Tom Eccleston
Biographical details
Born1910
DiedDecember 20, 2000
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1956–1964Providence
Head coaching record
Overall94–72–5
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1964 ECAC Hockey regular season
1964 ECAC Hockey Tournament
Awards
1964 Spencer Penrose Award
1988 Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame
Providence Athletic Hall of Fame 2019 RI Hockey Hall of Fame

Thomas E. Eccleston Jr. (1910 – December 20, 2000) was an American ice hockey, football and baseball coach. Eccleston spent most of his career at Burrillville High School in some capacity but was also the head coach for Providence for eight seasons.[1]

Career

Tom Eccleston graduated from Brown University in 1932, playing four years of soccer, and immediately moved into a teaching position at Burrillville High in Burrillville, Rhode Island.[2] Initially a history teacher and football coach, Eccleston eventually added the coaching duties of baseball and ice hockey to his responsibilities, winning state championships in all three sports.[3] For 23 years Eccleston declined all offers to coach at the collegiate level but finally accepted an offer from Providence in 1956 to alleviate issues that had arisen while coaching his sons.[4]

Eccleston became the fifth head coach at Providence (the second since the program restarted after World War II) and immediately provided the school with its best record in 1956-57 at 11–7.[5] Eccleston continued to keep the Friars in a strong position for the duration of his tenure, including its transition into ECAC Hockey in the early 1960s, recruiting players like Lou Lamoriello, Bob Bellemore and Larry Kish. In eight seasons behind the bench Eccleston had only one losing season and in 1963-64 gave Providence its first conference title and NCAA tournament appearance. The '64 season was the best in Providence's history to that point and very few have topped it. For the outstanding year Eccleston received the Spencer Penrose Award and then stepped down from his position to devote more attention to being the school superintendent in Burrillville.[2]

In 1987, after 32 years away, Eccleston returned to Burrillville High to coach the ice hockey team when it was in jeopardy and revived the program.[4] He was enshrined in the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019.

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Providence Friars (Independent) (1956–1961)
1956-57 Providence 11-7-0
1957-58 Providence 11-11-0
1958-59 Providence 7-13-1
1959-60 Providence 11-9-0
1960-61 Providence 11-9-0
Providence: 51-49-1
Providence Friars (ECAC Hockey) (1961–1964)
1961-62 Providence 11-8-28-7-214thECAC Quarterfinals
1962-63 Providence 13-8-213-4-25thECAC Quarterfinals
1963-64 Providence 19-7-016-3-01stNCAA Consolation (Loss)
Providence: 43-23-437-14-4
Total:94-72-5

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Providence Men's Hockey Team History". USCHO.com. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
  2. 1 2 "Thomas Eccleston, Jr". Brown Bears. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
  3. ↑ "Current, Former Hockey Friars To Take Part In Two Special Events As Part Of Museum Exhibit". Providence Friars. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
  4. 1 2 "PLAYERS; Still Coaching Hockey at 76". The New York Times. 1987-01-17. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
  5. 1 2 "2012-13 Providence Friars Media Guide". ISSUU.com. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
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