Ralph Willard is entering his ninth year as the Head Coach of Holy Cross Men's Basketball Program. During his first eight seasons Holy Cross has enjoyed sustained success that has established the program among the the best mid majors in the country. Holy Cross under Willard has appeared in the post season five times in his eight years. His teams have won 159 games , averaging 19.9 wins per year during his tenure, and over 21 wins per year over the past seven seasons. Every senior has graduated, and every senior over the past seven years has made at least two post season appearances during their years at the Cross.

Willard led the Cross to three straight Patriot League tournament titles in 2001, 2002, and 2003, marking the first time in conference history that a team has accomplished that feat. He has posted a 79-28 mark in regular season conference play, and a 15-4 mark in conference tournament action. In 2005, he led Holy Cross to the Patriot League's first-ever postseason victory, a 78-73 win at Notre Dame in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament. In their four NCAA appearances under Willard, Holy Cross has bowed out to two Sweet Sixteen teams and two Final four teams by an average margin of just 7 points. He has been named Patriot League coach of the Year three times and was also a finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year in 2005. During the 2006-07 campaign Willard notched his 300th collegiate career win.

Willard's coaching resume covers the full spectrum of his profession. He coached in high school at St Dominic's on Long Island for 13 years, where he won a 1980 State Title. He has been an assistant in college at the United States Merchant Marine Acadamy, Hofstra, Syracuse, where he was an assistant on the 1986-87 Final Four team , and Associate Head Coach at Kentucky. He spent two years in the NBA on Rick Pitino's New York Knicks staff. He has been a college Head Coach at Western Kentucky, where his 1992-93 team finished the season ranked 16th in the country, Pittsburgh and Holy Cross. During this career he has garnered the reputation of being a true teacher, and a winner. His collegiate coaching record stands at 303-213.

A 1967 graduate , and senior captain of Holy Cross, Willard and his wife, Dorothy, have three children. Their daughter, Pamela, lives in Huntington New York with her husband and two children,KC, and Ainsley. Their son Keith, lives in Manhattan and works on Wall Street. Their other son Kevin is the new Head Coach at Iona College and lives with his wife Julie and their 1 year old son Colin, in New Rochelle NY.