A Full-Time Painter from New Haven Gets The First Hockey Coaching Job at Quinnipiac

When Quinnipiac University started its men’s hockey program in 1975, there were roughly 800 students on the Hamden, Connecticut campus. In this episode, host Keith Woodward talks with Jim Kennedy, Quinnipiac first hockey coach, who was hired without any coaching experience. And for some contrast to what the “big boys” were doing, Jim Warden, the most outstanding player of the 1975 Michigan Tech championship team, joins the conversation to talk about how he was recruited. The differences are stark: Jim Warden was travelling all over the country as he was being recruited; Jim Kennedy's recruiting process consisted of going to a “big book” in the athletic department filled with high schools, and then, a form letter. That was just the tip of the iceberg for Division III coach. He dealt with students smoking weed, he collected dimes and quarters to make phone calls when the bus company had problems, and he hadn’t gone over what to do when the National Anthem came on. Bus drivers got lost, and uniforms got stolen. There was a lot of work to do for a full-time painter from New Haven. And Jim Kennedy’s team won the first game, and they stopped at Lum’s for dinner. We’d never heard of Lum’s before, either. All episodes begin with Quinnipiac Student Matt Mungo’s call on the Quinnipiac Bobcat Sports Network of the National Championship goal. Thanks to QBSN for letting us use this audio. The Tenth Second is a production of the Quinnipiac University Podcast Studio, and is hosted by Keith Woodward, the university's director of facilities. The podcast is produced and engineered by Justin Moravsky, and is mastered by David DesRoches, the university's director of community programming. Student Jillian Catalano is the social media coordinator. Music is "Running in Circles" by Diane Taylor, used under the Creative Commons license. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @TheTenthSecond