Fran Shields booklet

Fran Shields P’14

Athletic Director Emeritus

1980

Fran Shields-Connecticut College

43-year Career Timeline

1981

Early Years

Fall: Hired by Charles Luce to be head coach of men’s lacrosse and head athletic trainer. Oakes Ames is president.

1982

Men’s Lacrosse

Spring: Men’s lacrosse upset Wesleyan and nationally-ranked Amherst.

1983

Conn Joins NESCAC Men’s lacrosse beat Bates twice. Started as assistant coach with men’s ice hockey program.

New Assignment

Named head coach of women’s soccer. Two year record is 5-11-6.

1984

Early Progress Athletic Center dedicated by Arthur Ashe.

1986

Fran Shields-Connecticut College

43-year Career Timeline

New Assignment

Named assistant coach of men’s ice hockey/director of intramurals. Play in SECT Hockey

All-Star game vs Whaler Old-Timers and Gordie Howe.

1987 First Sabbatical

Took sabbatical leave to play lacrosse in Australia. Men’s lacrosse travels to California for spring break. Men’s lacrosse beats Trinity for first time.

1988-89

1990

Hockey Run

Men’s ice hockey had best year ever, beating Trinity in ECAC 1989-90 Championship. Claire Gaudiani named president of Conn.

Lacrosse on the Rise

Men’s lacrosse earned first-ever postseason berth and first win over Middlebury. Team travels to Australia.

1991 Year of the Gator

Tom Gately ’91 P’25 became first men’s lacrosse AllAmerican, all-time scoring leader. Fran named head coach of first ever D3 North-South All-Star Game. Patty born.

1992

Fran Shields-Connecticut College

43-year Career Timeline

NYSP

Initiated National Youth Sports Program (NYSP) through NCAA and HUD. Bussed 300 underserved New London youth to Conn for 5 week sports/life skills camp over three summers 1992-94.

1993 Lacrosse Ranked

#15

Men’s lacrosse beat Middlebury. Matt Shea, second All-American, scores record 90 points. Fran named USILA National Coach of the Year. Also named athletics scheduler. NESCAC presidents vote to allow at-large NCAA bids to team sports.

1994 Hall of Fame at SLU

Inducted with father as only father-son combo in St. Lawrence Hall of Fame. Lacrosse team travels to England. Ended NYSP program.

1995

More ECAC Success

Men’s lacrosse earned third straight ECAC semi-final berth. Francis born.

1996 ECAC Champs!

1997

Fran Shields-Connecticut College

43-year Career Timeline

1998

Geneva HOF

Inducted into Geneva HS Hall of Fame-Geneva’s first lacrosse AllAmerican.

Chris Capone

(above) named Third Team AllAmerican

ESPN Tours

My Contemporary Issue in Sport class visited ESPN. Caroline Davis‘99 gets internship and is 25-years with ESPN. Men’s lax loses in OT to Springfield in ECAC Final.

1999 Professor Shields

Promoted to adjunct professor. Ned Shields born. Men’s lax plays in Charlottesville, beats HampdenSydney. Watched MBB play HampdenSydney in NCAA Final Four.

2000

2001

East Lyme Youth Lacrosse

Co-founder of East Lyme Youth Lacrosse. Started Camel Jam, youth lax jamboree at Conn. Took sabbatical trip to Australia with all 3 kids. Sydney Olympics.

First NESCAC Tourney

Men’s lacrosse advanced to semifinals in inaugural NESCAC championship. Norman Fainstein named president of Conn.

2002

Fran Shields-Connecticut College

43-year Career Timeline

Upset in Cali, Tough Year

Men’s lacrosse traveled to San Diego and defeats

#6 Ithaca College in Hawaiian shorts. Unfortunately went 3-10 in season.

2003 Director of Athletics

Named College’s fourth Director of Athletics in March. Coached final lacrosse game at Wesleyan, 8-7 loss in OT. 170-138 record for 23 seasons.

2004 Transition to AD

Kate Kovenock won the NCAA title in the 50 free. Women’s soccer advances to NESCAC semifinals. Dave Campbell takes over men’s lax.

2005 Progress

Artificial turf at Silfen Field is completed. Field hockey parents donate scoreboard for turf field.

2006

New Energy

Lee Higdon named president at Conn. Plans unfold for new fitness center. Volleyball advanced to first-ever

NESCAC semi-final. Women’s tennis earned only NESCAC bid.

2007

Fran Shields-Connecticut College

43-year Career Timeline

2008

25 YEARS IN NESCAC

Lee Higdon’s inauguration at Fall Weekend.

Served on NESCAC panel with NESCAC presidents. Marc Benvenuti won NESCAC Coach of the Year.

