Bob Deobil

Track and Field/Cross Country
Coach
(1975-86/1974-79)

Inducted 2002

Bob Deobil, the father of the track and field program, enters the Hall of Fame after serving 12 seasons as head coach of the track and field program and six years as the head coach of the cross country program.  In his first three seasons at the helm of the track and field program, Deobil’s squads captured three consecutive Tri-State Conference Titles.  After moving to the Eastern Intercollegiate Conference in 1979 he continued his coaching dominance by tutoring individuals to 30 event championships and five conference records.  His ability to coach elite runners continued as a member of the New England Intercollegiate Conference where he coached runners to six event championships and two conference records, including Otto Pearson who captured the 100 meters at the 1979 New England Championships.  On a national level, 14 NCAA qualifiers emerged under the tutelage of Deobil, including Ed Yearwood who broke the 1979 American Indoor Track Record, which encompassed all three divisions, in the 400 meter.  In the same year, Yearwood placed second in the 400 meters outdoor final at the 1979 NCAA Division II National Championships.  Deobil also coached fellow Hall of Famer Henry Spellman, who holds the all-time triple jump record at the University of New Haven.  Deobil directed the Department of Sports Medicine for 24 years.