Cleary, "Bill" (William J. Jr.)
Hockey
b. Aug. 19, 1934, Cambridge, MA
At Harvard College, Cleary scored 42 goals and had 47 assists for 89 points during the 1954-55 season, then an NCAA record. After graduating, he played for the U. S. Olympic team that won a silver medal in 1956 and was also on the U. S. National team in 1957 and 1958 before a brief retirement.
When the 1960 Olympic hockey team was on tour, Cleary was called out of retirement to give the team more scoring punch. The move was controversial at the time, in part because Cleary insisted that his younger brother Bobby should also be added to the roster, but it was a key element in the surprise gold medal victory.
Cleary led the team in scoring with 12 points on 6 goals and 6 assists in the 7-game Olympic tournament, and he had the first goal in the 3-2 victory over the Soviet Union--on an assist from brother Bobby.
In 1971, Cleary was named hockey coach at his alma mater. Under his guidance, Harvard won the 1989 NCAA championship, the first NCAA team championship ever won by the school in any sport. He retired after the 1989-90 season with a 324-201-22 record for a .612 winning percentage.