BURRILLVILLE – His name appears in the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League Hall of Fame and the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame, and his contributions to athletics extend to multiple sports and well beyond town borders.
And so, when members of the Burrillville 250 Commission began planning a talk on famous residents from town as part of their winter lecture series, they knew Tom Eccleston Jr. deserved more than just a passing mention.
Instead, the famed late coach and educator will be the focus of his own special talk, to be presented by his son Bill Eccleston on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
“He can do more justice to the legacy of his father,” explained 250 Commission Chairman Chris Toti. “We want folks who come to get a full experience of Tom Eccleston and his impact.”
In an event at Jesse Smith Library at 100 Tinkham Lane starting at 6 p.m., attendees will get an extension to the January 20 presentation on “Famous People of Burrillville.” That event featured information on A.T Levy and James Burrill, among others.
Toti noted that when they planned out who would be discussed at the original event, presented by Burrillville Historical & Preservation Society President Betty Mencucci, “Tom Eccleston was certainly in the top five.”
With a wealth of family photos and previous experience presenting lectures on his well-known late dad, Bill Eccleston, it seemed, would need a bit more time than a footnote in the usual 90 minute lecture would provide.
“The surprising story of Burrillville educator and coach, Tom Eccleston Jr.—It did not begin with hockey, but soccer, basketball, and the profound example of his high school teacher-coaches,” son Bill noted in a release on the upcoming engagement.
“It was hockey for sure – which was king in Burrillville starting in 1944,” said Toti.
Born in England, Tom Eccleston moved to the United States at the age of two, and graduated from Brown University in 1932. Soon after, he began his career as a history teacher and football coach at Burrillville High School.
In 1934, Eccleston founded the Burrillville football team, which he would coach for more than two decades, winning 11 league championships. He coached baseball for nine years and won three state titles.
He founded the Burrillville hockey team in 1940 and coached it for 15 years, winning six state championships and finishing second three times in the New England High School Championships.
“He had a huge impact on building Burrillville hockey, and maintained that supremacy for a number of years,” Toti said.
Eccleston took a coaching position at Providence College in 1956 and would lead the Friars for eight years, garnering the team’s first ECA title and NCAA final four in 1964. The achievement led him to be named the National Collegiate Athletic Coach of the Year that year.
He returned to Burrillville when the program was in jeopardy and resumed coaching the hockey team from 1985 until 1990.
“He coached hockey into his mid-70s,” Toti explained. “For sports – he put Burrillville on the map.”
The lecture next week is just one of the many free events scheduled this year as part of Burrillville’s celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday, and will be followed by a question and answer session.
To keep up with upcoming events and learn more on town history, follow Burrillville 250 Commission on Facebook.
Editor’s note: This event was originally scheduled for February 10 and has been moved to the 17th due to a scheduling conflict.
Older Burrillville folks will recognize the profile of leftmost player in the photo, the inimitable Larry Breault. A junior in this 1941 photo and an All-Stater the following season, he spent a career in the RI State Police, retiring to become Director of the Levy Rink during its first crucial decade.
Please note this will be held February 17th due to a scheduling conflict. Please visit the Burrillville 250 Commission’s Facebook page for updates.
Dont miss this. This will be a great presentation. Hope you can attend.