| Title: | Class of 1989 |
John F. Eager, you gently touched the lives of many young people and you dedicated your life to your student-athletes in the classroom and in athletic competition.
You were a highly acclaimed basketball and baseball coach at Worcester State College and were instrumental in the development of both varsity sports at the College. In fact, your outstanding basketball record of 97-49, a .664 winning percentage, places you as the winningest coach in Lancer history. You never had a losing season.
You played your high school basketball at St. Peter's Central Catholic High in Worcester, and you began coaching in 1940 as the Director of Athletics and assistant basketball coach at Mission High in Roxbury. Your teams twice won the New England Catholic Championship. You began coaching at Worcester State in 1950. You retired from coaching in 1959.
In 1983, you were the recipient of the Paul N. Johnson Award, given in memory of the late sports editor of the Worcester Telegram, for your overall contributions to Worcester area basketball. You also served as an official at the local high school baseball and basketball levels.
You were a professor of Natural and Earth Sciences in the Biology Department and served as chairman of the department. You were also the Associate Director of Continuing Education. You also served for many years as a voluntary advisor and financial aid advisor to veterans attending the college.
In May of 1986, the Sullivan amphitheater on the Worcester State College campus was dedicated in your memory and is now known as the John F. Eager Memorial Lecture Hall.
Tonight we honor John F. Eager's extraordinary life posthumously with this richly-deserved induction into the Worcester State College Athletic Hall of Fame, and, in doing so, we are deeply honored.