Obituary: Dick Dukeshire, former Northeastern basketball coach Dick Dukeshire; at 78

Dick Dukeshire, a longtime Northeastern men’s basketball coach who took the Huskies to six NCAA regional tournaments and still holds the program record for highest winning percentage, died of heart failure at Queen Anne Nursing Home in Hingham on May 5. He was 78.

Mr. Dukeshire coached the Huskies to a 204-100 record and a .671 winning percentage from 1958-1971. He also led Northeastern to the NCAA College Division national championship games in both 1962 and 1963. He was also named New England Coach of the Year in 1963 and 1967.

Mr. Dukeshire also coached at Wellsley High School, Hellenic College in Brookline and Salve Regina College in Newport, R.I., during his 38-year career. He coached the Greek men’s national team from 1971 to 1972 and 1975 to 1980.

Mr. Dukeshire is survived by a son, Curt, of Hingham; a daughter, Kim Vachon of Stoneham; a sister, Ruth Madsen of Southampton; and three grandchildren.

Men’s hockey de-commit Gillies commits to Providence

Top goalie prospect and Northeastern de-commit Jon Gillies announced Monday that he has committed to play for Providence College in 2012-2013.

Gillies, who received a release from his national letter of intent from Northeastern head coach Jim Madigan in March, signed a letter of intent to play for PC Monday. Gillies chose the Friars over the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), which selected Gillies 160th overall in the 2011 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Ranked as the sixth-best North American goalie prospect by the NHL Central Scouting Service, Gillies currently plays for the Indiana Ice of the United States Hockey League (USHL). He finished the season with a 31-11-9 record and .915 save percentage.

Former Northeastern rower to represent United States at 2012 Olympics

Will Miller, ‘07, will be the 17th former Northeastern rower to represent the United States at the Olympics.

The US men’s eight beat out France and New Zealand at the 2012 Olympic Qualification Regatta Tuesday in Lucerne, Switzerland, to earn the final qualification spot in the London 2012 games. The Americans finished four seconds ahead of New Zealand and 10 seconds ahead of the French to claim the trip to London.

Miller, whose father, Bill, competed in the 1972 Olympics, is a native of Duxbury and was a four-year rower for Northeastern. Miller earned the program’s Outstanding Varsity Oarsmen award in 2006.