Don Roberts (ice hockey)
Encyclopedia
Don Roberts is a former college men's ice hockey
coach. From 1964 to 1997, he was the head hockey coach at Gustavus Adolphus College
in St. Peter, Minnesota
. At the time of his retirement in 1996, he was the winningest hockey coach in NCAA Division III history. He received the John MacInnes Award from the American Hockey Coaches Association
in 1993 and the Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award
in 2009. As of 2010, he ranks 15th all-time among college men's ice hockey coaches with 532 wins.
, where he was a star basketball player. He enrolled at Gustavus Adolphus College
in the early 1950s and played four years at halfback
and fullback
on the school's varsity football team under Coach Lloyd Hollingsworth. He played on three Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
championship football teams and was selected as an All-MIAC fullback in 1955. He also played basketball and baseball, but not hockey, while he was a student at Gustavus.
After college, Roberts served for three-and-a-half years in the United States Marine Corps
, reaching the rank of captain. While stationed at Camp Pendleton in California, Roberts began coaching baseball and football
. Roberts later recalled, "There is no greater place to learn about leadership than in the Corps."
In 1959, Roberts was offered a position as a teacher and coach at Gustavus. He returned to Gustavus in the fall of 1959 and became the school's wrestling coach. After the 1960 football season, Lloyd Hollingsworth resigned, and Roberts was appointed as the new head football coach. He stepped down as the school's wrestling coach in 1962 to focus on the football program. He was the head football coach at Gustavus for five seasons from 1961 to 1965.
("MIAC") decided to add hockey to the conference's sports programs. Though he had never played or coached hockey before in his life, Roberts was appointed as the school's hockey coach. He later recalled, "I didn't have a winter sport, so I was the new hockey coach. The story was that I couldn't skate. Actually, I had skated occasionally on the Pomme de Terre River
growing up in Appleton. We played some shinny hockey
, using a pop can as a puck." He also recalled the teasing he received about his unsteadiness on ice skates: "On skates, I was a 30-year-old mite. I would stumble a lot. I started coaching in boots. The players would laugh at me. I was a good handball player. If someone laughed too hard, he had to play me in handball."
In an effort to learn the basics of the sport, Roberts bought a book by Dartmouth College
coach Eddie Jeremiah
. Thirty years later, he said of Jeremiah's book, "It's still the best teaching manual ever about hockey."
In Roberts' first year as a hockey coach, the 1965 team finished with a record of 1-14. However, Roberts compiled a 16-2 record and won an MIAC championship in 1966. From 1966 to 1978, Roberts' hockey teams compiled a record of 235-64-1 and won 12 of 13 MIAC conference championships.
Roberts also served as the chairman and president of the American Hockey Coaches Association
and was a member of the NCAA Rules and Hockey Advisory Committees for many years.
. They have four grown children, two of whom played football for Gustavus.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
coach. From 1964 to 1997, he was the head hockey coach at Gustavus Adolphus College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Gustavus Adolphus College is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in St. Peter, Minnesota, United States. A coeducational, four-year, residential institution, it was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans. To this day the school is firmly...
in St. Peter, Minnesota
St. Peter, Minnesota
St. Peter is a city in Nicollet County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 11,196 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nicollet County.St...
. At the time of his retirement in 1996, he was the winningest hockey coach in NCAA Division III history. He received the John MacInnes Award from the American Hockey Coaches Association
American Hockey Coaches Association
The American Hockey Coaches Association was formed in 1947 in Boston. The founding members coached college ice hockey but membership has grown to include coaches at every level of the sport from youth hockey to professional ice hockey, although the organization maintains a focus on the collegiate...
in 1993 and the Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award
Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award
The Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award is an annual award presented by the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Committee to honor "one of the all-time great contributors to the game of college hockey."...
in 2009. As of 2010, he ranks 15th all-time among college men's ice hockey coaches with 532 wins.
Early years
Roberts grew up in Appleton, MinnesotaAppleton, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,871 people, 729 households, and 376 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,442.2 people per square mile . There were 860 housing units at an average density of 432.0 per square mile...
, where he was a star basketball player. He enrolled at Gustavus Adolphus College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Gustavus Adolphus College is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in St. Peter, Minnesota, United States. A coeducational, four-year, residential institution, it was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans. To this day the school is firmly...
in the early 1950s and played four years at halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
and fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
on the school's varsity football team under Coach Lloyd Hollingsworth. He played on three Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. As the name implies, member schools are located in the state of Minnesota...
championship football teams and was selected as an All-MIAC fullback in 1955. He also played basketball and baseball, but not hockey, while he was a student at Gustavus.
