For more than two decades, Doug Roberts was a foundation of Connecticut College’s Department of Athletics as a coach, administrator and faculty member. A respected and loyal member of the Athletic Department for 23 years, he played a key role in the development of the College’s men’s athletic programs. His efforts to establish and sustain a top-notch men’s ice hockey program attracted males to campus and served as an example for other growing men;s athletic programs at the College. In addition, the early success of Robert’s ice hockey teams were a principal factor in the College's admission to the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) in 1982.
When he joined the College’s coaching staff in 1979, Roberts had the challenging task of developing competitive men;s ice hockey program in the wake of the College’s embracing coeducation with the acceptance of male students. One year after competing at the club level, the 1980-1981 Camels posted a winning record (12-10-1) in their first season of varsity play.
Throughout the 1980s, Connecticut College ice hockey squads were regularly ranked number one or two in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) South Division. From 1986 through 1990, Roberts teams earned an average 16 wins per season and received five consecutive bids to the ECAC Tournament. After finishing the 1985 season as ECAC South runner-up, the Camels were division semifinalists three straight years before capturing the 1990 ECAC South Division crown.
In 1991, Connecticut College was invited to join the ECAC East as a stronger and more competitive division of ECAC ice hockey. The Camels were the 1998 East runner-up when they hosted the championship round and they reached the East Division quarterfinals in 1996 and 1999.
In directing the Camel ice hockey team from infancy, Roberts built a nationally-ranked program, posting a 252-249-28 mark (.503 winning %) over 23 varsity seasons before retiring from coaching in 2004. His players have won numerous awards and honors, and four standouts have earned inducted into the Connecticut College Athletic Hall of Fame: Nigel Bentley ‘83 (inducted in 2003), Jim Brown ‘89 (1997), Chip Orcutt ‘84 (2005) and Todd Taplin ‘89 (2007).
As an adjunct professor of physical education, Roberts taught several skills courses, including skating, tennis and golf. Roberts also flawlessly ran the College’s Dayton Arena for a quarter century. A tireless ambassador for the sport of ice hockey, he created several youth ice hockey and public skating programs for the Southeastern Connecticut community.
Roberts, a native of Detroit, Michigan, was a three-sport high school standout, receiving all-state football recognition in addition to excelling in ice hockey and baseball. He accepted a full scholarship to play football at Michigan State University under the condition that he could also play hockey.
Roberts excelled in the latter sport, scoring 56 goals and adding 53 assists for 109 career points. The three-year letter-winner led to the Spartans’ scoring efforts as a junior (21 goals) and senior (28 goals, 61 points). As a senior team captain, he earned 1965 All-America First Team selection as well as the squad’s Most Valuable Player Award.
Following graduation from MSU, Roberts was drafted into the National Hockey League (NHL) where he enjoyed an esteemed 12-year playing career (1965-1977). One of only two US-born players in the NHL at that time, he played with the Detroit Red Wings, California Golden Seals, Boston Bruins and Hartford Whalers.
Roberts became the first American player to skate in the NHL All-Star Game when he represented the Golden Seals at the 1971 event. Roberts passed on his ice hockey prowess to his two sons who had their own thriving careers. Doug Roberts Jr ‘91 played ice hockey for his father, helping lead the Camels to a four-year 59-34-2 mark (.632) and the 1990 ECAC South Championship. He graduated as oe of the program’s all-time leading scorers.
After a stellar hockey career at the University of Michigan, Dave Roberts played for the U.S. Team at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. Following his father into professional hockey, he had an 11-year NHL career playing for the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks.
“Doug Roberts has two and a half decades of alumni who speak very highly of him regarding the way he taught them about life,” praises Fran Shields, Katherine Wenk Christoffers ‘45 Director of Athletics, Chair of the Physical Education Department, and a former assistant ice hockey coach during Doug’s tenure, “Many successful careers after college were due to Doug’s leadership.”
