Athlete CU?

Ice Hockey, one of Clarkson’s longest standing traditions, first formed a women's club hockey team in 1974. The transition to a Women’s Division 1 Hockey program began in 2002 under the coaching of Richard Seeley. During his time coaching from 2002-2008, concerns over his coaching styles became apparent when one player’s father, David Bills, expressed increasing concern for his daughter’s well being to former President of the University, Anthony Collins. Following the end of the 2007-2008 season, Seeley decided to leave Clarkson University, becoming the head coach for the Women's Ice Hockey team at Quinnipiac University. Following his arrival in 2009, abuse allegations began to arise from players on the team. By 2015, these allegations began to gain traction in local news sources and around the Connecticut campus. Subsequently, Rick Seeley resigned from the University in March of the same year. Seeley later sued both Quinnipiac university for wrongful termination and Bills for character defamation. Using news articles online, Clarkson University's archival sources, and court documents, research was conducted into this case. This research has shed light upon the sports systems at Clarkson University and its role in society and ideology.

Keywords: D1 Women’s Hockey, Rick Seeley, Clarkson University, Quinnipiac University, David Bills, history of sport at Clarkson, coaching methods