University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
William M. Leete, Jr. 1967 - Baseball, Football
This former two-sports standout for the Catamounts has made an impact in collegiate athletics as the Vice President for Student Affairs and Athletics at the University of New Haven. Bill Leete, a 1992 UVM Hall of Fame inductee, won five letters in football and baseball for the Green and Gold as an undergraduate.
In football, Bill was a standout as a defensive back and quarterback for then-head coach Bob Clifford. He was one of the team's top defensive backs during his junior and senior seasons. On the baseball diamond, he was a starting third baseman for Ralph Lapointe for two seasons.
But even though he achieved great success as an undergraduate athlete at Vermont in the mid-60s, his achievements after graduation have been even more impressive. After serving as an assistant in football under Clifford in 1967 and 1968, he accepted a position as head baseball and assistant football coach at Hofstra in 1969. Soon after (1975), he was named Hofstra's head football coach and assistant athletic director where he remained in that post until he was named to head the New Haven athletic program in 1981.
Active in his conference, Bill was one of the founders of the New England Collegiate Conference and served as its Commissioner from 1984-90. Under his leadership, New Haven developed a diverse and nationally recognized Division II athletic program. The football program moved up to Division II status and was continually nationally ranked in the Top 20. Leete also developed New Haven's academic counseling system, implemented alumni and friends groups for each sports team and created the school's athletic hall of fame. Several of New Haven's team's had national success while he ran the department highlighted by the 1987 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship and the baseball team making eight appearances in the Division II Men's Baseball World Series.
In 2002, he was a recipient of the ECAC Distinguished Achievement Award for his service in athletics.
