Strength in Numbers

Nineteen seasons. Four hundred and seventy-nine victories. Seventeen consecutive campaigns with at least 20 wins. Six Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Coach of the Year awards. Four NCAA tournament appearances, four GNAC titles, ten trips to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) tournament, two championship titles, in 2000 and 2014.

The stats that Cary McConnell compiled during his nearly two-decade tenure as head baseball coach—and, for the past ten years, as Suffolk’s director of athletics—are pretty dazzling. Yet when McConnell reflects on his career, what stands out for him isn’t just his win-loss record, but the chance to help shape a generation of student-athletes.

“As a coach, you’re like a teacher whose classroom is the diamond,” McConnell says. “But you’re teaching much more than the game of baseball. You’re teaching life skills that can help these young men grow and go on to become successful in life.”

This fall, when McConnell was inducted into the Class of 2024 Suffolk University Athletics Hall of Fame, he was quick to share the credit. “I’ve never gotten a hit, thrown a strike, or made a play in the field at Suffolk,” he told the audience at the October 18 ceremony. “This recognition is less about me and all about the really good student-athletes my assistant coaches and I recruited, who stayed here and received their degrees.”

Joining McConnell in this year’s Athletics Hall of Fame class were Winston Daley, BSBA ’02 (men’s basketball); Erin McAndrews, BS ’14 (softball); Jennifer Nelson, BSBA ’08 (women’s tennis); Ben Rollins, BSE ’13 (men’s soccer); Jennifer (Ruys) Baker, BS ’14 (women’s basketball); Jake Stahl, BSBA ’53 (men’s basketball); and the 1947 baseball team, where Mark Papas, son of team member Nicholas Papas, accepted the award on behalf of the squad.

Honoring Larry Smith

Early in the evening, Suffolk President Marisa Kelly called for a moment of silence to mourn the recent passing of Larry Smith, BSBA ’65, a Suffolk trustee and former Rams’ basketball player. Along with his brother, Michael, BSBA ’61, Larry was one of Suffolk Athletics’ greatest supporters and benefactors. In 2015, the Smith brothers were themselves inducted into the Hall of Fame.

“Larry was an incredible trustee, a generous philanthropist, a mentor, and an all-around amazing individual,” said Kelly. “He was someone who never forgot his Chelsea roots, the value of hard work, and the importance of giving back.”

McConnell credited the Smiths for their role in the growth of Suffolk Athletics. Today, student-athletes work out in the state-of-the-art Michael and Larry Smith Fitness Center; compete in more sports in a new conference (where the volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball teams play their home games on the Larry and Michael Smith Court); and travel on their own Smith-funded team bus.

“Everything they have done has changed the entire student-athlete experience for the better,” McConnell said.

From standout player to head coach

McConnell was a standout ball player in college. As an undergraduate at the College of Wooster (Ohio), he was a four-year starter in the infield for the Scots and was selected to the 1980s All-Decade Team for the North Coast Athletic Conference. He played in four straight Division III NCAA tournaments and one DIII World Series. After graduating, he was hired as the team’s assistant coach, and later became head baseball coach at the University of Rochester, where he earned his master’s degree in higher ed administration in 1995. The following year, he became head coach at Suffolk.

His best-ever Suffolk team? The 2000 squad—which set a school record with 38 wins in a season and led all NCAA Division III programs in ERA (2.69) and strikeouts (401)—comes quickly to mind.

“That was a competitive, resilient, and mentally tough group,” says McConnell about his club that was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013. “They just didn’t want to beat you; they wanted to beat you by 10.”

Asked if he misses coaching, McConnell says yes, but not “throwing batting practice when it’s 32 degrees in March.”

“As a coach, Cary was a hard worker and motivator who wasn’t afraid to push boundaries,” says Anthony Del Prete, BSBA ’05, MEd ’09, who played for McConnell, worked as his assistant, and then replaced him as head coach ten years ago. “He had a great mind for the game and was able to bring players from all different backgrounds together to play in a team setting and create comfortable environment.”

A decade of growth

McConnell was named Suffolk’s director of athletics in October 2014, after serving in an interim role following the retirement of Emeritus Director of Athletics James E. Nelson in August 2013.

Working with University administrators, he immediately put together a strategic plan that laid out the future of Suffolk athletics, including adding new sports and improved facilities, and developing the resources needed to become a highly competitive program.

In the last decade under McConnell’s leadership, the number of sports that Suffolk offers has grown from 13 to 20; the student-athlete population has doubled from 150 to more than 350; and full-time staff has tripled in size from six to 18, including 12 full-time head coaches, one associate director, an administrator, three athletic trainers, and one sports information director.

In addition, McConnell has helped secure home field advantage for every outdoor sports team in East Boston and switched from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference to the Conference of New England for a more competitive field of play, both athletically and academically.

“From an administrative standpoint, Cary is always open to listening to all of our coaches and offering us advice when it comes to building our teams,” says Del Prete, who also serves as associate director of athletics. “He still has that competitive spirit, and he wants the athletics program to grow and be successful.”