{"id":3940,"date":"2020-05-01T08:34:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-01T12:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/?p=3940"},"modified":"2020-04-21T15:20:48","modified_gmt":"2020-04-21T19:20:48","slug":"two-for-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/2020\/05\/01\/two-for-two\/","title":{"rendered":"Two for Two"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Photo by Mark DiOrio<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Ron Fogarty \u201995 and Brad Dexter \u201996 heard the news that Coach Terry Slater had died of a stroke on Dec. 5, 1991, they\u2019d just returned to Hamilton from an away game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fogarty and Dexter came to the University in part to be mentored by \u201cThe General,\u201d who\u2019d coached Colgate to the national championship game the previous year. \u201cIt was devastating,\u201d Dexter says. \u201cWe weren\u2019t prepared for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, in the face of grief, the Raiders pulled themselves up to achieve greatness: Under a new coach, Don Vaughan<\/a>, the team reached the semifinals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fogarty and Dexter developed an even closer bond since their college days. \u201cNow, we have new responsibilities,\u201d Dexter says. \u201cSo our conversations are about different things; but the rapport we have, I haven\u2019t noticed a difference from the day I met him.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly three decades later, the friends are about the same age as Slater when he was their coach. And, like Slater, they\u2019re coaches for a Division I hockey program \u2014 at Princeton University. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the Hill<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fogarty and Dexter\u2019s connection started in 1991, when they were roommates, teammates, and educational studies<\/a> majors. Dexter was a self-described hockey junkie who always had a book on the sport buried in his bag. Fogarty was energetic and could ease tense social situations with humor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A love for the game coursed through their veins, but they took different approaches to their post-grad years. Fogarty played for a couple of minor league teams, then coached at several colleges and universities, including Colgate. Dexter played in Europe and the minor leagues until age 33; midway through, he served as an assistant coach at Clarkson University (alongside Fogarty). \u201cPlaying professionally allowed me to mature as a person and a player, which was invaluable to me when I became a coach down the road,\u201d Dexter says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Road to Princeton<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fogarty had spent seven seasons coaching the Adrian College Bulldogs, a Division III team that earned several trips to the NCAA tournament under his tenure. Dexter had spent nine years as Colgate\u2019s assistant coach, where he helped the Raiders reach the ECAC championship five times. In 2014, when the top job at Princeton opened, both men sprung at the opportunity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019d always joke, if anyone got a head coaching job, they\u2019d bring the other along,\u201d Dexter says. So, when Fogarty got the call, Dexter was his next. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back on the Ice \u2014 Together<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the center of Fogarty and Dexter\u2019s friendship is trust. They had rock-solid faith in each other on the ice as teammates, and that connection still drives their relationship as coaches on the sidelines. If Fogarty throws out an idea and Dexter disagrees, Fogarty will consider modifying the plan. If there\u2019s a technique Fogarty wants to try out, Dexter will adjust on the fly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re on the same wavelength,\u201d Fogarty says. \u201cI can trust him all the time because of our mutual respect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 In the seasons leading up to Fogarty and Dexter\u2019s move to Princeton, the Tigers had a losing record. But after a few years adjusting to the team and their roles, the coaches have seen: Princeton\u2019s first ECAC championship in a decade, a trip to the NCAA Tournament, and players entering the NHL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe pride ourselves in recruiting and developing a great person,\u201d Fogarty says. \u201cWe try to get the best player, and we make sure they\u2019re the best for the culture that we create every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, more than anything, it\u2019s all about generating and maintaining relationships, Fogarty says. It\u2019s about forming a bond with players. It\u2019s about trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like the trust he has with Dexter. A trust that\u2019s lasted nearly three decades. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo by Mark DiOrio When Ron Fogarty \u201995 and Brad Dexter \u201996 heard the news that Coach Terry Slater had died of a stroke on Dec. 5, 1991, they\u2019d just returned to Hamilton from an away game. Fogarty and Dexter came to the University in part to be mentored by \u201cThe General,\u201d who\u2019d coached Colgate<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1222,"featured_media":3943,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[112],"coauthors":[168],"class_list":["post-3940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-alumni-updates","tag-sports"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/palXSH-11y","amp_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/021220_Princeton_MDD00812.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1222"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3940"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3940\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4134,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3940\/revisions\/4134"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3940"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=3940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}