Our third interview with Coach Bill Tierney at Denver, and just as great as the previous podcasts! One of collegiate lacrosse’s legendary coaches, Bill Tierney took over the reins of the University of Denver men’s lacrosse program in July 2009 after serving as the head coach at Princeton since the 1988 season. In his five seasons at DU, Tierney has amassed an impressive 66-23 overall record (.742) and an even more impressive 28-4 conference mark.

The Pioneers have reached Championship Weekend three times in the last four seasons, including a 2014 campaign that saw Denver finish 16-3, and a perfect 6-0 in the program’s first season in the BIG EAST. Tierney and the Pioneers won both the BIG EAST Regular Season and the BIG EAST Tournament titles in 2014. After a 3-2 start, the Pioneers reeled off 13-straight games, including NCAA Tournament wins over No. 9 North Carolina (9-5) and No. 12 Drexel (15-6).

In his first season, Tierney surprised many by guiding the Pioneers to a 12-5 overall record, a record-setting nine-game winning streak and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. After helping the Pioneers to a perfect 7-0 mark in the Eastern College Athletic Conference and winning the ECAC Championship, Tierney was chosen as the league’s Coach of the Year.

In his second season at the helm, Tierney didn’t waste any time taking the program to even greater heights. The Pioneers finished the season with their best record in program history (15-3) and remaining undefeated in conference action (6-0). Tierney led the Pioneers to their second-straight ECAC Regular Season Title and helped to guide them to the first-ever ECAC Tournament Championship.

To be the best, one must beat the best and in his third season as head coach Tierney planned to prepare his team by putting together the second-most difficult schedule in the country, which included three 2012 Final Four teams (Loyola (Md.), Duke, Notre Dame). Tierney led DU to a 9-7 overall record in 2012, ending the season to top-seeded Loyola in the NCAA Quarterfinals after falling one-goal short of a return trip to the Final Four.

Tierney has also been named the ECAC Coach of the Year twice. Prior to the start of the season, Tierney was honored as US Lacrosse Magazine’s Person of the Year for 2009.

In his 29 years of coaching, Tierney has amassed a resume that includes six NCAA Championships, eight NCAA championship final appearances, 13 NCAA Final Four appearances, 20 quarterfinal appearances, 14 Ivy League Championships two ECAC Championships, one BIG EAST Championship, three ECAC Regular Season Titles and a BIG EAST Regular Season title. He compiled a career record of 238-86 at Princeton and has a career collegiate record of 338-116 for an impressive .744 winning percentage.

THE PRINCETON YEARS

In the 20 years prior to his arrival, Princeton did not win an Ivy League championship, did not play in an NCAA tournament and did not have a first-team All-America. His impact on the student-athletes at Princeton has resulted in 26 first-team All-Americans, 73 first-team All-Ivy League selections, seven Ivy League Players of the Year, six Ivy League Rookies of the Year and over 20 USILA Scholar All-Americas. He has recruited and coached two winners of the Lt. Raymond J. Enners Award as the national player of the year (David Morrow in 1993 and Scott Bacigalupo in 1994).

Tierney’s ability to win close games in the NCAA tournament is legendary. He is 30-12 all-time in NCAA Division I tournament games, including 14-4 in one-goal NCAA games. Four of his six NCAA championship games wins have been in overtime. Princeton was 12-46 in the four years prior to Tierney’s arrival, and his first team, in 1988, went 2-13. His first recruiting class, the Class of 1992, arrived the following fall.

THE EARLY YEARS

After helping Cortland State to the USILA college division championship as a senior in 1973, Tierney began his head coaching career at Great Neck South High on Long Island in 1976. He moved to Levittown High in 1980, and he went from there to his first college stop, Rochester Institute of Technology. Tierney won 10, 12 and 15 games at RIT, taking the school to its first two NCAA tournaments in 1983 and 1984. His next stop was Baltimore, where he served as an assistant at Johns Hopkins for three years. Tierney helped Hopkins to the national title in 1985 and 1987 and the national semifinals in 1986. He also coached the Blue Jay’s men’s soccer team, guiding the team to the 1986 NCAA Division III tournament for its first NCAA bid in 11 years.

HONORS AND AWARDS

Tierney won the Morris Touchstone Award as the Division I Coach of the Year in 1992 while at Princeton. He also was named the 1983 Division III Coach of the Year while at RIT, and he earned Nassau County Coach of the Year honors at both high schools. He was elected to the Long Island Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1995 and the New Jersey Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2009, Tierney was named US Lacrosse Magazine’s Person of the Year and then followed that with back-to-back ECAC Coach of the Year honors.

Tierney has recruited and coached two winners of the Lt. Raymond J. Enners Award as the national player of the year (David Morrow in 1993 and Scott Bacigalupo in 1994). Outside of his collegiate coaching honors, Tierney has coached the United States to the World Championship in 1998, and was inducted into the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame as part of the 2002 class.

Coach Tierney and his staff offer some great camps on site in June and July, for more information just click here…

We get a ton of great information in the full podcast for our Premium Members including an interesting perspective on 4V4’s, and his evolving coaching philosophies, coaches need to be teachers, transition from D Mids and Poles, scrimmage with a theme!, a awesome transition drill, and so much more …

In the ‘Preview Sample’ below for all free members we feature coach discussing how they adda theme to scrimmages, and 9 Ways to Improve Scrimmages…

Audio Preview, This is for all Free Members simply log in… We hear Coach Tierney talk about this unique concept… in his own words… to read the corresponding article just click here

[private]Full Audio Interview For all Premium Members!

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