Harry Perretta
Harry F. Perretta Jr. (born July 22, 1955)[1] is a retired American basketball coach who served as the head coach of the women's basketball team at Villanova University from 1978 to 2020. When he was hired at the age of 22, he became the youngest coach to ever head a women's varsity program at Villanova.[2][3]
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 22, 1955 Upper Darby, Pennsylvania |
| Playing career | |
| 1974–1975 | Lycoming |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1978–2020 | Villanova |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 783–489 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| Big East Coach of the Year Award (1996) 5× Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year (1995, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004) Carol Eckman Award (2020) | |
Coaching career
At the time that Perretta interviewed for the position of head coach, he was one of 65 applicants. He had been out of college only two months at the time, which initially prompted Villanova to drop him from serious consideration. However, Dutch Burch, the head coach at Lycoming College, sent in a letter of recommendation to Villanova—Perretta had suffered a career-ending injury to his ankle while a freshman at Lycoming, and Burch persuaded Perretta to become a student assistant coach. Perretta also coached the junior varsity team for two years. Burch's letter helped persuade Villanova to give Perretta a chance.[3] At the time, the women's head coaching position was part-time, and Perretta frequently came to practices wearing the work boots he wore in his morning job laying cement.[4]
The school made it to the Final Four of the 1982 AIAW Tournament, the last year that tournament was held.[5]
Teams he has coached have earned invitations to many postseason tournaments. The 2002–03 team advanced as far as the Elite Eight.[6]
Perretta announced on October 30, 2019 that he would retire at the end of the 2019–20 season. At the time, he had been dealing with health issues for several years. His 42nd and final season at Villanova tied him with Yvonne Kaufmann, who coached at NCAA Division III Elizabethtown from 1971 to 2012, for the most seasons as head coach at a single school in NCAA women's basketball history (including seasons in which women's sports were governed by the AIAW).[7]
Personal life
Perretta has been married since 1996; his wife Helen played for him in the 1980s, but they did not date until 1995. At the time, he was helping take care of his ailing mother. He proposed to Helen about a month after his mother's death. In a 2020 ESPN story, Helen said, "His mother was the most important thing to him. After she passed, he could move on." They have two sons, both of whom were attending Villanova in their father's final season on the bench.[4]
Every June, Perretta and his wife visit the Poor Clares convent in Alexandria, Virginia to deliver supplies to the cloistered nuns living there. As part of an arrangement he made with the order, they visit with arguably the greatest player he coached—Shelly Pennefather, now known as Sister Rose Marie, who lives at the convent. They are separated by a glass screen during the visits, in keeping with the order's rules. For the 25th anniversary of Pennefather's final vows in 2019, marked by Sister Rose Marie renewing her vows, Perretta was one of several close friends and family members who were able to hug her for the first time since her final vows.[8]
Awards and honors
- 1995—Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year[9]
- 1996—Big East Coach of the Year[9]
- 1996—Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year[9]
- 2001—Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year[9]
- 2003—Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year[9]
- 2004—Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year[9]
- 2007—Lycoming Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007[10]
- 2011—Philadelphia Sports Writers Association Special Achievement Award[11]
- Special Achievement – Charlie Manuel (Phillies manager)[11]
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villanova Wildcats (Atlantic 10 Conference) (1978–1980) | |||||||||
| 1978-79 | Villanova | 17-8 | |||||||
| 1979-80 | Villanova | 20-5 | |||||||
