Wendall Forbes
Biographical details
Born(1927-01-22)January 22, 1927
Melrose, Massachusetts, USA
DiedJuly 31, 1997(1997-07-31) (aged 70)
Burlington, Massachusetts, USA
Alma materMiddlebury College
Playing career
1947–1951Middlebury
Position(s)Forward / Defenseman
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Ice Hockey
1962–1964Middlebury (assistant)
1964–1986Middlebury
Head coaching record
Overall248–233–18 (.515)
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
1975 Edward Jeremiah Award

Wendall Francis Forbes was an American college coach for the baseball, football, golf and ice hockey teams at Middlebury College. He was the head coach men's ice hockey team for 22 years and was the Division III coach of the year in 1975.

Career

Forbes graduated from Melrose High School in 1945 and joined the Navy for the tail end of World War II. He left the service in 1946 and entered Bridgton Academy before matriculating to Middlebury College. After graduating in 1951, Forbes played in the St. Louis Cardinals organization for six years before ending his playing career and turned to coaching.[1]

He first worked at Northfield High School but quickly transitioned to the college ranks. At Norwich University he was a baseball coach, assistant football coach and the head coach for the freshman hockey team. He returned to Middlebury in 1962 and worked in several positions over the next 25 years. In 1964 Duke Nelson stepped down as the coach of the ice hockey team and allowed Forbes to take over. 'Wendy' took over the program just as it was transitions from ECAC Hockey into the second-tier ECAC 2. His team won the inaugural conference crown with a record of 11–2 and was able to lead the team to winning records most years. After a particularly poor year in 1974, Forbes got his team to rebound and won the first playoff game in team history. For the stark turnaround, Forbes received the Edward Jeremiah Award.[2]

After a slight lull in 1976, Middlebury became one of the top teams in ECAC 2 for the remainder of the decade. In 1979 the Panthers equaled the program high of 19 wins and captured the Western league championship with a 4–2 win over Norwich.[3] Middlebury would have received an invitation to the NCAA Tournament, which was only in its second edition, however, Middlebury's primary conference was the NESCAC and league bylaws prohibited member schools from participating in national tournaments at the time.[4]

After another strong season in 1980, Forbes' team declined sharply and remained near the bottom of the league standings for the next several seasons. As the Panthers began to recover in the mid-80s, Forbes led the program through a second transition as virtually all of the Division II level was dropped down to D-III. He also help shepherd the team through a strange season when ECAC 2 formally split into two regional conferences (East and West). Forbes stepped down as the team's head coach in 1986 and retired.

He was inducted into the Melrose High Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995, the same year that he was able to see his successor, Bill Beaney, lead the Panthers to their first National Championship. He died in 1997 at the age of 70 and was survived by his two daughters, Cathy and Donna, as well as four grandchildren.

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Middlebury Panthers (ECAC 2) (1964–1985)
1964–65 Middlebury 14–8–011–2–01st
1965–66 Middlebury 12–12–07–5–06th
1966–67 Middlebury 11–10–08–3–03rdECAC 2 Semifinals
1967–68 Middlebury 11–10–18–4–17th
1968–69 Middlebury 9–13–06–7–015th
1969–70 Middlebury 15–10–011–5–0T–8thECAC 2 Semifinals
1970–71 Middlebury 11–13–07–10–019th
1971–72 Middlebury 7–12–24–6–215th
1972–73 Middlebury 11–11–19–7–0T–10thECAC 2 Quarterfinals
1973–74 Middlebury 7–14–03–13–019th
1974–75 Middlebury 15–7–110–4–14thECAC 2 Semifinals
1975–76 Middlebury 12–11–07–8–017th
1976–77 Middlebury 15–6–111–4–18th
1977–78 Middlebury 16–6–011–3–0T–5thECAC 2 West Runner-Up
1978–79 Middlebury 19–6–114–4–1T–6thECAC 2 West Champion
1979–80 Middlebury 16–7–311–5–39thECAC 2 West Semifinals
1980–81 Middlebury 7–15–14–13–125th
1981–82 Middlebury 9–11–36–9–2
1982–83 Middlebury 11–12–17–9–118thECAC 2 West Semifinals
1983–84 Middlebury 10–12–15–11–122nd
1984–85 Middlebury 8–14–15–12–123rd
Middlebury: 239–220–17165–144–15
Middlebury Panthers (ECAC East) (1985–1986)
1985–86 Middlebury 9–13–16–9–110th
Middlebury: 9–13–16–9–1
Total:248–233–18

      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

References

  1. ↑ "Obituary for WENDELL F. FORBES, 1927-1997 (Aged 70)". Newspapers.com. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  2. ↑ "American Hockey Coaches Association". Archived from the original on 2010-01-16. Retrieved 2012-07-11.
  3. ↑ "Middlebury College Men's Hockey History" (PDF). Middlebury Panthers. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Bowdoin College Men's Hockey History" (PDF). Bowdoin Polar Bears. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
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