"Century Sid" Watson, All-American athlete and coach of Bowdoin's hockey team for 24 seasons, passed away Sunday after suffering a heart attack. He was 71.
Born in Andover, Massachusetts, and a graduate of Punchard High School, Watson played football while attending Northeastern University.
He achieved All-American status while averaging more than 100 yards per game, earning the nickname "Century Sid."
He was inducted into the Northeastern Hall of Fame in 1975, and his name is still in the university's record books for most career (191) and single-season (74) points.
An athlete of many sports, Watson also played and lettered in basketball and hockey.
After graduating from Northeastern Watson began his career with the National Football League, signing first with the Pittsburgh Steelers and later with the Washington Redskins. Over his four-year stint in professional football Watson rushed for 516 yards and four touchdowns while adding 423 yards receiving out of the backfield for two more touchdowns.
Despite his success, Watson turned down a chance to continue playing in the NFL in 1958 for a temporary position as Bowdoin's hockey coach. After a single season as co-coach with Nels Corey, Watson assumed full responsibility of the team in 1959.
In the years following his transition from athlete to coach, Sid Watson never looked back. During his 24 seasons of coaching Bowdoin Hockey, the Polar Bears won 4 ECAC Championships, and qualified for the Division II playoffs 16 times.
Overall, Watson's record as coach is 326-210-11. This success earned him the Edward Jeremiah Trophy as national division coach of the year three times in 1970, 1971, and 1978.
After more than two decades of coaching, Watson became the College's athletic director in 1983. He oversaw the Farley Field House and Greason Pool building projects and was influential in the development of women's athletics at Bowdoin. During his tenure, the Bowdoin athletic department expanded to include 25 varsity sports, five club teams, and more than 20 physical education classes.
In recognition of his work, Bowdoin named the Sidney J. Watson Fitness Facility after Watson in 1996. Shortly after, he was awarded the Hobey Baker Legend of Hockey Award, college hockey's most prestigious award, by the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.
Watson spent most of his time at his home in Naples, Florida, with his wife Henrietta and their 11 grandchildren after retiring from Bowdoin in 1998.
According to Jeff Ward, Director of Athletics, Watson's achievements on and off the ice will be remembered but it is his kind demeanor and strength of character that will always preside. He remembered Watson as "a very kind, very honest, very genuine person-a true friend to so many people."
Current men's ice hockey coach Terry Meagher described his predecessor as "a true believer in the value of fair and honorable competition. His leadership and vision played such a significant role in making the New England Small College Athletic Conference and its guiding principles one of the most respected conferences in the nation. [Watson] is an icon in New England's storied sports history and one of the most admired individuals in the history of our college."
College president Barry Mills stated in a email to the student body, "There has not been a more beloved person in the Bowdoin College community than Sid Watson. We will miss him tremendously."
A public tribute to Watson's life will be held in Farley Field House at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 8. The Watson family requests that no flowers be sent and that contributions be made instead to the Sidney J. Watson Scholarship Fund at Bowdoin.
More information regarding the fund can be found on Bowdoin's webpage.