Joe Proud Named New Men's Coach at Vassar

[Sonny]

Former Cal Coach Joe Proud finally has his first varsity head coaching gig. Proud led the Cal Golden Bears to the 1998 MDIA National Title and was a former member of the MDIA Board of Directors. Congrats Joe!!

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (June 6, 2005) -- Joe Proud, who has been a collegiate lacrosse coach since 1997 at Cal-Berkeley, Cornell, Vermont and SUNY Plattsburgh, has been named today as head men's lacrosse coach at Vassar College. The announcement was made by Sharon Beverly, Director of Athletics & Physical Education.

Proud becomes Vassar's 6th head lacrosse coach since Vassar became a Division III varsity program in 1988.

Proud, a 1994 Duke graduate, has coached collegiate lacrosse since 1997 when he took over the University of California, Berkeley (Cal) lacrosse program, a member of the USLIA. In his six years at (1997-2002), the Golden Bears compiled a 76-29 record (.724) with a post-season 20-11 record (.645). Following a rebuilding first year, Cal captured one USLIA National Championship (1998), two WCLL Conference Championships (1998, 2000) and made five straight appearances at the USLIA National Championship Tournament, finishing in the top-ten each of those years. Proud was named Coach of the Year by the WCLL in 1998 and by Cal Sport Clubs in 2001.

"We are extremely happy to have someone of Joe Proud's experience as our men's lacrosse coach," said Beverly. "Joe's passion, enthusiasm and knowledge of lacrosse will serve the College well as we build our program in the competitive Liberty League."

Following his tenure at Cal, Proud joined Cornell University as an assistant coach for the '02-'03 year, working primarily with the offense and face-off unit. The Big Red finished the season ranked 9th nationally and won its first share of the Ivy League Championship since 1987.

Proud then joined the University of Vermont, one of the top defensive teams in Division I, as the first assistant. At UVM, he worked with all aspects of the game including offense, defense, face-offs and goaltending as well as scouting opponents and recruiting. Proud spent the '04-'05 year as an assistant at SUNY Plattsburgh, helping one of his closest friends build a fledgling Div. III program. He coached all aspects of the game, with a focus on offense, face-offs and transition. Following a 2004 record of 2-10, PSU improved to 6-6 while narrowly missing the SUNYAC playoffs.

Additionally, Proud has served as head coach for the 2001 USA West team, an all-star squad comprised entirely of college players from the West Coast. The team spent two weeks touring England, Wales and the Czech Republic compiling a 6-1 record in international play including winning the Prague Cup. He served as Secretary of the USLIA Board of Directors during for the '01-'02 year, a five-person Board responsible for administrating the 140+ team USLIA. Proud also contributes periodically for Inside Lacrosse, writing articles, editorials and instructional pieces. Currently, he is developing Grass Roots Lacrosse, a private lacrosse school aimed at teaching lacrosse, team-building and leadership skills to high school and middle school players in developing lacrosse areas during the summer and off-season.

Proud grew up in Camillus, NY, just outside Syracuse. He attended West Genesee HS, where he was he was an all-league lacrosse, hockey and football player, captaining the lacrosse team his senior year. He went on to Duke University, where he graduated in 1994 with a B.A. in Public Policy Studies. While at Duke, he was a four-year letter winner, captain and All-American defenseman for the top-10 Division. I program. During his time there, Duke achieved its highest national ranking and furthest advancement in the NCAA tournament in school history at the time.

[mholtz]

Aong the same lines, I've heard that George Counes from Michigan State will become the new coach at Pace University in NY, a D2 school I believe. There is no news on the Pace site, but I heard this from a fairly reliable source.
Our esteemed USLIA Web guru, Matt Holtz, will be taking over the reins at Michigan State. Good luck to both coaches!!

He's the assistant coach there. Not a head coach.

[TrojanLaxman5]

That chalks up one of the USLIA's most successful stories!

Definitely happy to see this news. Scott DeMonte is another similar story going to Div III Plattsburgh State (who beat Vassar this year 9-8).

[Laxman50]

So if it is a great success story for a coach to make it to D3 why are teams themselves not trying to gain varsity status. Should that not be the ultimate goal for teams as well as the USLIA as a league. I also know all the hurdles like title 9 and funding but I think it should be something teams and the league should work for. When the founding fathers and big coaches of this league move on or retire from what they are doing would it not be great to leave a league that is moving towards that goal. Have any Uslia teams ever gone varsity? Am I way off or would this not be a good idea?