End of Two Soccer Eras

38-year men’s soccer coach, Bill Lessig, and 21-year women’s soccer coach, Ken Kline, retired. A school record 7 teams earned NESCAC postseason berths.

2009 New Fitness Center

The Ann & Lee Higdon Fitness Center opens. Alex Samma ‘10 won NCAA title in the indoor triple jump. Named to NCAA men’s lacrosse committee.

2010

NCAA Lacrosse Hosts

Men’s lacrosse hosted the first home contest in NCAAs since 1999, ranked as high as #6 in nation. Handed

NCAA

champion

Tufts their only loss.

2011 AC Renovation

Through a gift from Rob’88 and Karen Hale P’20, six team rooms are renovated and lights are erected on turf field. Named Chair of Division III lacrosse committee.

Fran Shields-Connecticut College

43-year Career Timeline 2012

2013

Big NCAANESCAC Year

Volleyball hosted NESCAC championship and NCAA 1st/2nd Rds.

Men’s lacrosse earned second NCAA berth in 3 years. Served as Chair of NESCAC.

2014

The LeDuc Phenomenon

Mike LeDuc ‘14 won the NCAA D3 XC title, the first of three NCAA individual titles. Won 3,000m steeplechase in spring. Katherine Bergeron named president.

2015

One CamelNESCAC Champs

Women’s soccer won Conn’s first NESCAC team championship. Coach Norm Riker says, “When we win, we are all One Camel.” LeDuc won Penn Relays. Worked with Nick Fisher in New London on after school tutoring program with Conn athletes.

2016

Visiting Committee

Mike Renwick-Trinity, Marcella Zalot-Colby and Mo White-Mitchell served on visiting committee on athletics. Men’s and women’s ice hockey hosted NESCAC playoff games. Men advanced to first ever semi-final.

More Team Successes

Women’s swimming finished #10 at NCAAs, women’s soccer earned 2nd NCAA berth in 3 years. Tim Armstrong ‘93 helped launch the Camel Athletic Club at AOL offices. Rubber floors in Luce AC resurfaced with Mondo Ten indoor tennis surface.

2017

Fran Shields-Connecticut College

43-year Career Timeline

Rob Hale’s Philanthropy

Rob’88 and Karen Hale

P’20 gave $20 million to the College, $5 million for athletics. Men’s soccer earned first NCAA berth since 1995. Women’s soccer earned second straight NCAA berth and third in 4 years. College convened task force on athletics. Mary Erb won NCAA title in 200 breast stroke. Women’s ice hockey played in Fenway Park.

2018 Mo

White

Mo White, former athletic director at Mitchell College and USMMA, hired as Assistant Director for Business Operations. Head coaches in squash and XC-Track are now full-time faculty. Men’s soccer earned second straight NCAA berth and hosted NCAA 1st and 2nd rounds on Freeman Field.

2019

2020

Third Act

Men’s soccer advanced to NCAA Elite 8, their third straight NCAA berth, under first-year coach, Reuben Burk. Stepped down from AD position to become first Director of the Camel Athletics Network and AD Emeritus. Mo White selected as new AD in national search.

2021

COVID

First year as an advancement staffer. Increased donors and dollars to athletics by 50%. Worked remotely during the pandemic. Engaged alumni athletes by zoom. Contributed to record fundraising year for Conn. Jessica Archibald ‘95 pledged $1 million for waterfront. New men’s lacrosse coach, Jim Nagle, welcomed me as volunteer assistant coach.

NCAA Champs

Conducted alumni tailgates for NCAA men’s soccer. Team won school’s first NCAA championship in Greensboro, NC. Rob Hale donated $30 million to Conn which included $10 million for athletics. Full-time assistant coaches became a reality.

Fran Shields-Connecticut College

43-year Career Timeline 2022

Athletes as Trustees

Four former Camel athletes I worked with became Conn trusteesMark Fallon, Kim-An Hernandez, Jonathan Krane and Diane Stratton. Camel Athletics Fund set all-time record with $640,000. Men’s soccer advanced to second straight NESCAC title game.

2023 Campaign Dreams

Priority athletics campaign projects are getting closer to reality. Dayton Arena team room complex completed, waterfront revitalization completed, Athletic Center expansion fund growing.

2024 Bring it Home

While in retirement, I will be doing anything necessary to help the College complete the largest campaign in history with the goal of $300 million.

2025

2026

Go Camels!

Hope to continue as men’s lacrosse volunteer assistant and serve as goodwill ambassador for Conn athletics as long as I can help.

Community

Volunteer:

East Lyme Community Garden, East Lyme Care & Share, East Lyme Youth Sports, Conn College athletics events, Conn College men’s lacrosse

Fran Shields holding a commemorative platter gifted from members of his 1993 team during a 30th anniversary celebration March 25, 2023 at Silfen Field.