Head Coach Pat Flannery
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HEAD COACH PAT FLANNERY captured the Patriot League cham- reached the second round of the NCAA Tourna- pionship and defeated third-seeded ment, before his 1993-94 team won the title. In Kansas 64-63 in the opening round of fi ve years at Lebanon Valley, Flannery compiled the NCAA Tournament. an overall record of 95-44 (.683) and earned “The victory was almost surreal,” the 1994 Division III Coach-of-the-Year Award said Flannery after taking the Bison from the National Association of Basketball to the fi rst NCAA Tournament victory Coaches. in program and league history. “It is In October 2005 Flannery was inducted proof that good things happen to those into the Lebanon Valley Athletics Hall of Fame, who work hard for it. The players in and coincidentally he went in alongside Mike this program truly earned that victory, Rhoades, the team captain of the national and it’s a memory that they will carry championship team and currently the head forever.” coach at Randolph-Macon College. Flannery made a mark on the Flannery’s appointment as Bucknell’s 19th Bucknell men’s basketball program men’s basketball head coach in 1994 capped a long before returning to Lewisburg in tumultuous two-month stretch. His wife, Patti, 1994-95 as the team’s head coach. gave birth to the couple’s fi rst son, Ryan, in be- As a player, he captained the 1979- tween the national championship and Flannery’s 80 Bison team that fi nished 20-7 and hiring at Bucknell. The couple had their second ushered in an era of unprecedented child, Jesse, nine years ago. success at Bucknell. “At the time of my hiring, I was coming off Flannery remains the only player two of the biggest things in my life,” Flannery ever to lead the Bison in assists for four said. “If it wasn’t my alma mater, and wasn’t a straight years, and he fi nished his ca- school with this kind of philosophy, I wouldn’t reer with a total of 505 assists, which have moved. The philosophy of the Patriot was a school record at the time and still League is the philosophy of my coaching. I ranks third in Bucknell history. always wanted a place that was academically In 11 years under head coach Pat Flannery, the Bison have He also tallied 779 career points oriented. I was very happy (at Lebanon Valley), recorded a 91-51 (.641) record in regular-season Patriot and boasted a career free-throw per- but the people here got me excited. League games, and they captured the PL title in 2005. centage of .787. Bucknell posted a In his 11 seasons as coach at his alma ma- 38-16 record over Flannery’s fi nal two ter, Flannery and the Bison program have lived seasons, and he captained the team up to those high expectations. He has created Now in his 12th year as head coach each of those years. an atmosphere in which his players have been at his alma mater, Pat Flannery took his An emotional, competitive point guard out successful and he is again giving back to the Bucknell team to heights never before seen of Pottsville High School, Flannery was actually school that gave him an opportunity in 1976. in the 110-year history of Bison Basketball a the fi rst recruit signed by then-rookie Bucknell After last season’s 23-10 mark (10-4 year ago, and he is committed to maintain- coach Charlie Woollum in 1976. It was indeed Patriot League), his career record now stands ing the program’s status as one of the elite fi tting, then, that when Woollum left in April at 267-189 (.586) overall and 172-146 (.541) teams in the Patriot League, both on and 1994 to return to his alma mater, William and at Bucknell. off the fl oor. Mary, after a marvelous 19-year career, Flan- Flannery’s Bison squads have won nearly A staple in the Lewisburg and sur- nery was selected as his successor. two-thirds of their Patriot League contests (91- rounding communities, Flannery last season After serving as an assistant coach at 51) over the last 11 seasons. became the second-longest tenured head Bucknell, Drexel and William & Mary in the Flannery began his coaching career at coach in program history, trailing only his 1980s, Flannery had been the head coach at Bucknell in 1994-95 by guiding the Bison to own former coach, Charlie Woollum. Lebanon Valley College for fi ve years, leading an 11-3 fi nal league mark and earning Patriot With 172 coaching wins at Bucknell, that team to its fi rst-ever Flannery ranks second to the Hall of Famer national championship in Woollum (318) on the school’s all-time list. 1994. The Dutchmen won He also lists No. 2 in victories among all the Division III title in thrilling Patriot League coaches, behind only Army’s fashion, with overtime victo- Jim Crews (308). ries in both the semifi nals Flannery, who received a new four-year (93-83 over Wittenberg) contract in June 2005, presides over a and the championship game proud program that is well-armed for college (66-59 over New York Uni- basketball’s future with a new home arena and versity). The title game win a fourth year of recruiting with merit scholar- by the Dutchmen capped a ships upcoming. 