As a student at Boston University, Ann Coakley participated in four sports while attending Sargent College. Coakley played field hockey, softball, lacrosse, and tennis. Her experiences at BU enabled her to compete on both the Boston Field Hockey Association (BFHA) and the Boston Women's Lacrosse Association (BWLA) following graduation.
In field hockey, Coakley was a member of the BFHA for six years alternating between the second and third team and playing in the District Tournaments.
During the time, she also played with the BWLA and started an involvement that saw her later become involved on the national level in lacrosse.
Coakley played in several national tournaments with the BWLA as a member of both the first and second Boston squads. In this stretch (1948-54) , Coakley also played at the national level with the U.S. Women's Lacrosse Association. In 1951, Coakley made the U.S. Touring team. During this time, she also served the first of two terms as president of the BWLA.
In the early 1960s, Coakley rejoined the BWLA as a player and finished up a 13-year career with the club. She also served another term as president, was a member and later chairman of the selection committee, and was a coach.
The lacrosse coach at Bridgewater State College for 19 years, Coakley was extensively involved with the U.S. Women's Lacrosse Association serving on numerous committees. In 1968, the USWLA presented her with its Honorary Award. In 1970, Coakley was named manager/coach of the USWLA Touring team which traveled to Great Britain and Ireland.Â
