Ralph Willard
| Sport(s) | Men's basketball |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
March 28, 1946 Brooklyn, New York |
| Playing career | |
| 1964–1967 | Holy Cross |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1971–1972 | Merchant Marine (asst.) |
| 1972–1984 | St. Dominic HS |
| 1984–1985 | Hofstra (asst.) |
| 1986–1987 | Syracuse (asst.) |
| 1987–1989 | New York Knicks (asst.) |
| 1989–1990 | Kentucky (assoc. HC) |
| 1990–1994 | Western Kentucky |
| 1994–1999 | Pittsburgh |
| 1999–2009 | Holy Cross |
| 2009–2010 | Louisville (asst.) |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 2010–2011 | Louisville (dir. of operations) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 162–89 (.645) (high school) 336–241 (.582) (college) |
| Tournaments | 2–6 (NCAA) 2–3 (NIT) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
|
Patriot League Tournament (2001, 2002, 2003, 2007) Patriot League regular season (2001, 2003, 2005, 2007) Sun Belt Tournament (1993) Sun Belt regular season (1994) |
|
| Awards | |
| Patriot League Coach of the Year (2001, 2005, 2007) | |
Ralph Daniel Willard (born March 28, 1946) is an American college basketball coach who was mostly recently an assistant men's basketball coach at Louisville. Previously, Willard was head coach at the College of the Holy Cross from 1999 to 2009 and was the 14th head coach in the 88-year history of Holy Cross basketball. Willard was also an assistant athletic director at Holy Cross.
After graduating from Holy Cross, Willard was drafted to the United States Army. Willard finished basic training when negotiations began for the Paris Peace Accords, so Willard was reassigned to Fort Benning instead of being sent overseas to Vietnam. At Fort Benning, Willard assisted soldiers receiving treatment for wartime injuries with paperwork.
After serving in the Army, Willard returned to his alma mater, St. Dominic High School in Oyster Bay, New York, to be a physical education teacher. His first coaching job was as an assistant coach at the Merchant Marine Academy during the 1971–72 season. From 1972 to 1984, Willard was a coach at St. Dominic High. During his tenure there he led his team to the 1980 state championship, posted a 162–89 record, and earned five conference coach of the year honors.
After leaving St. Dominic, Willard became the assistant coach at Hofstra University. When Willard left Hofstra, he became a member of the Syracuse University staff that appeared in the NCAA national championship game in 1987.
Willard briefly joined Rick Pitino as a member of the staff of the National Basketball Association's New York Knicks. When Pitino left to become the head coach of the University of Kentucky, Willard joined him as the associate head coach in 1989.
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