Sharing Sad News on the Passing of Ed Hegmann
It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Dr. Edward Hegmann, former athletic director and coach, and one of the greatest champions of UMW Athletics through both his time at Mary Washington and throughout retirement. He was always cheering for us and supporting the Eagles in all of our athletic endeavors.
If you didn’t know Ed in person, you might know of him from the Hegmann Family Tennis Courts at the Battleground Athletic Complex. Ed coached the women’s tennis team for 23 years and led the Eagles to three national championships, including the AIAW national title in 1982 and NCAA Division III titles in 1988 and 1991. He gained eight Capital Athletic Conference Coach of the Year awards and captured nine straight CAC championships after the league was formed in 1990 through his retirement as coach in 1999. He was named the NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year in 1988 and again in 1999, and he was inducted into Mary Washington’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999.
A master of planning facilities, he oversaw the construction of the Battleground Athletic Complex and was instrumental in the planning for the UMW Indoor Tennis Center, built in 2005. He also supervised the construction of the state-of-the-art William M. Anderson Center, a basketball/volleyball arena that seats nearly 2,000 fans, and most recently saw full-house crowds during the men’s basketball tournament in 2026 as the Eagles went on to win their first national championship since Ed’s women’s tennis team took home a trophy in 1991.
He invested so much of his energy into this place and the people here, with an instinct for hiring talented coaches and building champion teams. For hundreds of student-athletes, coaches, staff, and colleagues, he will be deeply missed. Our thoughts are with the Hegmann family.
For more information about Ed’s life and legacy, as well as memorial information as it becomes available, please see the UMW Athletics news story.
Leave a Reply