Bob and Bentley: Defelice Heads a Top-notch Department

It was great to see Robert “Bob” DeFelice during our recent trip to Bentley University in Waltham to watch Courtney Finn play basketball for the undefeated Lady Falcons team.

DeFelice was watching the game in the stands among the crowd, making sure everything was proceeding smoothly, and greeting all who came over to say hello to the athletic director. DeFelice, our former head football coach who guided the Vikings to two Super Bowl titles and three straight Northeastern Conference encompassing a 33-game unbeaten streak, has become a towering presence in collegiate athletics, having been a baseball coach for 45 years at Bentley — where they named the baseball field in his honor — and having built the Bentley athletic program to the majestic level it now inhabits with great facilities and outstanding teams.

Through all his coaching successes and his sterling career as a baseball player, Bob DeFelice has never forgotten his Winthrop roots and how it shaped his life in a positive way. Bob often has reached out to Winthrop students and athletes and recommended them for admission and scholarships to Bentley which has become one of the best business schools in the nation. Bob also has helped young teachers and coaches begin their careers in the field of education and athletics and is a mentor to so many individuals.

Bob DeFelice is a true Winthrop legend who has gone on to achieve so much as the Director of Athletics at Bentley. To us, he’ll always be the coach who brought so much excitement and so many great memories to Miller Field during that golden time of Winthrop football when Winthrop kids like John Tiano, Chucky Sullivan, Joe Giaquinto, Steve Staffier, Jimmy Gillis, John Hayes, Gus Martucci and others brought so much glory to our town.

We’re proud to have Bob’s son, Michael DeFelice, involved in our football program as an assistant coach and carrying on the legacy of the DeFelice family in Winthrop athletics.

Thank you, Bob DeFelice, for always having Winthrop in your heart and helping so many college athletes achieve their dreams.