Wayne Wilson

J. Wayne Wilson (born November 8, 1963) is a retired Canadian former ice hockey coach and player. From 1999 to 2025, he was the head coach of the Rochester Institute of Technology men's ice hockey team, first at NCAA Division III and later at Division I.

Playing career Wilson grew up in Montreal, Quebec, but his family moved to Guelph, Ontario when he was sixteen. A defenceman, he played junior hockey for the Guelph Platers in the Ontario Hockey Association, then went on to college at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. He played four years (1980–1984) for the NCAA Division I Bowling Green Falcons, serving as captain in his senior year and leading the team to the 1984 national championship. He graduated with a degree in health, physical education, and recreation, then went on to get his master's degree in education from Bowling Green in 1987. While a grad student, he helped out as a part-time coach for the hockey team.

Coaching career After graduating with his masters, he spent one year as an assistant at the University of New Hampshire under coach Bob Kullen, but Kullen fell ill and that left his job in jeopardy. Seeking stability, he accepted a position as an assistant coach at his alma mater in 1988, a position he held through the 1998–99 school year. During that time, the Falcons made three NCAA tournament appearances. Several players (Rob Blake, Nelson Emerson and Brian Holzinger) went on to successful careers in the National Hockey League.

Rochester Institute of Technology In 1999, after five years of seeking a head-coaching position, he was hired to be head coach at Division III Rochester Institute of Technology. He led the RIT Tigers to a nearly-undefeated season in 2000–01; their only loss was on home ice in the 2001 national championship game. That year, he won the Edward Jeremiah Award for the top coach in Division III men's hockey.

In his first six years at RIT, he compiled a 116–31–12 record (.767 winning percentage), with four ECAC West regular-season championships, three ECAC West tournament titles, and three NCAA tournament appearances. However, those all came in his first years at RIT; in 2003, the Tigers missed the D-III national tournament for the first time since 1995, and they would never return.

During the 2015–16 season, Wilson led the Tigers to a third NCAA tournament appearance at the Division I level where they faced the No. 1 overall seed Quinnipiac Bobcats. Unlike the previous season, there would be no upset as the Tigers were shutout 4–0.

In ten seasons of Division I play, Wilson has led the Tigers to several victories over nationally ranked teams. Under Wilson's tutelage, the Tigers have defeated at least one nationally-ranked team in nine out of ten Division I seasons.

On November 27, 2021, Wilson became the 47th head coach to record 400 career wins and the 29th to do so with one program. Wilson announced his retirement from coaching on April 9, 2025.

As Head Coach, 35 players went on to sign professional contracts. Notables include Steve Pinizzotto in 2007 who became the first RIT Tiger to sign an NHL contract at the Division 1 level. Chris Tanev signed with the Vancouver Canucks in June 2010 and became the first RIT alumnus to play in the NHL making his debut on January 18, 2011. He has also made his playoff debut in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals suiting up in the Conference Finals for games 3, 4 and 5, and in the Stanley Cup Finals for games 5, 6 and 7. Tyler Brenner signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in March 2011 on a two-year entry-level contract.

Personal life

Wilson and his wife Lynn live in Pittsford, New York. Their daughter Stephanie Konczos attended Bowling Green State University, and their son Stu Wilson (who played ice hockey for Yale) is a professional ice hockey player.

Head coaching record