Lock Haven head field hockey coach Pat Rudy announces retirement
Coach Rudy won 634 games during her remarkable head coaching career including 388 at The Haven, her alma mater.
LOCK HAVEN, PA – Lock Haven head field hockey coach Pat Rudy has announced her retirement.
The Monday announcement comes after Rudy’s remarkable 45-year head coaching career, which included 27 seasons as the head coach at The Haven, her alma mater (’77).
Rudy was just the third head coach in team history since the founding of the Lock Haven field hockey program in 1945. She followed in the footsteps of fellow legends – Charlotte Smith (1945-72) and Sharon Taylor (1973-85).
“Congratulations to longtime Lock Haven head field hockey coach Pat Rudy on her retirement after a legendary 45-year head coaching career,” said Bashar W. Hanna, Commonwealth University president. “Coach Rudy’s indelible impact on the Lock Haven field hockey program includes decades worth of accolades and accomplishments, including earning the fifth-most wins in college field hockey history. Thank you to Coach Rudy for her longstanding commitment to excellence and her dedication to Lock Haven’s student-athletes. The entire Commonwealth University family wishes her the best in retirement.”
“On behalf of the Lock Haven Department of Athletics, I want to wish Coach Rudy all the best with her retirement,” said Tom Gioglio, director of athletics.
Coach Rudy was inducted into the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Hall of Fame as part of the organization’s Class of 2017.
“Leading the Lock Haven field hockey program for the past 27 years has been the opportunity of a lifetime,” Rudy said. “I am so fortunate and will be forever grateful for the opportunity to coach at my alma mater and continue the tradition of excellence established by the two former legendary coaches Charlotte Smith and Sharon Taylor. While it is extremely hard to leave a team and a place that I love, I feel it is the right time in terms of my own life and my confidence that the program is in a good place coming off one of our best seasons in the Atlantic 10 Conference.”
“A special thank you to Sharon Taylor – my college coach, mentor and friend who inspired me to go into the coaching profession in 1977 and then hired me to coach her program in 1996. I have also been lucky and blessed to have such amazing assistant coaches over the years, Shanna (Vitale) Szablinski, Mallory (Weisen) Federoff and none better than Anna Rogers. Thank you to all of my assistant coaches, administrators, support staff, colleagues, alumnae and other supporters who have contributed to the success of the program and to me personally. Most importantly, a heartfelt thank you to all of my former players who I have had the honor and privilege to coach. I am so extremely proud of all of them and the accomplishments we have achieved together throughout the years and I will cherish all the memories we’ve made. I wish the 2023 team all the best moving forward, they are prepared to do great things this season,” Rudy added.
Most recently, she led the Bald Eagles to the 2022 Atlantic-10 Conference (A-10) Tournament. Lock Haven went 12-7 last fall, which included a 5-2 mark in A-10 play and a perfect 9-0 run at home. In what proved to be her final season on the sidelines, Rudy was named 2022 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year.
During her 27 seasons (1996-2022) at Lock Haven, Rudy won 388 total games (388-155; .715 win-percentage).
After 46 total seasons, which included head coaching stops at Franklin & Marshall, Illinois State, SUNY Cortland and her return to Lock Haven, Rudy collected 634 total victories. Her career win-percentage stands at an astounding .714 (634-248-21).
Rudy’s 634 career victories are the fifth-most in the history of collegiate field hockey.
During her career, she led three teams to NCAA Championships, including the 2000 Lock Haven team that won the Division II title. Rudy led SUNY-Cortland to back-to-back NCAA Division III national titles in 1993 and 1994.
In all, Rudy led her teams to 24 conference titles.
She was named the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year in 2000 following Lock Haven’s national title run.
One of Rudy’s most impressive accomplishments has been the guidance of Lock Haven back to NCAA Division I play and into the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Rudy led Lock Haven to over 230 wins since returning to Division I play in 2004. That year, the Bald Eagles went 19-1 and they’ve never looked back.
Lock Haven won five regular-season titles and four tournament championships in its first six seasons in the Northeast Conference (NEC) while making the NCAA DI Tournament in four straight years from 2006-09.
Notably, Rudy has guided her student-athletes to a long list of awards. She has led over 50 players to All-American status, including Jazim Palma’s 2022 honor. Rudy has coached four national players of the year and a countless list of All-Region and All-Conference award winners.
Under Coach Rudy’s leadership, the program has achieved numerous academic awards as she always put “student” first in student-athlete.
Rudy was a standout player as well for the Bald Eagles. From 1973-76, she scored 65 goals, which still ranks as the sixth-most in school history on the career list.
It’s safe to say the strong tradition of excellence that is Lock Haven field hockey, wouldn’t be what it is without Rudy.
Rudy continues to make an impact on the game she loves and has represented her country on numerous occasions. Most recently, she led Team USA to the bronze medal at the 2022 Masters World Cup.
No doubt, Rudy leaves The Haven with a profound and legendary footprint.
