CANTON — St. Lawrence University mourns the loss of Richard “Dick” Metcalf, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, Hall of Famer and three-sport standout whose service to Saints athletics and the university spanned a 40-year career as a coach, administrator and faculty member.

Metcalf died Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, at Canton-Potsdam Hospital. He was 85.

Born March 24, 1941, in Schenectady, Metcalf graduated from Liverpool High School before enrolling at St. Lawrence, where he earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees. He became a key member of the freshman teams before emerging as a varsity standout as a sophomore.

On the football field, Metcalf quarterbacked the Saints to their best record in a decade in 1961, setting 11 passing records and rushing for 110 yards. He held the program record for career completions after three varsity seasons.

In basketball, he was a three-year starter at forward and served as co-captain during his junior and senior seasons. He was named the team’s most improved player as a sophomore. As a baseball catcher, he batted better than .300 as a junior while leading the team in hits and runs batted in. His accomplishments earned him the Outstanding Senior Athlete Award.

Metcalf met his future wife, Katherine Lyons, at St. Lawrence. After graduation, he coached the freshman football, basketball and baseball teams before leaving Canton for four years to pursue his doctorate. The couple married and settled in Morgantown, West Virginia, where Metcalf taught sociology and earned his doctorate in education from West Virginia University. They later returned to Canton.

Metcalf built a wide-ranging career at St. Lawrence, working in admissions, serving as an academic adviser and teaching in the Sport and Leisure Studies department, which he chaired for many years. He also served as an assistant coach in football, basketball and softball and served on numerous university committees.

In 2004, Metcalf was inducted into the St. Lawrence Athletic Hall of Fame alongside his brother, who was inducted in the same class. Metcalf was also a member of the Liverpool High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

His dedication to students, colleagues and the Canton community will be dearly missed by many in the St. Lawrence community.

Survivors include his children, Cara (Kenneth ’91) Polk and Matthew (Meg) Metcalf; his grandchildren, Mitchell, Jordan and Leah Polk and Abigail, Katharine and Elizabeth Metcalf; and his brother, Gerald (Lonnie) Metcalf.

He was predeceased by his wife, Katherine; his parents, George and Erma (Kimmey) Metcalf; and his sister, Judith Frazier.

An open house honoring Metcalf will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, at 30 Judson St. in Canton. The informal gathering will give friends and others who knew him an opportunity to share food, drinks and memories.