Photo by Christina VanHorn,
UNH Human Resources

"Never panic, adjust," says Gerry Friel. That motto has served him well in his career at UNH.

Gerry began his career as the Men's Head Basketball Coach in 1969. Wasting no time at all he immediately took the Wildcats to their first winning season in 18 years. "Those who fail to prepare, prepare to fail," Gerry states. And preparation has been key to everything he's done along the way. "I came to the University of New Hampshire for 3 reasons," said Gerry. "Number One was family. UNH was a special place, for family. This environment allowed me to have the family I have. Number Two was the educational system here - both UNH and Oyster River. Number Three was athletics. I always wanted to compete at the highest level.

Friel coached the UNH Wildcats for 20 years. When he led his 8th ranked Wildcats to victory against top ranked Siena in a North Atlantic Conference playoof game, Dick Vitale said "This isn't just an upset. This is a HUGE upset. The University of New Hampshire just beat the #1 seed in the Hartford Civic Center!" The next night UNH lost 60-59 to Niagra. The memory still brings tears to Jerry's eyes. "Winning is important, but sometimes you learn from losing. We (the kids) were TOGETHER."

Winning, in college basketball, is often done by bending or breaking some rules. Recruiting the best athletes doesn't necessarily equate to recruiting the best student-athletes. Victories are important to head coaches for their livelihood. Other things always meant more to Friel than simply winning games. "We didn't sacrifice principles or values in recruiting players and we still did very well. It was always key to me that my players had two feet on the ground and that they understood that work was important. You've got to be on time, and WORK. You've also got to do the fundamentals every day. You've GOT to get your degree. I teach my own family that and I taught my team that."

Ahhh, family. Gerry Friel's successes as a head coach are somewhat dwarfed by his successes as a parent. Daughter Jennifer, 29, graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at UNH. Keith, 25, was captain of the University of Virginia Men's Basketball team and is being recruited by Ireland to play on their 2004 Olympic team. Greg, 24, is a Dartmouth graduate and was captain of their basketball team. Jeremy, 20, told Gerry at one point while entering high school "I don't want to work as hard as my brothers and sister did. I don't think I can do what they did." Ever the coach/teacher, Gerry said "Then don't. Be YOU. Enjoy YOUR life." Jeremy is now a member of the UNH Men's varsity basketball team. And for youngest daughter Jilliane, 12, Gerry shakes his head and smiles "She's going to be special. Bright, athletic. I don't like to place high expectations on young young kids but she has some excellent potential to succeed."

His enjoyment of the coaching/teaching process led Gerry to open (with Bob Cousy) a basketball camp at Phillips Exeter Academy in the 1970's. "When we began, I had two goals. One was to get quality coaches who could TEACH, not just talk, and who were also solid citizens. And the other was to have a wonderful facility, which Phillips Exeter was," Gerry said. "We started out as a pilot school for just one week with 60 boys and this grew into a 5-week program, for both boys and girls, with 125 kids per week and a waiting list of 120 kids per week. It was important that every kid got the chance to play, but we didn't just use bodies. We wanted to teach them - educate them. The things that are important to me as a coach started there."

In his current position as Senior Director of Major Gifts, Gerry raises endowments for UNH athletics. His efforts have helped see the birth of Towse Arena as well as the Reggie F. Atkins Track Facility. Gerry states "the Reggie F. Atkins Track Facility is my pride. We didn't even have a track here at UNH for 20 years and we just hosted the New England Track and Field Championships!" As for how the endowment process works, Gerry says "It's all about trying to help the University improve. Students get a wonderful education here and if they've been successful financially - can they give something back to the students who need that help now?"

Gerry says his personal interests are "Family. Watching them grow and develop." Gerry Friel has been a key force over the past 35 years for helping UNH grow and develop.