Sid Watson

For the English football (soccer) player, see Sid Watson (footballer, born 1927).

Sid Watson

Biographical details
Born	(1932-05-04)May 4, 1932 Andover, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	April 25, 2004(2004-04-25) (aged 71) Naples, Florida, U.S.
Alma mater	Northeastern
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1959–1983	Bowdoin College
Head coaching record
Overall	327–210–14 (.606)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1969 ECAC 2 Champion 1970 ECAC 2 Champion 1971 ECAC 2 Champion 1971 ECAC 2 Tournament Champion 1972 ECAC 2 Champion 1975 ECAC 2 Tournament Champion 1976 ECAC 2 Tournament Champion 1978 ECAC 2 East Champion 1978 ECAC 2 East Tournament Champion 1980 ECAC 2 East Champion
Awards
1955 NFL kickoff return yards leader 1966 UPI New England Coach of the Year 1969 Clark Holder Award 1970 Edward Jeremiah Award 1970 Clark Holder Award 1971 Edward Jeremiah Award 1976 UPI Eastern Small College Coach of the Year 1978 Edward Jeremiah Award 1983 Schaeffer Pen Award 2001 Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Northeastern University Athletic Hall of Fame Maine Sports Hall of Fame Andover, Massachusetts Hall of Fame 2005 Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame
American football career
No. 39, 41
Position:	Halfback
Career information
High school:	Punchard (MA)
College:	Northeastern
Career history
Pittsburgh Steelers (1955–1957) Washington Redskins (1958)
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 45 Rushing yards: 516 Receiving yards: 423 Kick return yards: 1,269 Total touchdowns: 6 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Sidney John Watson (May 4, 1932 – April 25, 2004) was an American football player and college ice hockey player and coach. He played halfback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins. He played college football at Northeastern University. He was also the head hockey coach at Bowdoin College from 1959 to 1983.

Early life

Watson was born in Andover, Massachusetts and attended Punchard High School.

College career

Watson attended and played football as a running back at Northeastern University, where he averaged more than 100 rushing yards per game and 7.1 yards per carry during his career. He played on Northeastern's 1951 undefeated team, and was chosen Little All America in 1953 and captained the 1954 team. He still holds Northeastern's school records for most single-season points (74) and held the record for most career points (191) until 1997. In addition to lettering in football for three years, Watson also received one letter in basketball and three in ice hockey.

Professional football career

After graduating from college, Watson played in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1955 to 1957. He then played with the Washington Redskins in 1958.

Hockey coaching career

Watson became co-head coach of the Bowdoin College ice hockey team with C. Nels Corey in 1958. He then became the full head coach in 1959, a position he held until 1983. While coach, he led the Polar Bears to the ECAC 2 playoffs 16 times and won conference championships in 1971, 1975, 1976 and 1978. Watson was awarded the Eddie Jeremiah Memorial Trophy, recognizing the national Small College Coach of the year in 1970, 1971 and 1978. Watson joined the United States Hockey Hall of Fame during 1999. In 2001, he was awarded the prestigious Hobey Baker Legends of College Hockey Award.

Head coaching record

Statistics overview

Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Bowdoin Polar Bears Independent (1959–1961)
1959–60	Bowdoin	11–11–0
1960–61	Bowdoin	15–5–0
Bowdoin:		26–16–0
Bowdoin Polar Bears (ECAC Hockey) (1961–1964)
1961–62	Bowdoin	11–11–1	10–11–0	16th
1962–63	Bowdoin	6–13–0	5–13–0	23rd
1963–64	Bowdoin	14–8–0	12–8–0	11th
Bowdoin:		31–32–1	27–32–0
Bowdoin Polar Bears (ECAC 2) (1964–1983)
1964–65	Bowdoin	11–10–0	9–5–0	4th
1965–66	Bowdoin	11–8–1	9–3–1	2nd
1966–67	Bowdoin	9–11–0	8–4–0	T–5th
1967–68	Bowdoin	11–9–1	9–5–1	8th
1968–69	Bowdoin	14–6–1	12–3–1	1st
1969–70	Bowdoin	19–3–0	13–0–0	1st	ECAC 2 Runner-Up
1970–71	Bowdoin	19–4–1	14–2–0	1st	ECAC 2 Champion
1971–72	Bowdoin	17–4–0	14–1–0	1st
1972–73	Bowdoin	14–8–2	11–4–1	6th	ECAC 2 Runner-Up
1973–74	Bowdoin	8–14–0	6–8–0	14th
1974–75	Bowdoin	14–9–0	11–5–0	4th	ECAC 2 Champion
1975–76	Bowdoin	18–9–0	13–3–0	3rd	ECAC 2 Champion
1976–77	Bowdoin	16–7–0	13–2–0	4th	ECAC 2 Quarterfinals
1977–78	Bowdoin	19–6–1	13–3–1	2nd	ECAC 2 East Champion
1978–79	Bowdoin	13–12–0	10–7–0	12th	ECAC 2 East Quarterfinals
1979–80	Bowdoin	19–5–2	14–2–2	2nd	ECAC 2 East Semifinals
1980–81	Bowdoin	14–12–0	11–7–0	11th	ECAC 2 East Semifinals
1981–82	Bowdoin	13–12–3	11–8–0	12th	ECAC 2 East Quarterfinals
1982–83	Bowdoin	11–13–1	9–8–1	13th	ECAC 2 East Quarterfinals
Bowdoin:		270–162–13	210–80–8
Total:		327–210–14
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion

Administrator career

After retiring as a coach, Watson served as Bowdoin's Athletic Director. He was also the chairman of the NCAA ice Hockey Rules and Tournament Committee for six years, and served as president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and a member of the board of governors of the American College Hockey Coaches Association.

Legacy

In 1996, Bowdoin dedicated the Sidney J. Watson Fitness Facility in his honor. In 2004, following Watson's death, the Division III Men's Player of the Year Award was renamed the Sid Watson Award. In 2009, Bowdoin named their new ice hockey arena the Sidney J. Watson Arena, which holds approximately 2,300 spectators and is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified.

Personal life

Watson was married and had five children and 11 grandchildren. He died after suffering a Myocardial infarction in Naples, Florida on April 25, 2004.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
• Sid Watson at Find a Grave