Bill Ashby, Hall of Fame Class of 2020
The University of Maine at Fort Kent Athletics Department and much of the campus community, looks the way it does largely in part of the hard work of one man, Bill Ashby. In over the course of ten years at UMFK as Head Men’s Soccer Coach and Athletics Director, Ashby was the key figure in the explosion of success the athletic teams achieved throughout the decade.
The native of Maine returned to his home state in 2006 after coaching stops in Kentucky and North Dakota, where he took over a Bengal Men’s Soccer team with a good foundation but had yet to reach its full potential. Coach Ashby almost immediately took the program to new heights and went on an unparalleled 12-season run that resulted in three USCAA National Championships in 2010, 2015, and 2016, as well as a spot in the NAIA Elite Eight in 2008, which for a school the size of UMFK is a miraculous feat. Coach Ashby took his soccer teams to the USCAA Final Four or to the championship match eight seasons in a row from 2010-2017. Ashby’s coaching record at UMFK sits at an amazing 224-17-6 with a winning percentage of .920. In 2015, the team went undefeated at 23-0, won the National Championship, and Ashby was named USCAA National Coach of the Year. Over the years, Ashby was named Sunrise Conference Coach of the Year four times, NSCAA Northeast Regional Coach of the Year three times, and NAIA Region X Coach of the Year twice.
As an administrator, Ashby enjoyed similar success as he was named Sunrise Conference Athletic Director of the Year in 2009, Under Armor National Athletic Director of the Year once in 2011, and USCAA National Athletic Director of the Year in 2014. This was due in part to the success other teams at UMFK had under his watch. UMFK teams and coaches had an overwhelming amount of success with Ashby providing tutelage, UMFK teams won 26 Sunrise Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships, 11 NAIA Tournament Selections, and 9 USCAA National Championships.
Ashby was a proponent of bringing Varsity Women’s Volleyball back to UMFK; he constantly pushed the basketball teams to be their best and was a major influence for the Women’s Soccer coaches as they won seven USCAA National Championships. Later in his tenure, he made the push for the creation of a Varsity Track & Field program at UMFK.
Perhaps more important than his achievements were the contributions he made to the university. He recruited student-athletes from every corner of the world, which made UMFK one of the most diverse small colleges in the country. The success the athletic teams had did wonders for the university’s national reputation as a place where success is second nature. He provided valuable life lessons to every student-athlete and coach that he came across, reinforcing the importance of being accountable, dependable, and reliable. Bill Ashby will be remembered forever for creating a culture of success at UMFK and for being a pillar of the campus community.