Holy Cross head coach Bill Carmody announces his retirement

Bill Carmody, the head coach at Holy Cross for the last four seasons, announced his retirement from coaching Tuesday. The 67-year old also coached at Northwestern for 13 seasons and Princeton for four (plus 14 more as an assistant).

“When I arrived here four years ago, I knew my decades of college coaching would likely end at Holy Cross,” Carmody said in a statement. “I could not have wished for a more fitting last stop. Holy Cross embodies what many college athletics programs struggle to deliver — commitment without compromise.”

Carmody went 58-73 at Holy Cross and 342-308 overall in 21 seasons as a Division I head coach. He led the Crusaders to a surprise Patriot League Tournament title in his first year, reaching the NCAA Tournament for the third time in his career (other two with Princeton).

He helped build the Northwestern program up from being a Big Ten doormat, but was fired in 2013 after failing to get the Wildcats over the hump and into the NCAA Tournament for the first time.

“[Carmody’s] been coaching since 1975,” AD Marcus Blossom said, “that’s remarkable and a testament to his character and his reputation as an offensive genius from a coaching perspective. To last that long and be successful for that many years doesn’t happen often.”

Blossom said a national search for Carmody’s replacement will begin immediately and should move quickly.

credit to James Lang/USA Today Sports for the image