GENEVA, N.Y.—For nearly 40 years, Mike Cragg has served the students of Hobart and William Smith, first as an assistant football coach, then as head coach and most recently as senior director of development for athletics. The Hobart Hall of Famer recently announced his intent to retire. March 1 will be his last official day.
 
"When I think of Hobart Athletics throughout my 16 years here, Mike Cragg is one of the first people that comes to mind," says Brian Miller, associate vice president and director of athletics and recreation. "Through his leadership in developing a nationally respected football program to his great work in the Advancement Office, Coach Cragg left a substantial mark in the success of athletics at HWS in many ways."
 
Hobart football's all-time wins leader, Cragg directed the Statesmen to 157 wins against just 62 losses, a .717 winning percentage. His teams earned 11 Liberty League Championships and 10 NCAA playoff bids, advancing to the national quarterfinals in 2012 and 2014.
 
After going 4-6 in 1995, his first season as head coach, Cragg finished each of the subsequent 22 seasons with a winning record. The Hobart quarterfinal teams of the past decade established new program records for wins in a season, each posting a 12-1 mark in the final ledger. From 2011 to 2015, Cragg led the Statesmen on an impressive 24-game winning streak against Liberty League opponents.
 
Cragg mentored 326 all-conference selections, including 24 players of the year (offensive, defensive, or special teams) and seven rookies of the year. He also coached dozens of All-Americans, including consensus All-Americans Dave Russell '98, Alex Bell '05, Tyre Coleman '15 and Ali Marpet '15. Several Statesmen have gone on to play football professionally, most notably Marpet, who was the 61st overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft and won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
 
"Coach Cragg has had a significant impact on so many people over the course of his Hall of Fame career," says current Hobart Football Head Coach Kevin DeWall '00. "It's been an honor and my good fortune to compete for Coach Cragg as a player and coach alongside him for many years as one of his assistant coaches. His commitment and contributions to the Hobart Football Family have remained strong connecting with alumni and families in his role with the Advancement Office. I will be forever grateful for Coach Cragg taking a chance on me and for his cemented legacy leading the Hobart Football program."
 
The success of Cragg's teams on the gridiron did not come at the expense of academic excellence. From 2001 until his retirement from coaching after the 2017 season, Hobart football players earned 163 Liberty League All-Academic honors, including 19 in his final season. Eight Statesmen football players have been named Academic All-Americans, a highly selective award voted on based on a players academic and athletic excellence. All eight played for Coach Cragg.
 
"I had the pleasure to play for and coach alongside Coach Cragg," says Michael Green '14, Hobart football's defensive coordinator. "Under his leadership, Hobart Football had some of the best teams in school history and became a force at the national level. He taught us toughness, discipline, and how to compete. He was also always good for a one-liner to lighten the mood. I consider Coach Cragg to be a coaching idol, mentor, and friend. He has left Hobart College and the Statesmen football program much better than he found it."
 
Cragg was voted the Liberty League Coach of the Year by his peers 10 times and twice was named the AFCA Regional Coach of the Year. In 2010, he was inducted into the Hobart Athletics Hall of Fame.
 
Cragg joined the Hobart coaching staff in 1986 and while he's most widely known for his football accomplishments, he also served as the head coach of the Hobart tennis team for three seasons, guiding the Statesmen to back-to-back-to-back conference titles from 1992-93 to 1994-95.
 
In 2018, Cragg stepped back from the sideline to join the HWS Advancement Office as the Senior Director of Development for Athletics. "Mike served a key role during a period of unprecedented growth in athletics fundraising. His years of leadership on the field carried over into our office and we were most fortunate to have harnessed his energy, passion, and years of powerful relationships with his former players and colleagues. We will miss his daily presence in our office but thrilled for his time ahead with his family and on the golf course," said Bob O'Connor P'22, P'23, vice president for advancement. 
 
A 1983 graduate of Slippery Rock University, Cragg was a two-year letter winner for the Rock at free safety and linebacker. He owns a share of the school's single game interception record (3 vs. Edinboro, 1980).
 
Cragg and his wife, Holley, have two adult children, Michael, currently running backs coach for the Statesmen, and Kristen Alexandria, a 2013 graduate of William Smith.