Bill Cleary (ice hockey)
William John "Bill" Cleary Jr. ( born August 19, 1934 in Cambridge, Massachusetts ) is a retired American professional ice hockey player, coach and functionary. At the Olympic Winter Games in 1960 he won the gold medal as a member of the U.S. national team. His brother Bobby Cleary was also 1960 Olympic champion in ice hockey.
- 2.1 International
Career
Bill Cleary began his career as a hockey player at Harvard University, which he attended from 1953 to 1955 while he was playing in parallel for their hockey team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. In the season 1969/70 he was assistant coach of the men's team at Harvard University, from 1972 to 1990 he was the head coach. In the years 1983 and 1987, he won the championship in each of Harvard University of ECAC Hockey and 1989 NCAA championship. From 1990 to 2001 Cleary Athletic Director was at Harvard University.
For his athletic achievements Cleary has received numerous awards. First, he was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976. In 1993 he received the Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award for his contribution to college hockey. In 1997 he received the Lester Patrick Trophy for his contributions to hockey in the United States and in the same year was followed by acceptance into the IIHF Hall of Fame. He receives honor the champion of the regular season ECAC Hockey to the Cleary Cup.
Internationally
For the U.S., Cleary took part in the Winter Olympics 1956 in Cortina d'Ampezzo and in 1960 in Squaw Valley. At the Winter Games in 1956 he won the silver at the Winter Games in 1960, the gold medal with his team.