In Memoriam

  • Obituary: Bill Kelleher, Former Track/Field Coach

    Former University of Connecticut men’s track and field coach Bill Kelleher passed away Jan. 2, 2023, at the age of 91.

    A 1955 graduate of UConn, Kelleher was associated as a coach with the UConn program for 22 years. He was an assistant coach from 1967 to 1974 before being named head coach in 1975 and held that position for 15 years before retiring from UConn in the summer of 1989.

    As head coach at UConn, Kelleher directed the Huskies to the 1980 Big East indoor track and field championship and the 1982 Big East outdoor title. UConn won the 1975 New England outdoor championship under Kelleher and led the Huskies to eight Yankee Conference indoor and outdoor titles.

    He was named the 1981 New England track coach of the year and was a member of the 1982 Big East track coaching staff of the year.

    Following his UConn coaching career, he was a longtime assistant coach at Trinity College in Hartford.

    Kelleher was born in Goodyear, Connecticut, (now Killingly) to William Leo Kelleher and Pauline (Trudeau) Kelleher. The oldest of two sons, Kelleher was an avid athlete and lifelong learner who valued exercising the mind and the body.

    After attending Putnam High School where he was an outstanding football player and held multiple longstanding track and field records, he attended Brown University and then UConn, graduating with a master’s degree in education. He played football at Brown and ran track at UConn, solidifying his lifelong love for the sport. After graduation, he taught biology and coached at East Hartford High School before starting his UConn career.

    Kelleher’s contribution to UConn and the sport of track and field can’t be measured in wins and losses alone. A true educator, his unyielding adherence to a principled coaching philosophy produced four All- Americans (Andy Bessette, twice; Bob Hopson; and Raymond James), one Olympian (Bessette), and UConn’s first-ever Big East title in any sport. His philosophy produced not just great teams and individuals, but grounded, educated young men and women who are better people for having been coached by him.

    Kelleher also had a large and loving family. He married his high school sweetheart Joy (Wilde) Kelleher in 1950, and they enjoyed 72 years together raising a family, running a successful business, and traveling. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Jim Kelleher; and his daughter, Ellen (Kelleher) Marrotte. He is survived by his wife, Joy; sons, Bruce and his wife Jean, Brian and his wife Cherie, and Barry; grandchildren, Jennifer, Alyssa (Director of Veterans Affairs and Military Programs at UConn), Candice, Brenna, Jocelyn, Chelsea, Vanessa, and Charlotte; and numerous great-grandchildren. He was also a lifelong member of the Coventry Lions Club.

    In lieu of a memorial service, Kelleher’s family will remember and celebrate his life privately at his favorite places. People wishing to honor Kelleher’s lifelong commitment to family and community can make donations in his memory to the Covenant Soup Kitchen in Willimantic, which Bill supported and delivered food to for over 20 years. Please make all donations in his name on its website at www.covenantsoupkitchen.org

    For more information, contact: Division of Athletics at 860-486-3531