Cleary still holds or shares seven school athletic records at Harvard. He was a First Team All-America selection in 1954-55, leading the Crimson to a Beanpot title and a berth in the NCAA Final Four.

In 1999, Sports Illustrated named him Massachusetts' 33rd best athlete in the 20th century. The Boston Globe labeled him 68th among New England's top 100 of the past century.

During his 19 years as coach, the Crimson reached the Final Four seven times and the national championship game three times. In 1989, Harvard went 31-3 and defeated Minnesota, 4-3, in overtime to win Harvard's first NCAA championship.

"He was a great player and coach and really made the game fun," said Scott M. Fusco '85-'86, who won the Hobey Baker Award playing under Cleary. "He allowed the players to be creative, but within the team concept....He was a great teacher."

As a coach, Cleary endeared himself to both players and fans with a friendly personality and a wide-open style of hockey that allowed his team to display all of its skill. Fusco claimed that he and many of his teammates developed close relationships with Cleary that still exist to this day.

It was a style of management that transferred over to his administration.

"Billy is everything you hope for in a boss," said Assistant Director of Sports Media Relations John P. Veneziano. "He has a way of building confidence in people that is truly remarkable. He's encouraging, supportive and understanding. He only asks for one thing back--loyalty."

The announcement on Friday did not come as a surprise, however. Cleary has privately communicated a desire to retire over the past couple of years, and discussed the matter more intently with Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles over the past months, Knowles said. The biggest question for Cleary, he said, was a matter of timing.