A two-time All-American basketball player at Williams, Sheehy also knows firsthand what it means to be a competitive athlete, providing him with a unique mix of playing, coaching and administrative knowledge.
Sheehy was unavailable for comment by press time.
Sheehy played for the Athletes-in-Action team after earning his undergraduate degree in 1975, before helping the United States win the gold medal at the 1978 Pan American Confederation Games in Argentina. In his 17 years as Williams' men's basketball coach, Sheehy turned the program around, finishing his tenure with a winning percentage of over 75 percent and 13 NCAA tournament qualifications.
"His energy is contagious and you can tell he is super engaged and passionate about winning at Dartmouth," former men's squash co-captain Mike Lewis '11 said. "This rubs off on everybody."
Dartmouth has already won two Ivy League titles in the 2010-2011 athletic season, an increase the former season when the Big Green ended its College season with only one title.
Before taking over the athletic director role, Sheehy initially promised to work intimately with student-athletes prior to and before their seasons.
"Every captain will sit in my office and I'll talk to him or her about goals for the year, what they want to see happen, how the year's going," Sheehy said in an interview with The Dartmouth in August. "I do a lot of management by walking around really that's the fun part. Cutting the budget isn't fun, going to meetings with student-athletes is great fun."
Big Green athletes interviewed by The Dartmouth indicated Sheehy has largely met that commitment, and said they have been pleased with how he interacts with players.
"Sheehy has been very involved and met with all the captains at the beginning of the year," former men's lacrosse co-captain Rhett Miller '11 said. "He is very adamant about getting every team to the top tier in their respective sport."
Sheehy also worked closely with coaches during his first year at the College. Squash head coach Hansi Wiens said Sheehy "makes it a point that we do not work for him, but that we all work together."
"He is passionate about what he does and is very involved," Wiens said. "He showed up for all of our home matches, which never happened before [with former Athletic Director Josie Harper], and the players loved that. He is good at explaining what he wants and expects and the direction to go and what to do to get there. It is fun to work with him because he has a sense of humor and is motivational. Coaches are all motivated to better their teams and he looks after our teams, too."
Men's lacrosse head coach Andrew Towers said Sheehy's time spent as a coach himself has helped garner respect among coaches at Dartmouth.
"It is nice because he can relate and commiserate or celebrate with us," Towers said. "He is approachable and accessible and willing to put the money where his mouth is. I'll never forget on his very first day, Sept. 7, the top lacrosse prospect was visiting Dartmouth and he spent 30 minutes talking with the kid and now that kid has committed to Dartmouth."
Towers added that Sheehy holds meetings with all of the coaches each month to explain his goals for the department. Sheehy also directly uses his own past experience as a coach to help Big Green coaches build and improve based on lesson he learned.
Natalia Vecerek '14, a member of the swim team, said Sheehy has tried to implement a particular mindset among athletes that is conducive to winning.
"He told us that the attitude of winning carries over and that athletes who want to succeed will always have a clean locker room," Vecerek said, recalling a meeting Sheehy held with the swim team. "It doesn't sound that serious, but he really made a point about always having a winning attitude."
Director of Varsity Athletics Communications Rick Bender characterized Sheehy as "energizing and full of ideas."
"He is pushing the athletic department forward," Bender said. "His approach to the job is that he is demanding excellence in athletics, just like the rest of the College demands excellence in other areas. His first year has been about evaluating resources and personnel and making an assessment about how to go forward. His number one goal is to win more championships."
Miller said this energy has had noticeable effects on athletic performance, noting the tailgates that have been initiated under Sheehy and increased attendance at men's lacrosse games.
"His goal is to make every program a winning program as quickly as possible and he has made this clearer than other administrations in the past," Lewis said. "I'm frustrated I only got one year with him because I know he'll do so much in the next few years."
In his last role before arriving at Dartmouth, Sheehy oversaw 17 Division III titles as Williams' athletic director. The Ephs won numerous awards for their athletic success during his tenure.
