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| Bowdoin athletics photo by Brian Beard, Creative Images Photography |
Tim Gilbride, the most successful men's basketball coach in school history, and assistant director of athletics, has announced that he will retire at the end of the 2020-21 academic year.
Gilbride, who came to Bowdoin in 1985, has served the last 35 seasons as head men's basketball coach and retires with a program-record 494 victories. He also enjoyed an incredibly successful 15-year stint as head coach of the men's soccer program, accumulating 104 wins from 1985-99.
"The positive impact Tim Gilbride has made within the Bowdoin community extends well beyond Morrell Gym and we are grateful for his 35-year devotion to the mission of the college," said athletic director Tim Ryan. "Whether it was in his role as a coach or administrator, Tim always exhibited a complete commitment to ensuring those around him enjoyed a rewarding and successful experience. Additionally, the thought and care Tim put into the art of coaching and the development of people has been, and will continue to be, an example for everyone in our department to follow."
"It has been a remarkable and extremely rewarding experience to have served as the men's basketball coach and men's soccer coach at Bowdoin," said Gilbride. "Naturally, I am proud of all our successes; trips and victories in the NCAA and ECAC tournaments, big wins over Colby and Bates through the years resulting in numerous CBB titles, and knocking off nationally ranked opponents both inside and outside of NESCAC on a regular basis. I am equally proud of the way our teams have acted and competed over the years, both on and off the basketball court and soccer field."
Following in the daunting footsteps of legendary coaches Ray Bicknell in basketball and Charlie Butt in soccer, Gilbride continued the storied tradition of both programs and created a new standard of success which continues to this day. His 494 wins on the hardcourt are easily the most in program history and, at the time of his retirement, ranked first among NESCAC coaches and in the top 20 nationally in Division III. His .578 winning percentage is also the highest in program history. His Polar Bears teams qualified for the postseason 20 times during his tenure and posted winning seasons in 25 of his last last 28 campaigns. He was named NESCAC and New England Coach of the Year following a record-setting 2007-08 season and had 54 players earn All-State, All-NESCAC, All-New England and All-American recognition during his time at Bowdoin. In 2013 he was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.
On the soccer field, Gilbride racked up 104 wins and a .523 winning percentage from 1985-99, leading his teams to five postseason berths. In 1997-98, he accomplished the unique distinction of becoming the first coach in any division of the NCAA to lead a men's soccer and a men's basketball team to an NCAA Tournament in the same year.
In addition to his men's basketball and men's soccer head coaching duties, Gilbride also had assistant coach stint with the softball program and was the long-time head coach of Bowdoin's JV soccer program. In 2016 he was named assistant athletic director for coach development where, over the course of the last several years, he has been an active member of the department in coordinating professional development seminars and opportunities for staff.
"Playing hard, being unselfish and playing smart have always been at the core of all my teams," added Gilbride. "To witness our graduates carrying these same values as businessmen, teachers, coaches, lawyers, doctors and so many other occupations, as well as being wonderful parents and family members, has been immensely fulfilling. It makes me so proud to see how well our alumni continue to represent Bowdoin."