William S. LaRochelle

William S. LaRochelle

Biographical details
Born	(1927-03-03)March 3, 1927 Methuen, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	May 7, 2012(2012-05-07) (aged 85)
Alma mater	Boston University Bates College
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1958–1970	Merrimack College
Head coaching record
Overall	153-116(.569)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
MIAA State Championship 1958
Awards
North Andover sports hall of fame

William LaRochelle was an American college basketball coach for Merrimack College.

Coaching career

After his service during the Second World War, LaRochelle began coaching the North Andover high school basketball team, which he led to the 1958 Massachusetts Class C State Championship. He was subsequently offered the head coaching position at Merrimack college. ^[1]

In his first season as coach (1958–59), the program finished with 12 wins against 11 losses. This marked Merrimack College’s first-ever winning season. ^[2] During the 1966–67 season, he led the Warriors to a school-record 17 wins and recorded his 100th victory as coach, becoming the first in program history to achieve this milestone. The 1969–70 season was his final at Merrimack.

In his 12 years at Merrimack, LaRochelle led the Warriors to nine winning seasons, and with an overall record of 153–116. ^[3] He also held the Merrimack record for most coaching wins for 20 years until he was eventually surpassed by Bert Hammel during the 1990–91 season.

William S. La Rochelle died on May 7, 2012. ^[4] He would later be inducted into the North Andover Sports Hall of Fame. ^{[5] [6]}

Head coaching record

Team	Year	Wins	Loss	Postseason
Merrimack Warriors	1958-59	12	11
Merrimack Warriors	1959-60	11	11
Merrimack Warriors	1960-61	15	11
Merrimack Warriors	1961-62	12	9
Merrimack Warriors	1962-63	14	9
Merrimack Warriors	1963-64	13	7
Merrimack Warriors	1964-65	14	6
Merrimack Warriors	1965-66	7	15
Merrimack Warriors	1966-67	17	6
Merrimack Warriors	1967-68	14	11
Merrimack Warriors	1968-69	11	11
Merrimack Warriors	1969-70	12	10
	Total	153	116

Note* Merrimack was not in a conference during this time

References

1. Merrimack basketball coach database https://www.coachesdatabase.com/merrimack-warriors-basketball/
2. LaRochelle and Merrimacks first winning season Concord Monitor newspaper https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/835175807/
3. Merrimack basketball season archives https://merrimackathletics.com/sports/2017/7/27/archives-mens-basketball.aspx
4. "William LaRochelle Obituary (1927 - 2012) - Simi Valley, CA - Ventura County Star". Legacy.com. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
5. William LaRochelle obituary https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/venturacountystar/name/william-larochelle-obituary?id=10237651
6. LaRochelle biography in the Ventura County Star news paper https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/778279199/