Holy Cross coach Bill Carmody announces retirement

Bill Carmody’s four-plus decades in college basketball has come to an end.

The Holy Cross head coach announced his retirement in a press release Tuesday afternoon. He finished his career with 342 wins, nine postseason appearances and five seasons of at least 20 victories.

“When I arrived here four years ago, I knew my decades of college coaching would likely end at Holy Cross. I could not have wished for a more fitting last stop,” Carmody said in a statement. “Holy Cross embodies what many college athletics programs struggle to deliver — commitment without compromise. If I were to continue coaching, there is nowhere I’d rather be, and I will miss this place.”

Carmody, 67, did not travel to select road games this season while his wife, Barbara, continued to battle cancer. Though he was available for all practices and home games, Holy Cross assistants took the lead for overnight road trips.

Carmody got his coaching start at Fulton-Montgomery Community College in 1975. One year later, the Union College grad returned to his alma mater to be an assistant, before serving on the staffs at Providence and Princeton.

After legendary Princeton skipper Pete Carril retired in 1996, Carmody took the reins and saw immediate success. He led the Tigers to the NCAA tournament in 1997 and 1998, opening the latter Big Dance with a 69-57 win over UNLV.

He then took the Princeton offense to Northwestern from 2000-13, though his stay in Evanston was underwhelming. The Wildcats made four NIT appearances but never cracked the NCAA Tournament during his 13-year tenure.

Carmody finally returned to March Madness when he got the Holy Cross job in 2015-16. The Crusaders finished just 5-13 in Patriot League play that season but went on a magical run in the conference tournament. Holy Cross beat Lehigh for the league title and later topped Southern in the First Four for Carmody’s second and final NCAA tournament victory.

Parker Executive Search will assist Holy Cross in a national search for Carmody’s replacement.