A native of Niagara Falls, N.Y., John Affleck served as the men’s varsity golf coach at Binghamton from 1988-2003. During his 40-year coaching tenure at the University, he also served as head coach of men’s basketball and baseball, and was a noted instructor and administrator.
After resurrecting the golf program first as a club sport in 1985, and then as varsity in 1988, Affleck produced many of the finest sports seasons of any team in school history.
In 15 years, his golf teams advanced to the NCAA Championship nine times — seven consecutive years at the Division III level, once at Division II and once at Division I. Along the way, Affleck’s teams won 69 tournament titles and posted a win percentage of 78%.
Affleck recruited and coached dozens of elite golfers, highlighted by 12 All-Americans and 31 all-region selections.
He in turn was honored on numerous occasions by his coaching peers. Affleck was named District Coach of the Year six times, and capped his final season as the Division I America East Coach of the Year in 2003. After successfully steering the program through the transition from NCAA Division III to I, Affleck holds the unique distinction of being honored at all three divisional levels.
His 1992-93 team posted a 196-7-4 record (96%), won eight tournaments and finished fourth at the NCAA Division III Championship.
In a storybook ending, his final team — the 2002-03 squad — earned the school’s first-ever NCAA Division I at-large tournament berth after winning more tournaments (7) than any team in the entire country.
Also a respected physical education instructor, Affleck received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1991.
