Bill Lessig retired from Connecticut College in 2009.

Lessig taught biology, math, field ecology and oceanography for seventeen years at New London High School . He coached the school's first soccer team as well as boys' basketball, track and field, golf, softball and football . While his actual teaching focus changed (M.S. Degree in Education with a major in Science) , he has maintained his active interest in the classroom, completing more than 30 hours of additional graduate work in environmental psychology.

Bill was engaged by Connecticut College just as the college was becoming coed in 1971 to develop a soccer programs for both men and women and to also coach the men's basketball and golf team.

Men's Soccer Coach:
With 35 years as head men's soccer coach, his 250+ wins rank him as one of the leading coaches in this category in the country. This past year Lessig was inducted into the State of Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame and also inducted into the Southeast Connecticut Hall of Fame. Lessig has served as member, coach, and administrator in soccer organizations at the state, regional, national and international levels. His teams have played tours in Venezuela, St. Martin and Sweden.  

Men's soccer has posted three "First Ever" CC athletic team accomplishments, including the first men's ECAC championship (1992), the only men's athletic team to capture two ECAC championships (1992, 1997) and the first men's team to be selected for a run at the NCAA national championships (1995-96). His team has produced thirty-seven (37) All-American or All-New England athletes and seven (7) CC soccer student-athletes have been inducted into the Connecticut College Athletic Hall of Fame. The program has an academic performance incentive system, the "A" Team for those who maintain a GPA of at least 3.20 and the Brooks Brown Award, presented annually to the student/athlete who demonstrates high standards of academic achievement. More than 75% of all student athletes under his tutelage have attained "A" Team status, and 9 3 % of all varsity soccer and basketball athletes have graduated. His teams have been honored on 2 occasions by the National Soccer Coaches Association for its overall team academic performance.

Women's Basketball Coach:
In 1982, and while continuing as men's soccer coach, Lessig was named head coach of women's basketball until he assumed the administrative duties as coordinator of the Athletic Facilities in 1993. Lessig was selected an All American Coach eight times in his eleven-year tenure by the American Women's Sports Federation, and was named New England Small College Coach of the Year in 1985. Along with Co-coach Jeffrey Hill esquire (former Harvard basketball captain) the program established an overall record of 177-63.   The teams appeared in seven (four consecutive) Northeast Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC) tournaments and ran off with the New England Championship on three occasions. The team advanced to the final four in 1991, 1992 and 1993 ECAC tournaments, and won five (four consecutive) Subway Classic tournaments hosted by Connecticut. The varsity women's basketball teams have produced thirteen (13) Women's Sports Foundation All-American or All-New England players, and four (4) freshmen All-Americans, with three women's basketball players having been inducted into the CC Athletic "Hall of Fame." Lessig is a past member of the All-Star Committee of the New England Women's Basketball Association, past vice-president of Shoot Straight Youth Basketball and a clinician at the Basketball Academy. His team played tours in the Bahamas and in Florida.

Administration: As the present coordinator of fields and sport's clubs, he coordinates with the Office of Student Life, Conferences and Scheduling and Physical Plant a daily log of use of the college's open field spaces by varsity athletics , physical education courses, club sports, intramurals, student and departmental events and outside groups.

Teaching: Bill provides golf instruction for students and teaches the coaching of soccer for young developing players.

Departmental Projects:
Bill initiated the nation's 1 st ever use of a tennis surface for indoor sports that is installed in Dayton Arena. He designed and activated funding for the construct ion of the present Athletic Hall of Fame room in the athletic center and his positive relationship with former soccer player Tom Slaughter '77 helped to generate a grant from the Horace Goldsmith Foundation that enabled the College to enhance and upgrade two varsity competition fields and finalize the construction of a new competition field in the center of campus.

Community Involvement:
Special Olympics volunteer, Head Soccer Coach, State of Connecticut's "Team Connecticut" in the World Special Olympics; United States Soccer Federation licensed coach, Southeastern Connecticut Youth Soccer League Indoor League in Dayton Arena; Southeast Junior Soccer Association president; Thames United adult soccer leagues; President of Soccer Scene USA, Inc.; Director of "Yes" Clinics in St. Martin (FWI); founder of Playa Negra sport training grounds in Costa Rica, former coaching administrator and staff coach for the Region I Olympic Development Program administered by the United States Soccer Federation; Director of the New England Regional Beach Soccer qualifying tournament for the United States Beach Soccer Championships and former president of the Waterford and the New London soccer clubs.

His wife Chrystyna, a 2nd grade teacher in Groton, received her master's degree in education from Connecticut College and a master's degree in Administration from Southern Connecticut State University. Son Shawn is a graduate of the University of New Haven with a degree in the Music Industry and a former PGA assistant professional in the Florida Keys. Bill's youngest son, Kyle is a graduate of the University of Hartford and a former professional soccer player who now teaches high school history and coaches youth soccer with the Richmond Kickers soccer club in Richmond, Virginia.