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Head Coach
First season at NU: 1986
Alma mater: Northeastern '68
Husky skipper Neil McPhee has had unmatched success as a coach at Northeastern University and last year was no exception. The Huskies finished the season with a 28-25 (13-11 CAA) record in its fourth season in the tough CAA. Northeastern returned to the CAA playoffs for the first time since 2006 as the five-seed. The Huskies lost to the eventual champions Georgia State but returning to the tournament shows promise for the future.
McPhee has an amazing history of developing top prospects, including Northeastern star shortstop Mike Lyon, who was picked by the New York Yankees in the 24th round of the 2008 MLB draft. Northeastern now has 13 major league draft picks in the last ten seasons. Carlos Pena is NU’s highest-profile pro player, as he was the 10th overall selection in the 1998 draft by the Texas Rangers and was named the American League Comeback Player of the Year and won the American League Silver Slugger Award for first base in 2007 with the Tampa Bay Rays. Joining Pena into the majors is former Husky catcher Luke Carlin, who played last season with the San Diego Padres.
McPhee's 2009 Huskies set numerous team and individual records. Mike Tamsin is a name that litters the Huskies record book breaking his own single-season hits record at 74 and setting the career records for hits and total bases. Frank Pesanello launched 13 home runs during 2009 giving him 41 for his career to set the all time mark, along with the single-season mark of 20 which he set in 2008. Dan Zehr became NU's all time saves leader with his 11th career save coming in 2009.
Overall, McPhee has a 612-505-4 record in 24 seasons at Northeastern. His 612 wins are the most of any coach of any sport in NU history and McPhee joins a select group of New England coaches to reach 600 wins. McPhee took over the baseball program before the 1986 season and turned it into a perennial America East contender. Northeastern qualified for the America East tournament every year since its inception and McPhee led the Huskies to titles in 1994, ’97 and 2003. He was selected America East Coach of the Year in 1991 and ’94 and, in 1994, he also was voted the New England Div. I Coach of the Year. McPhee has led the Huskies to two CAA tournament appearances in the programs four years in the conference.
McPhee joined NU baseball coaching great John “Tinker” Connelly in the NU Hall of Fame in 1980 for his accomplishments in both baseball and hockey. Connelly, McPhee’s coach while at NU and leader of the Huskies from 1956-81, referred to McPhee as, “the best second baseman I ever had.” He was voted All-New England and All-Greater Boston League in each of his three varsity seasons. In 1964, McPhee led the club with a .333 average and 15 RBI, pushing the Huskies to a 14-6 mark and the NCAA District I playoffs. A career .310 hitter, McPhee had seven homers and 41 RBI in 59 games while playing solid defense. McPhee also impressed on the ice for the Huskies. During his two varsity seasons, he scored 35 goals and added 36 assists for a total of 71 points in 50 games. He was voted NU captain in 1964-65, but lost the year to a broken left arm suffered in the preseason.
After his collegiate career was over, McPhee was a fifth-round draft choice of the Minnesota Twins. As a pro, McPhee joined the Wisconsin Rapids and was the Midwest League’s MVP and RBI leader in 1966. The feat earned him a spot on the ’66 Class A All-Star Team. His professional odyssey also took him to stops in St. Cloud, Minn., and Wilson, N.C.
McPhee’s pro career ended in 1967 and he turned to coaching. His coaching career started at Newton South High School, where he coached both baseball and hockey from 1968-85. His Newton South baseball teams won several league titles and made numerous Eastern Massachusetts tournament appearances, twice advancing to the finals. In 1985, McPhee became the 10th baseball coach in Husky history.
McPhee graduated from Northeastern in 1968 and received a master’s degree from Boston State in 1978. He and his wife Sharon reside in Needham. The couple has three children, Heather, Jessica, and Daniel, and five grandchildren.
