WALTHAM, Mass. – Jay Lawson, the longest tenured and winningest men's basketball coach in Bentley University history, announced his retirement Monday.
 
Lawson's career at Bentley spanned 41 years, including the last 35 as head coach. During that time, he maintained one of the most respected and consistently successful programs in NCAA Division II.
 
"Few people in the world get to do what they truly love," said Lawson. "And in this profession, very few coaches get to stay at one place for a long period of time.  I have had the privilege of experiencing both at Bentley where it's been an honor to work with, coach and build relationships with so many special people.
 
"I look forward to thanking all of them in the weeks ahead," continued Lawson. "But want to first express my sincere gratitude for Bob DeFelice (former Athletics Director) and Frank Sullivan (former Head Basketball Coach) for believing in me when I was hired as the head coach in 1991."
 
Bentley's head coach for 34 seasons, Lawson concluded his highly successful career with a 664-335 record, a win total that ranked fourth among active Division II coaches at the end of this past season. His career .665 winning percentage is best in conference history, and he also ranks second among NE10 coaches in career wins.
 
Lawson is also one of only six active coaches in all divisions who have won over 650 games while coaching at just one institution (Tom Izzo, Michigan State; Mark Few, Gonzaga; Greg Kampe, Oakland; Steven Ridder, Embry-Riddle; Brian Baptiste, UMass-Dartmouth).
 
"Coach Lawson's record speaks for itself, but what it does not measure is the outcome of the education he provided his athletes," said J. Andrew Shepardson, Vice President of Student Affairs. "Whether his alumni are now coaches themselves or business leaders, they have been put on a path for personal and professional success by Coach Lawson.  He has been a true educator/coach for our student athletes, and their success is a true measure of his legacy."
 
Under Lawson's leadership, Bentley captured nine Northeast-10 regular season championships, four NE10 tournament titles, earned 13 NCAA Division II tournament bids, reached the Sweet Sixteen eight times, made four trips to the Elite Eight, and advanced to the Final Four twice. The program's overall NCAA tournament record during his career was 23-13.
 
His teams produced 12 seasons with 20 or more wins, including three with 30 or more. Thirty-two of his 34 teams achieved winning records, including 29 of the last 30.  During his time at the helm, Bentley was ranked number one nationally 14 times and spent a total of 26 weeks in the top five.
 
His 2006-07 and 2007-08 teams stand as the most accomplished in both program and conference history, and are the only men's basketball teams to be inducted into the NE10 Hall of Fame. Across those two years, Bentley went a combined 66-2, reached the program's first two Elite Eights, and broke a 63-year-old Division II national record with 55 consecutive regular-season victories.
 
The Falcons opened the 2006-07 season with 32 straight wins and followed with 34 straight to begin 2007-08, still the two longest winning streaks in New England men's basketball history (all divisions). Bentley also set a conference record with 55 consecutive wins over NE10 opponents.
 
"I think our formula stood the test of time because we stayed very consistent.  We have always cared just as much about the personal growth of our guys as we did about their academic and athletic accomplishments," explained Lawson. "I'm very proud of our program and even prouder of those who collectively own it - the players, managers, trainers and assistant coaches."
 
During his four decades at Bentley, Lawson coached 52 of the program's top 75 scorers, and his players have earned 68 All-Northeast-10 awards, All-America recognition eight times and Academic All-America recognition six times. In 2010, he had the NABC Division II National Player of the Year, Jason Westrol.
 
His list of honors includes Northeast-10 Men's Basketball Coach of the Year a record six times, NABC Division II Regional Coach of the Year five times, Division II Bulletin National Division II Coach of the Year in 2005, and Basketball Times Co-Division II Coach of the Year in both 2007 and 2008.
 
This past February, Lawson was honored by the Collegiate Basketball Officials Association as the Sam Schoenfeld Sportsmanship Award recipient for an unprecedented second straight season.
 
 "Coach Lawson is synonymous with Bentley basketball," praised Director of Athletics Vaughn Williams. "For more than three decades, he has been the steady, principled leader of a program that reflects everything we value—excellence, integrity, and a true commitment to student-­athletes. So, on behalf of Bentley University and our entire athletics community, I want to thank Coach Lawson for his extraordinary service. We wish him nothing but the best in his retirement."