After college, Roberts served for three-and-a-half years in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, reaching the rank of captain. While stationed at Camp Pendleton in California, Roberts began coaching baseball and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
. Roberts later recalled, "There is no greater place to learn about leadership than in the Corps."
In 1959, Roberts was offered a position as a teacher and coach at Gustavus. He returned to Gustavus in the fall of 1959 and became the school's wrestling coach. After the 1960 football season, Lloyd Hollingsworth resigned, and Roberts was appointed as the new head football coach. He stepped down as the school's wrestling coach in 1962 to focus on the football program. He was the head football coach at Gustavus for five seasons from 1961 to 1965.
Gustavus hockey coach
In 1964, several schools in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceMinnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. As the name implies, member schools are located in the state of Minnesota...
("MIAC") decided to add hockey to the conference's sports programs. Though he had never played or coached hockey before in his life, Roberts was appointed as the school's hockey coach. He later recalled, "I didn't have a winter sport, so I was the new hockey coach. The story was that I couldn't skate. Actually, I had skated occasionally on the Pomme de Terre River
Pomme de Terre River (Minnesota)
The Pomme de Terre River is a tributary of the Minnesota River, 106 miles long, in western Minnesota in the United States. Via the Minnesota River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 875 square miles in an agricultural region...
growing up in Appleton. We played some shinny hockey
Shinny
Shinny is an informal type of hockey played on ice or the street. There are no formal rules or specific positions, and generally, there are no goaltenders. The goal areas at each end may be marked by nets, or simply by objects, such as blocks of snow, stones, etc...
, using a pop can as a puck." He also recalled the teasing he received about his unsteadiness on ice skates: "On skates, I was a 30-year-old mite. I would stumble a lot. I started coaching in boots. The players would laugh at me. I was a good handball player. If someone laughed too hard, he had to play me in handball."
In an effort to learn the basics of the sport, Roberts bought a book by Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
coach Eddie Jeremiah
Eddie Jeremiah
Edward John "Ed" Jeremiah was a professional ice hockey player who played 15 games in the National Hockey League. Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, he played for the New York Americans and Boston Bruins....
. Thirty years later, he said of Jeremiah's book, "It's still the best teaching manual ever about hockey."
In Roberts' first year as a hockey coach, the 1965 team finished with a record of 1-14. However, Roberts compiled a 16-2 record and won an MIAC championship in 1966. From 1966 to 1978, Roberts' hockey teams compiled a record of 235-64-1 and won 12 of 13 MIAC conference championships.
Roberts also served as the chairman and president of the American Hockey Coaches Association
American Hockey Coaches Association
The American Hockey Coaches Association was formed in 1947 in Boston. The founding members coached college ice hockey but membership has grown to include coaches at every level of the sport from youth hockey to professional ice hockey, although the organization maintains a focus on the collegiate...
and was a member of the NCAA Rules and Hockey Advisory Committees for many years.
Career record and honors
In 33 years as the head coach at Gustavus, Roberts compiled a record of 532 wins, 290 losses and 25 ties. At the time of his retirement in 1996, he ranked first in career wins in NCAA Division III history. As of 2010, he ranks 16th all-time among college men's ice hockey coaches with 532 wins. Roberts has been the recipient of many awards for his accomplishments and contributions to college hockey. His awards include the following:- In 1975, Roberts was selected as the national hockey Coach of the Year by both the American Hockey Coaches Association and National Association of Intercollegiate AthleticsNational Association of Intercollegiate AthleticsThe National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
. - Roberts was named MIAC Coach of the Year seven times (1973, 1975, 1976, 1984, 1990, 1991, and 1993).
- In 1985, he was inducted into the Gustavus Adolphus Athlete Hall of Fame for his contributions as an athlete in football, baseball and basketball.
- In 1993, the American Hockey Coaches AssociationAmerican Hockey Coaches AssociationThe American Hockey Coaches Association was formed in 1947 in Boston. The founding members coached college ice hockey but membership has grown to include coaches at every level of the sport from youth hockey to professional ice hockey, although the organization maintains a focus on the collegiate...
awarded the John MacInnes Award to Roberts for his lifetime of contributions to amateur hockey. - In 2009, he received the Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey AwardHobey Baker Legends of College Hockey AwardThe Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award is an annual award presented by the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Committee to honor "one of the all-time great contributors to the game of college hockey."...
as one of the all-time greats in the history of college hockey. - The rink at which Gustavus Augustus currently plays its hockey games has been named the Don Roberts Ice Rink in honor of Roberts.
Family
Roberts lives with his wife, Nancy Roberts, in St. Peter, MinnesotaSt. Peter, Minnesota
St. Peter is a city in Nicollet County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 11,196 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nicollet County.St...
. They have four grown children, two of whom played football for Gustavus.