| Villanova: | 37–13 (.740) | ||||||||
| Villanova Wildcats (Big East (original)) (1980–2013) | |||||||||
| 1980-81 | Villanova | 22-6 | |||||||
| 1981-82 | Villanova | 29-4 | AIAW | ||||||
| 1982-83 | Villanova | 14-15 | 4-4 | t4th | |||||
| 1983-84 | Villanova | 22-7 | 6-2 | t1st | |||||
| 1984-85 | Villanova | 21-9 | 12-4 | t1st | |||||
| 1985-86 | Villanova | 23-8 | 12-4 | t2nd | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 1986-87 | Villanova | 27-4 | 15-1 | 1st | NCAA First round | ||||
| 1987-88 | Villanova | 20-9 | 11-5 | 2nd | NCAA First round | ||||
| 1988-89 | Villanova | 18-12 | 11-5 | 2nd | NCAA First round | ||||
| 1989-90 | Villanova | 9-19 | 1-15 | 9th | |||||
| 1990-91 | Villanova | 12-17 | 4-12 | 8th | |||||
| 1991-92 | Villanova | 11-17 | 7-11 | t3rd | |||||
| 1992-93 | Villanova | 15-13 | 10-8 | t4th | |||||
| 1993-94 | Villanova | 13-14 | 7-11 | t6th | |||||
| 1994-95 | Villanova | 19-9 | 13-5 | 2nd | |||||
| 1995-96 | Villanova | 21-7 | 13-5 | 3rd, BE6 | |||||
| 1996-97 | Villanova | 14-14 | 8-10 | 5th, BE6 | |||||
| 1997-98 | Villanova | 19-10 | 12-6 | t2nd, BE6 | WNIT | ||||
| 1998-99 | Villanova | 14-14 | 9-9 | t6th | |||||
| 1999-00 | Villanova | 15-15 | 7-9 | t6th | WNIT | ||||
| 2000-01 | Villanova | 22-9 | 11-5 | t4th | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 2001-02 | Villanova | 20-11 | 12-4 | t3rd | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 2002-03 | Villanova | 28-6 | 12-4 | t3rd | NCAA Elite Eight | ||||
| 2003-04 | Villanova | 23-7 | 12-4 | t2nd | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 2004-05 | Villanova | 19-12 | 10-6 | t4th | WNIT | ||||
| 2005-06 | Villanova | 21-11 | 9-7 | t6th | WNIT | ||||
| 2006-07 | Villanova | 8-21 | 2-14 | 16th | |||||
| 2007-08 | Villanova | 17-16 | 5-11 | t11th | WNIT | ||||
| 2008-09 | Villanova | 19-14 | 12-4 | t4th | NCAA First round | ||||
| 2009-10 | Villanova | 14-16 | 3-13 | 15th | |||||
| 2010-11 | Villanova | 12-19 | 3-13 | t13th | |||||
| 2011-12 | Villanova | 19-15 | 6-10 | t10th | WNIT | ||||
| 2012-13 | Villanova | 21–11 | 9–7 | t6th | NCAA First round | ||||
| Villanova: | 601–391 (.606) | 268–228 (.540) | |||||||
| Villanova Wildcats (Big East (current)) (2014–2020) | |||||||||
| 2013-14 | Villanova | 23–9 | 12–6 | t3rd | WNIT Second Round | ||||
| 2014-15 | Villanova | 22–14 | 12–6 | 3rd | WNIT Quarterfinals | ||||
| 2015-16 | Villanova | 20–12 | 12–6 | 3rd | WNIT Second Round | ||||
| 2016-17 | Villanova | 20–15 | 11–7 | t4th | WNIT Semifinals | ||||
| 2017-18 | Villanova | 23–9 | 12–6 | 3rd | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 2018–19 | Villanova | 19–13 | 9–9 | T-4th | WNIT Second Round | ||||
| 2019–20 | Villanova | 18–13 | 11–7 | T-3rd | |||||
| Villanova: | 145–82 (.639) | 79–47 (.627) | |||||||
| Total: | 783–489 (.616) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
References
- "Women's Basketball Coaches Career". NCAA. Retrieved 23 Sep 2015.
- "Harry Perretta". Villanova Athletics. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- Blaum, Gene (February 8, 1988). "The Other Villanova Basketball Coach". Philly.com. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
- Merrill, Elizabeth (March 6, 2020). "Villanova basketball coach Harry Perretta ready to retire after 42 seasons and countless stories". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- "CNNSI Recap of 1982 Tournament". Retrieved 2013-05-05.
- "Villanova 2011-12 Women's Basketball Guide". Villanova Athletics. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- "Villanova's Harry Perretta says he'll retire at end of season". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 30, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- Merrill, Elizabeth (August 8, 2019). "Whatever happened to Villanova basketball star Shelly Pennefather? 'So I made this deal with God.'". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- "Big East Media Guide". Big East. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- "Harry Perretta Class of 1978 Induction Class of 2007". Lycoming College. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- "Charlie Manuel, Cheryl Reeve among PSWA award-winners". Philadelphia Sports Writers Association. January 13, 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-29.