SERVING THE ON-LINE RPI COMMUNITY SINCE 1994
SEARCH ARCHIVES
Current Issue: Volume 130, Number 1 July 14, 2009

Sports


Coach, mentor, legend honored

Posted 02-02-2005 at 4:31PM

Yuri Koester
Senior Reporter

Dan Farrand
Senior Reporter


“Take this in, it will only happen once.”

These were the words former Rensselaer women’s hockey coach Bill Cahill uttered to then junior Sondra Sherman and freshman Sarah Daniel as the three posed for a picture on October 4, 2003 at the annual “Skate with the Engineers.”

Little did Cahill, Sherman, or Daniel know he was right. Tragically, the shot proved to be the final photo ever taken of Cahill, who would suddenly pass away the next morning, October 5, 2003 from cardiac arrest at the young age of 53.

“I was completely shocked,” Sherman, who admitted she transferred to Rensselaer solely because of Cahill, said. “I was lucky to have one year with him. He was not just a coach, he was a father.”

Teammate Bridget Rice was also stunned with the rest of her teammates. Rice initially thought, or at least hoped, it was a dream as the phone call reached them early in the morning on October 5.

“I didn’t really believe it,” Rice, a senior, said.

The women’s hockey team, the men’s hockey team, the Rensselaer athletics department, the RPI community, and college hockey all mourned Cahill’s passing as they would the death of a parent. The American Hockey Coaches Association also saw Cahill’s greatness as they honored him with the 2005 Joe Burke Award, which recognizes a coach that has given outstanding service to women’s hockey.

“[Cahill] was supportive of all hockey, men’s and women’s, girls’ and boys’, and not just his own team…,” MIT Head Coach Juilie Sasner, who nominated the Worcester, Mass. native for the award, said. “Bill was a true friend and the kind of guy who loved moving the salt and pepper shakers around to demonstrate a forecheck after you played his team...few people could match Bill’s tremendous enthusiasm for the game. His early passing is a huge loss to the hockey community.”

Sasner witnessed his team’s deadly forecheck and Cahill’s enthusiasm along with every other team Cahill and the Engineers dominated over his tenure. Rensselaer would set school records in wins (20) and consecutive home victories (11) in Cahill’s final season. Cahill, who will be officially named the Joe Burke winner at a women’s hockey conference on April 20, also was named ECAC Coach of the Year in 2003 and was a finalist for the AHCA Coach of the Year award.

However, the records and accolades are not what gave Cahill his miracle touch, it was his personality, his approachability, his passion, and his smile. Cahill was famous for finding the best in the worst of situations-many players and students would enter his office dejected and leave uplifted.

“He treated everyone with respect and everyone respected him,” Allie Cooper, a senior and co-captain, said of Cahill. “He never made you feel stupid. He was a very warm person, and he always managed to say the right thing, no matter the situation. Sometimes all you needed was to see him smile.”

Men’s hockey Coach Dan Fridgen knew the power of Cahill’s Midas touch. Cahill worked with Fridgen for several years as an assistant coach before taking over the women’s program in 2000. Cahill’s personality brought an extra element to the Rensselaer hockey teams.

“He was a great recruiter and developed relationships with his players that lasted not just four years, but a lifetime,” Fridgen said. “There was something about him that made you feel like you were the most important person in the world. He was a great listener and was phenomenal at interacting with players one-on-one.”

Fridgen and Cahill spent 10-plus years together as coaches and produced more than just a winning combination; they created a lasting friendship. Cahill and Fridgen were close, and both were practical jokers, but Fridgen says Cahill normally came out on top.

The men’s hockey coach recalled a moment when Cahill took a cherished photo with President Jackson in the winners’ circle at the Saratoga Race Track. Fridgen managed to snatch the photo, copy it, and airbrush his face over Cahill’s on the copy.

“When he saw the photo his mouth just dropped,” Fridgen recollected with a chuckle. “Then he said ‘What happened to my hair?’”

Athletic Director Ken Ralph, who worked with Cahill for just a year and a half, also saw his ability to motivate and his genuine concern for those around him, on and off the ice.

“He was a teacher first, a great educator,” Ralph said. “He took an active interest in his players lives off the ice.” Ralph also pointed out how Cahill was probably the biggest RPI fan ever as he made cameo appearances at various sporting events from football to field hockey.

But the individuals Cahill touched the most were undoubtedly his players. His calming presence got them through their tough times. Cahill instilled life lessons in his players; he set examples for them that they have continued to mimic in their own lives.

“He showed me how to treat people,” Daniel said. “Contact with him made me a better person.”

Everyone who knew Cahill would echo Daniel’s comment. Sherman would say Cahill taught her about “character,” while senior goalie Julie Vallarelli took responsibility away from her “father away from home.”

While Cahill proved to indeed be a philosopher and a mentor, he was also their coach: a winning coach, with an impressive 47-28-3 record over three years. He was relaxed, but demanding, and had high aspirations for his players and the program, which are now being realized.

Reaching the Division I level was a goal of Cahill’s and his players knew it. He wanted to see the Engineers jump to prominence at women’s hockey’s top level, but his humble nature would hardly reveal it.

“I hope he would be proud of what I have done and what the team has done,” junior goaltender Rosina Schiff said. “He expected us to not just be athletes, but student-athletes.”

It is safe to say Cahill would be extremely pleased with his team’s progression under new Head Coach John Burke‘s leadership. Burke and Cahill were close and although Burke has brought his own unique style, he has continued to strive for “BC’s” goals.

Despite all his accomplishments and his impact on so many lives, both Burke and his players insist BC wouldn’t want the attention or this article written.

“Bill would say ‘why are you bothering with this, why are you making such a big deal out of this,’” Burke said.

Because you “bothered,” BC; because you cared.



Posted 02-02-2005 at 4:31PM
Copyright 2000-2006 The Polytechnic
Comments, questions? E-mail the Webmaster. Site design by Jason Golieb.