Boston College men’s hockey head coach Jerry York announced his retirement after 28 seasons with the Eagles on Wednesday afternoon. York’s 50-year career comes to an end after winning five National Championships—four with BC and one with Bowling Green.
York, a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame and the winningest coach in NCAA history, spent the majority of his career at BC after coaching at Bowling Green for 15 years and Clarkson for seven years. York’s retirement comes with the end of his contract, which expired at the conclusion of the 2021–22 season.
“I have been thinking about the possibility of retiring during the past several weeks and it just seemed to me to be the right time to do so,” York said in a press release. “I am so blessed to have been involved with Boston College these past 28 years and to have had the opportunity to coach so many wonderful student-athletes.”
York retires as the only coach in Division I history to win over 1,000 games and boasts a 1,123–682–128 career record. In his 28 years at BC, York led the Eagles to 11 Hockey East regular season titles, nine Hockey East Tournament titles, nine Beanpot titles, 18 NCAA Tournament appearances, 12 Frozen Four appearances, and four national titles, which came in 2001, 2008, 2010, and 2012.
“It is difficult to put into words all that Jerry York means to Boston College,” BC Athletics Director Pat Kraft said. “His record as the winningest coach in NCAA men’s ice hockey and BC hockey speak for themselves, but it is his humility, decency, unwavering commitment to his players, fellow coaches, and all of us in the BC family, and the quiet ways in which he contributes to this community that make him so beloved. He is a legend and one of the classiest individuals to ever coach in college sports.”
York, a triple Eagle, graduated from BC High in 1963 and earned his undergraduate degree from BC in 1967. A standout hockey player at BC High, York moved on to play hockey at BC under head coach John “Snooks” Kelley.
York was named a first-team All-American in 1967 and won the Walter Brown Award for the top American-born player in New England that year. During his playing career at BC, York tallied 134 career points on 64 goals and 70 assists and led the Eagles to a 1965 Beanpot title and a runner-up finish in the 1965 NCAA Championship.
York started his coaching career at Clarkson, where he spent seven years from 1972–79. He then moved on to Bowling Green, where he won his first National Championship in 1984. In 1994, York ended his 15-year stint at Bowling Green and took the head coaching position at BC.
As of the 2021–22 season, York was the oldest NCAA men’s hockey head coach at the age of 76.
“I leave knowing that it is the right time to go,” York said in the release. “The book hasn’t closed, but it is time for me to start a new chapter.”
Olivia Charbonneau contributed to reporting
Correction (4/19/22, 9:29 p.m.): This article previously incorrectly stated that Jerry York earned his undergraduate degree in 1963 and graduate degree in 1967. It was corrected to state that York graduated from BC High in 1963 and earned his undergraduate degree from BC in 1967.
