Michael Mucci, the winningest coach in the 99 year history of the Haverford College men’s basketball program, has announced his retirement after 22 years on the Haverford sidelines. He became the program’s all-time winningest coach with a 64-59 victory against Dickinson inside the Calvin J. Gooding ’84 Arena during the 2009-10 season and finished his Haverford career with 185 wins.
“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to coach for forty years within the collegiate ranks and to have been acquainted with wonderful coaches and scholar-athletes who will always remain trusted friends and colleagues,” explained Mucci. “I look forward to exploring new opportunities and having the time to enjoy the upcoming summer traveling abroad with my wife, Karen Kauffman.”
“Mike Mucci has been a tremendous representative for Haverford College and I am extremely thankful for his dedication to the academic and athletic success of his student-athletes for the last 22 years,” stated Haverford College Director of Athletics Wendy Smith ’87.
Mucci led Haverford to six postseason appearances and recorded a program-record 14 wins in a season four different times. Those seasons were highlighted by Haverford’s run to the Centennial Conference Championship game during the 2006-07 season. He has also taken the team abroad to Italy, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, and most recently a trek to Belgium in 2012.
Among his coaching accolades, the Fords’ leader was named the Philadelphia Small Colleges Coaches Association Coach of the Year following the 2002-03 season. Recently, coach Mucci was recognized with the Sam Schoenfield Sportsmanship Award by the College Basketball Officials Association at the conclusion of the 2011 season.
Ten of the 16 players in program history to reach the 1,000 point milestone have played under Mucci. The most recent to accomplish that feat was captain Matt Sherman ’17 who scored his 1,000th career point against Swarthmore in the final home game of his Haverford career. That started a memorable final week to the 2016-17 season as the Fords toppled playoff bound Johns Hopkins by an 80-78 score to ultimately send their coach out on a winning note.
Also excelling in the classroom, the Fords had the most players named to the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll in seven of the last 13 seasons. Under his leadership, 71 student-athletes were named to the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll and 23 times a Ford earned All-Centennial Conference honors. Additional honors include Joe Scibelli ’19 being named the 2016 Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year and six players named to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area team under his watch.
Mucci’s student-athletes also stood out among the best at Haverford College as three were named Varsity Cup recipients, three were named Gregory Kannerstein ’63 Award recipients, six were named A.W. Haddleton Award winners and one was named the Archibald MacIntosh ’21 Award recipient.
Haddleton Award recipient Timothy Mulvaney ’00, who later served as an assistant coach on Mucci’s staff, summed up his experience at Haverford by saying. “Haverford’s basketball team enjoys the thrill of participating in one of the most competitive Division III Conferences in the country, yet coach Mucci and his colleagues in the athletics department strike an important balance by concentrating not only on competition but on sportsmanship, leadership, community service, and of course, academic excellence.”
Spending a lifetime dedicated to the coaching profession, Mucci came to Haverford after 18 years as a Division I assistant coach with stops at Villanova, Robert Morris, and Yale. His longest tenure as an assistant came at Yale where he turned the Bulldogs into one of the most respected Ivy League programs during his 13 seasons on the bench.
Haverford College will commence a national search to find Mucci’s successor.
http://haverfordathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2016-17/releases/20170322nqlhb3
