. He arrived at Trinity in the spring of 1991 after a 29-year career as the head men’s basketball coach at nearby Central Connecticut State University (CCSU), where the gymnasium bears his name, and built the Trinity golf team into one of the most successful Division III programs in New England.
During his tenure, the Bantams qualified for seven NESCAC Championship Tournaments, winning the league title and qualifying for the NCAA Division III Championships in 2009-2010, and Trinity golfers claimed NESCAC Player of the Year honors in six of his final eight years. In Detrick’s final campaign, the Bantams won the 2012 NESCAC Fall Qualifying Tournament, earning the right to host the championship tourney in the spring, and finished as the 2013 NESCAC Championship Runner-Up.
In 2009, Detrick received the prestigious Gordon McCullough Award for his lifetime coaching contributions to collegiate golf. He is the all-time winningest basketball coach at CCSU, his alma mater, with 468 career victories and led the Blue Devils to the NCAA Division II Championship Tournament six times.
“Whether at Central or at Trinity, Bill was at his core an educator. He cared deeply about each and every student he coached/taught, and he taught more than just a sport–he taught life,” Trinity Director of Athletics Mike Renwick said. “He and his family will always be members of the Trinity family, and he will be sorely missed.”
Detrick received his bachelor’s degree in business education from CCSU in 1950 and went on to earn a master’s degree in guidance from New York University. During his undergraduate days, he starred in football, basketball, and baseball.
For more about Bill Detrick, visit the links below.
Bill Detrick, Longtime Central, Trinity Coach, Dead At 87
Pictures: Bill Detrick Through The Years
Bill Detrick: A Man Of The Arena; Coached For 7 Decades
Scott Gray’s Sports Commentary on WTIC NewsTalk 1080 AM