GCAA Hall of Famer Archie Boulet Passes Away
SMITHFIELD, RI - Arthur “Archie” Boulet, the long-time head men’s golf coach and faculty member at Bryant University, passed away peacefully on December 15. He was 85.
One of the most successful golf coaches in the country, Boulet founded the Bryant program in 1964 and served as the head coach for 47 years. He built Bryant into a powerhouse program from the time when Bryant was located on the East Side of Providence and later transitioning to its current campus location in Smithfield, RI.
Under Boulet’s leadership, Bryant dominated the sport of golf during its years in Division II and later when the school made its move to Division I. He would eventually retire from coaching at Bryant in the spring of 2011.
Loved by all who played for him at Bryant, he instilled loyalty and dedication in his players and students and developed relationships beyond graduation. Boulet coached 23 All-Americans and seven New England Golf Players of the Year while guiding Bryant to 20 Northeast-10 Conference titles, 11 New England Championships and ten NCAA top-20 finishes. Bryant qualified for 20 NCAA Championships including a string of 14-straight appearances from 1995-2008.
An exceptional athlete in many sports growing up, Boulet graduated from Woonsocket High School in 1950 and would continue his athletic career at the University of Rhode Island where he was a three-sport athlete for the Rams. Boulet earned two letters in varsity football, while also earning Yankee Conference all-star honors as a member of the freshmen baseball team, and serving as team captain and earning three varsity letters in men’s golf. He graduated from URI in 1954.
A former resident of North Attleboro, MA and most recently Jamestown, RI, Boulet competed regularly in several local and regional golf events, and for several years, operated the New England Country Club.
Twenty-four of Boulet’s former players would work as head or assistant PGA professionals throughout the country while several former players found success competing at the professional level.
In addition to coaching golf at Bryant, Boulet was a professor for 38 years and served as the Chair of the Science Department for 19 years. He served on various committees during his career and was a member of NCAA Men’s Golf Championship Committee.
He holds the distinction of having been selected to eight separate Hall of Fames, including the Bryant University Athletics Hall of Fame, University of Rhode Island Athletics Hall of Fame, and most recently, the National Golf Coaches Association of America. He was named the Words Unlimited Coach of the Year by the Rhode Island Sportswriters and Broadcasters organization in 1990.
The Archie Boulet Scholarship, an endowed scholarship for a men’s golfer at Bryant University, was established in his honor in 2012.