28-4 season in Flannery’s “With the leadership, excitement and fi fth year as head coach at respect that the Patriot League has developed the Eastern Pennsylvania since I have been the head coach at Bucknell, I school, which recently cele- believe this is a wonderful time to be in charge brated the 10th anniversary of this program,” Flannery said. “I have a deep of that national crown. history and love for Bucknell University, and In his fi rst year at Leba- I feel like that feeling comes through to our non Valley, Flannery guided student-athletes. the Dutchmen to a 17-9 “The support from the university and the mark, the program’s fi rst administration makes me feel proud of the job winning season in 18 years, we have done here,” Flannery added. and proceeded to record Those exciting changes paid dividends five consecutive winning last season, when Bucknell fi nished 23-10, seasons. His 1992-93 team Head coach Pat Flannery with wife, Patti, and sons Jesse (9) and Ryan (11). 62 2005-06 Bucknell Bison Men’s Basketball HEAD COACH PAT FLANNERY League Coach of the Year honors. He was the fi rst Patriot League coach to earn such PPATAT FFLANNERY’SLANNERY’S RRESUMEESUME honors in his opening season with a program. The award was especially sweet for Flannery, PERSONAL considering the Bison had opened the year 0-8, Hometown: Pottsville, Pa. before winning 13 of their fi nal 19 games to Parents: John and Nancy Flannery collect a share of the regular season title. Wife: Married to the former Patti Struble (Bucknell ‘86) In 1995-96, Bucknell was again solid in Children: Ryan, 11, and Jesse, 9 league play, going 8-4 in Patriot games, and EDUCATION fi nishing the season with an overall record of B.A. (Economics, Political Science), Bucknell, 1980 17-11. Included in those 17 wins was one of M.S. (College Administration), Bucknell, 1983 the school’s biggest victories of all time, when the Bison knocked off Alabama, 72-64, at the HEAD COACHING CAREER Cessna Holiday Classic at Wichita State. Year School W L Pct. Notes Flannery earned Patriot League Coach of 1989-90 Lebanon Valley 17 9 .654 fi rst winning season in 18 years the Year honors for the second time in 1996- 1990-91 Lebanon Valley 15 12 .556 ECAC invitation 97, after directing his squad to an 18-11 1991-92 Lebanon Valley 17 8 .680 ECAC invitation 1992-93 Lebanon Valley 18 10 .643 NCAA Tournament overall record, a 9-3 league mark and a berth 1993-94 Lebanon Valley 28 4 .875 NCAA Champions, NABC Coach of the Year in the league championship game. Non-league Lebanon Valley Totals 95 43 .688 victories at Princeton and Air Force, plus a pair of wins over defending PL champ Colgate were 1994-95 Bucknell 13 14 .481 Tied for fi rst in P.L.; P.L. Coach of the Year 1995-96 Bucknell 17 11 .607 Tied for third in P.L. but a few of the highlights from that magnifi - 1996-97 Bucknell 18 11 .621 Second in P.L.; P.L. Co-Coach of the Year cent campaign. Bucknell was one of just four 1997-98 Bucknell 13 15 .464 Tied for third in the P.L. schools (joining California, Indiana and North 1998-99 Bucknell 16 13 .552 Tied for second in the P.L. Carolina) to knock off Princeton in 1996-97. 1999-00 Bucknell 17 11 .607 Third in the P.L. In 1997-98, Bucknell slipped to 13-15 over- 2000-01 Bucknell 14 15 .483 P.L. semifi nalists 2001-02 Bucknell 13 16 .448 P.L. semifi nalists all, due in large part to a grueling non-league 2002-03 Bucknell 14 15 .483 P.L. semifi nalists schedule that included games against Iowa, 2003-04 Bucknell 14 15 .483 P.L. semifi nalists Penn State, Princeton and Pittsburgh. Within the 2004-05 Bucknell 23 10 .697 P.L. champions; NCAA second round league, the Bison were again solid at 8-4. Bucknell Totals 172 146 .541 His 1998-99 team started slowly, but OVERALL TOTALS 267 189 .586 turned it on down the stretch, winning 13 of ASSISTANT COACHING CAREER its last 16 games before falling to Lafayette in 1981-83 Graduate assistant coach, Bucknell the Patriot League championship game, 67-63.