The William and Mary athletics family is mourning the loss of one of
its most passionate and enduring icons, as long-time Tribe radio personality
Bob Sheeran passed away Saturday (Feb. 23) afternoon in Newport News' Riverside
Regional Medical Center after complications resulting from a stroke. He was 68.
The family will hold a celebration of
Sheeran's life on Sunday, March 3rd, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm in the Commonwealth
Room in William and Mary's Sadler Center.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that
all consider a donation to the Bob Sheeran HEYFARL Football Scholarship. Checks
should be written to the W&M Foundation, with a notation of "in memory
of Bob Sheeran."
"Bob's death is a real loss for William
& Mary," said President Taylor Reveley. "For nearly 50 years, he was a
member of the Tribe family. As a student, Bob was the latest in a long line of
Sheerans to attend the College. After graduation, he was a stalwart
W&M employee who vigorously publicized Tribe athletics to the media
and public. For the past 28 years, Bob brought his broadcast insight about
William & Mary football into the homes of Tribe fans. He retired from that
post just this fall - after more than 460 consecutive games. Bob Sheeran will
be missed."
For the many who knew
Sheeran, his passion and loyalty for William and Mary was unquestioned. He was a
third-generation W&M graduate and was one of the founding fathers of W&M's
Quarterback Club. His father, Robert, played
football in the 1930s with Walt Zable, whose name is on the football stadium. Sheeran emceed every variety of athletic
banquet and auction and made himself available for myriad college functions.
While a fan of all the
Tribe's athletics teams, it was his association with the football program that
held a special place in his life. He served as the school's sports information
director from 1971-85 and worked on broadcasts of W&M football and
basketball alongside local radio talent such as Dick Lamb and Bob Rathbun,
Dickie Fraim and Jay Colley.
Sheeran eventually
relinquished Tribe basketball broadcasts and remained with football until last
fall, when he stepped away from the microphone for the last time after the
team's season-ending game against Richmond.
In his modest recollections when he announced his retirement from the
broadcasts, Bob estimated that he worked every Tribe football game from 1972
through 2012, more than 460 consecutive fall Saturdays.
"I lost a great friend this afternoon," stated William and Mary Head
Football Coach Jimmye Laycock. "Bob's
passion for Tribe football was unsurpassed.
He made an extraordinary commitment in so many ways with his time and
talent over the last four decades. Bob
always did everything he could to support our program and he had been doing it
for as long as I knew him. My thoughts
go out to his family during this difficult time."
In addition to his close association with William and Mary Athletics,
Sheeran was an active citizen of the Williamsburg-area at large, as a prominent
member of the local realty community, and was a long-time host of a local
morning radio show.
Sheeran is survived by his wife, Anne, sons, Rob
and Billy, and beloved granddaughter, Neva.
