After graduating from
Dartmouth in 1943 William Harrison signed up with the
Marines at the height of the second world war. Harrison left after three years of service and returned to
Walpole,
Massachusetts to coach at the local
high school before accepting a position to become a professor of
civil engineering at
Clarkson and coach the ice hockey team. Harrison Coached at Clarkson for 10 seasons, winning 3 league titles (after the Golden Knights founded the
Tri-State League), making 2
Frozen Four appearances and providing Clarkson with an undefeated season in
1955–56 season. Because the '56 team had eight seniors that were 4-year varsity players (they would have been ineligible to participate in the
1956 NCAA tournament) the team as a whole voted to decline the invitation to play. Harrison received the 1956
Spencer Penrose Award despite the eligibility conflict and resigned as head coach two years later. Harrison continued on in an academic capacity with Clarkson, receiving a
fellowship from the
National Science Foundation in 1959. He was inducted into Clarkson's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008. ==Head coaching record==