Terry Driscoll is the longest-tenured athletics director in the Colonial Athletic Association, but he’s now on the last lap of his run at William and Mary.
Driscoll will retire at the end of the month, capping off a 21-year career as the college’s athletics director. While leaving is bittersweet, Driscoll says he’ll be taking the best part with him.
“That collective achievement and shared experience is something you carry through your entire life,” he said. “My goal was for every student to have a chance to be part of a championship team, to know that all of that effort paid off because they got where they needed to be.”
Tribe teams won at least three conference crowns in each of the 21 seasons in which Driscoll headed the program. Driscoll attributes the success to good coaching.
“Almost all of our student athletes come with the need for further development, physically and mentally,” he said. “Identifying and developing good talent leads to championships.”
Brian Murphy, head coach of the Tribe baseball program, knew that he and team members had Driscoll’s support.
“He believed in his coaches and our student athletes and was proud of what William and Mary athletics represents,” Murphy said.
Each championship was different according to Driscoll, but there’s one specific moment that happened in each championship season that stands out in his memory.
“The moment in any championship season that is most memorable is the team’s or individual’s reaction at the instant they realize the championship is won,” he said. “It’s an expression of pure emotion, joy, relief, gratitude, pride and genuine satisfaction all mixed together and shared among coaches and teammates.”
It’s a feeling Driscoll came to know early on in life. He was an All-American basketball player and Academic All-American at Boston College as well as the fourth player taken in the 1969 NBA draft.
Driscoll began his career playing professional basketball in Italy. Following his time with the NBA, Driscoll returned to Italy, where he played for three more years, then coached for two years.
During this period, Driscoll won one championship as a player and two as a coach. He credits his parents for his competitive spirit as well as his drive to continue to learn.
“When I went to college, education came first. I was raised in a household where education was important and athletics was also a way to learn and grow,” he said. “The goal is to learn from both as much as you can.”
The equal prioritization of academics and athletics was one of the things that drew him to William and Mary. The college was one of the first institutions to offer athletic performance-based scholarships and 118 Tribe teams have had NCAA graduation rates of 100 percent under Driscoll’s helm.
“For the people who come to William and Mary, their parents value education and they’re willing to tackle a rigorous academic schedule in addition to taking on a sport,” he said. “Those are the types of individuals who can really do well.”
Keeping a rigorous schedule was not unique to student athletes. Peel Hawthorne, associate athletics director for student services, said Driscoll was a fixture on campus — at all hours.
“Terry was available and attentive to all of our sports, attending an endless number of games, recruiting events, banquets and freshman parent orientation meetings,” she said. “Every sport counted and all our student athletes mattered to him.”
But the long hours took their toll. In the end, the ability to have more time to spend with loved ones, including his two children and five grandchildren, influenced Driscoll’s decision to retire.
“One of the difficulties of being the athletics director is the time commitment. You end up giving up nights and weekends,” he said. “As you transition along, you’d like to spend more time with those people and friends who’ve been impacted along the way. It really becomes a change of priorities.”
Driscoll said he’s worked to leave a solid foundation for his successor, who will be making history as she takes the helm. Samantha K. Huge will serve as William and Mary’s next athletics director, marking the first time a woman has held the role since it was assigned to oversee men and women’s sports nearly 40 years ago.
“I did as well as I could,” Driscoll said. “And now I’m hopefully turning over something better to the next person, so that she can take it even further.”
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