Bill Switaj is an American

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

former player and

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

and current director of the

Kent State University Ice Arena The KSU Ice Arena is a two-rink ice complex located on the campus of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, United States. The building contains two ice rinks, one with seating for 1,500 fans that is used for ice hockey and figure skating, with the ...

Career

Switaj began attending

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

in the fall of 1979 and eventually worked his way onto the team as a

walk-on Walk On may refer to: Music * ''Walk On'', a 1994 album by Boston, and its title song Albums * ''Walk On'' (Boston album), 1994 * ''Walk On'' (John Hiatt album), 1995 * ''Walk On'' (Randy Johnston album), 1992 *''Walk On'', a 2007 album by ...

. After graduating in 1983 he made his way into the coaching ranks, finding a position at Rensselaer as a goalie coach before landing in West Point as an assistant under Rob Riley. Two years later he accepted the head coaching position at

Kent State Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in Ash ...

but his first season was quickly torpedoed when the university's president cancelled the season due to a hazing incident. After the lost season was finished Switaj began putting the program back on the right footing. The Golden Flashes remained an independent program for three more years, posting double-digit wins every season, before they were accepted into the CCHA for the 1992–93 season. Though their first two years in the conference resulted in less than stellar records there was hope for the team but that hope was extinguished when the board of trustees voted to cancel the ice hockey program in 1994. Though Switaj received further coaching offers he elected to remain in Kent as the rink manager, a position he still holds as of 2016.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Switaj, Bill Living people 1960 births People from Bay Village, Ohio Ice hockey players from Ohio American ice hockey coaches Kent State Golden Flashes men's ice hockey coaches