The community of Keene gathered to host an event for recent retiree Rick Scott, who was Keene State College’s head soccer coach until announcing his retirement in 2022.
The event drew a crowd of a few hundred attendees, including athletes, colleagues, friends, family members and community supporters. They shared an evening of anecdotes about the coach,
commemorated career achievements and listened to speeches delivered by select guests.
Playing as both a centerpiece and fullback for Keene State, Scott concluded his time as a player for the Owls with two final years as captain, which included a season in the NAIA District 32 Northern Championship. After graduation, he took to coaching the Keene High School boys’ soccer program, leading to two Class L Titles.
For the next 20 years following, Scott organized and began the nowpopular Cheshire youth soccer club, which acted as a feeding system to the soccer program in the Monadnock region.
Scott made a return to Keene State as an assistant coach for the men’s soccer team, a role that endured for 22 seasons. He took the reins as head coach of the Keene State men’s soccer team in 2013, following the retirement of previous head coach, Ron Butcher.
Over the years, Scott steered the team to three appearances in the Little East Conference, ultimately clinching the championship title in 2019. His career was further celebrated with his induction into the New Hampshire Coaches Soccer Hall of Fame.
Guests congregated in the room, and as the event began in the midafternoon, attendees filled the room, purchasing shirts featuring a caricature of Scott. Guests were served at the bar included at the venue. A catering service was present for the duration, with an assortment of smaller food choices to main entrees for attendees to enjoy. The lineup of speakers included former teammates of Coach Scott, who shared gratitude for the time playing with him. The speech highlighted why the former teammate highlighted Scott as a teammate, acknowledging Scott as a player, and as a character.
College President Melinda Treadwell was another in the head count of attendees. She provided insight into Scott’s influence on theinstitution and the community, expressing her gratitude to him forthe impact he had on the community. The event concluded with a speech given by Scott, where he reflected on his time as a coach. “When I look back on my career, the first thing that comes to mind is relationships,” said Scott. “First as a player, not just my teammates, but opponents as well. Some of the guys I battled with on the field are now my very good friends. My teammates are secondto-none.”
Kevin Butlien can be contacted at
kbutlien@kscequinox.com