[onpoint]

You are way off. The point of the MDIA is not to move to Varsity status, though that would be nice for some teams. The goal is to provide an environment for those who do not wish the rigors and requirements of the NCAA to play in a competitive league with regional opponents who share a common goal. The reason it is great for Coach Proud and DeMonte is that they are now going to get paid full time for being lacrosse coaches, something I know I would love to get going. The success of the MDIA does not hinge on how many teams go Varsity.

[Laxman50]

Point taken. But CSU I am sure works and plays at a high level why not try to move up. I understand it is not in the cards for all teams but I know many could do it with some hard work. I think many schools see it as a easy way to have a highly run varsity style sport that they offer without having to put much $$ or time into it yet they still get kids to come play lax at the school. Don't any of you feel used? Some teams bring press and kids to the school and they give them very little in return. I would guess most even poor D3 level teams between paying for the coach, travel, and equipment put $100,000 into a team. I have seen many players in the USLIA that could play D3 and some that could play D1 yet they pay through the nose to play the game they love. I am glad they are playing and that they love the schools that they are at but don't they deserve a little love. This is not a knock on the USLIA just some things that bug me from time to time.

[Danny Hogan]

you could take the same logic and ask why D3 teams dont' move up to D1. It is an apples and oranges arguement that has been rehashed a thousand times.

[Sonny]

Point taken. But CSU I am sure works and plays at a high level why not try to move up.

Because it's not their choice. The school, in question, makes a decision to sponsor a varsity sport or not. In this case, that decision does not lie with the CSU Men's Lacrosse Club.

In the current political and budgetary climate, 99% of the schools out there are not adding non-revenue generating varsity men's sports. It is simply unrealistic to expect many new varsity men's programs in the next few years. Until their is a shift in the current climate, expect the MDIA to grow & prosper as it fills in a nice gap between the "varsity world" and the "club world."

[Laxman50]

Thank you Sonny. My question is have people tried?

[Sonny]

Thank you Sonny. My question is have people tried?

I'm sure some of the top schools have had discussions. (BYU & Michigan come to mind.) But again, the climate isn't right.

I'd bet the smaller D3 & NAIA schools will be the ones to add varsity programs in the coming years as they attempt to attract student athletes to their respective campuses. Just look at the growth over the last few years: Bellamine (Louisville, KY), Savannah College of Art & Design (Savannah, GA), St. Leo's (Tampa, FL), Presbyterian College (South Carolina), Queens College (Charlotte, NC), Dominican (Northern California). No offense to those teams, players, recruits, and coaches. But those aren't major 1-A schools from the BCS conferences adding varsity men's lax programs. St. John's (NY) dropped it's football program to add varsity lacrosse. But I'd bet they will be the exception to the rule.

The MDIA teams are giving high school a chance to play quality college lacrosse. Their are pro's and con's to playing at this level, just like their are the varsity level. But the lines are blurring rapidly as the talent/coaching/visibility continue to rise in the MDIA world.

[AflacLax]

It is for that reason that the lines are blurring (talent, coaching, oppurtunities) that divide club ball and varsity that people should want to become varsity. It is not for the added talent, or caliber of teams. No. It is for the reason that it is an added benefit to get support from schools. I'm sure that CSU, in light of their reccent tragedy, would not have minded the extra support that their school could have provided if they were varsity. A varsity team may have had the benefit of the school's registrar actually notifying a coach of an elligibity problem. This may have stopped the inelligible students from ever playing without being cleared. So, varsity does have inherent benefits over club (support, not necessary talent or the common things people talk about).

[Catlax]

Title IX is a very serious obstacle for MDIA teams to overcome. At a time when many men's programs are being cut because of budget crunches ( see Montclair State Univ), title IX is a deal killer for lacrosse.

[Laxman50]

Hate to tell ya the good news but Montclair is not getting cut anymore. In fact they added a full time head coach.

[ramerica]

I believe everyone on this board is happy any time a new program goes NCAA or is added to the MDIA. If you love the game you want it to grow at all levels.

[Catlax]

Hate to tell ya the good news but Montclair is not getting cut anymore. In fact they added a full time head coach.

That's great news! I used to coach there back in the 80's. By full time head coach do you mean a University employee? Also, what changed the AD's mind? I heard it was all about the Money!