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Bill Leatherman
Retires from Bridgewater Men's Basketball
Steps Down After 23
Years as Eagles' Mentor
August 1, 2008
BRIDGEWATER, Va. ---
Bridgewater College head basketball coach Bill Leatherman has announced
his retirement after 23 years at the helm of the program.
Leatherman was hired as the head coach at Bridgewater College in 1985.
In just his second season, Leatherman led the Eagles to the Old Dominion
Athletic Conference regular season title with a 17-9 record. A year
later, Bridgewater won the 1987-88 ODAC championship and earned a berth
to the NCAA Division III tournament – the College’s first-ever
appearance in postseason play. That team finished with a 24-5 record,
the best record during the Leatherman years.
Bridgewater made two more trips to the NCAA tournament. The 1995-96 team
earned an at-large bid and finished with an 18-10 record. The next
season, the Eagles finished with a 21-8 record and advanced to the Round
of 16 in the NCAA tournament.
Leatherman was named the ODAC Coach of the Year four times – 1987, 1989,
1996 and 2005. He was named the South Region Coach of the Year in 1987,
1988, 1996 and 2005. Following the 2005-06 season, Leatherman received
the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Guardians Award
for Advocacy. The honor is one of the top awards a coach can receive
from the NABC.
During his tenure at BC, Leatherman coached three All-Americans – Ramsey
Yeatts, Dan Rush and Kyle Williford. His players earned recognition on
the All-ODAC first team 17 times and the second team nine times.
Leatherman’s 1989 team led all divisions in the NCAA in field goal
percentage, making 55 percent of its shots. In 1992, the Eagles led
Division III in shooting percentage.
Leatherman finishes his career with 335 wins and 262 losses at
Bridgewater. He has the most wins of any men’s basketball coach in the
College’s history. He earned his 300th career win during the
2004-05 season when the Eagles defeated rival Eastern Mennonite. His
final team at BC finished with a 13-13 record.
Leatherman started his coaching career in 1966 at Staunton River High
School and began his college coaching career in 1979 as an assistant
coach on Lou Campanelli’s staff at James Madison University.
In his six seasons at James Madison, the Dukes competed in three
consecutive NCAA tournaments, notching first-round wins over national
powers Georgetown, Ohio State and West Virginia.
This release is
courtesy of the Bridgewater College sports information department. |
