John D. 'Jack' Semler 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 ...

coach and former player who was the first

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 ...

for

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

Career

Jack Semler played at

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

for four seasons during the short period when it was a Division II program. After graduating he eventually rose to become the head coach at

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...

. After four unproductive seasons with the Tigers he accepted the post to be the first head coach for Maine's ice hockey program. Semler posted winning records in both seasons that Maine played in Division II and helped the Black Bears to a good showing in their first year at the Division I level. The program slumped a bit beginning in 1981–82, and though improvement was shown in his final season, Semler left the college ranks in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

. Semler would continue coaching but wouldn't return to the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

until 2006 when he became an assistant for

Skidmore College Skidmore College is a private liberal arts college in Saratoga Springs, New York. Approximately 2,650 students are enrolled at Skidmore pursuing a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in one of more than 60 areas of study. History Sk ...

. After stops at both

Assumption College Assumption College may refer to these educational institutions: Australia * Assumption College, Kilmore, Victoria * Assumption College, Warwick, Queensland Canada * Assumption University (Windsor, Ontario) (formerly Assumption College) * Assumpt ...

and Nichols College Semler ended up at Rice Memorial High School.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Semler, Jack Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American ice hockey coaches Vermont Catamounts men's ice hockey players Princeton Tigers men's ice hockey coaches Maine Black Bears men's ice hockey coaches Ice hockey coaches from Connecticut People from Salisbury, Connecticut Ice hockey players from Connecticut