Gerry Byrne Named Assistant Coach at Notre Dame

[Sonny]

Gerry Byrne Named Assistant Coach at Notre Dame

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame men's lacrosse head coach Kevin Corrigan has recently announced the hiring of Gerry Byrne as assistant coach. Byrne returns to the Fighting Irish program, where he served as an assistant from 1989-91. Most recently, Byrne was the head coach at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. from 2003-06.

Byrne graduated Magna Cum Laude from UMass Amherst in 1986 with a degree in economics. He was a three-year letterman and an All-New England defenseman for the Minutemen in 1986. Byrne then earned his MBA from Notre Dame, where he also worked as defensive coordinator for the Fighting Irish. He helped Notre Dame earn its first NCAA Tournament berth during the 1990 campaign as the Irish posted a 9-7 record, including a perfect 3-0 mark in the MLA's Great Lakes Conference, which gave them the league title.

"The opportunity to work with Kevin Corrigan again was an extremely attractive opportunity," says Byrne. "The heritage and the sense of community that Notre Dame possesses, along with the academics and the strive for excellence on the field, makes for a powerful combination. Notre Dame is a symbol of athletic excellence and I know we have the student-athletes, coaches and facilities to get back to the Final Four."

Following his graduation from UMass, Byrne was a four-time All-United States Club Lacrosse Association member with the Brine Lacrosse Club. He was also invited to tryout with the U.S. National Team on three occasions (1989, 1997, 2001), which placed him among the top-30 defensemen in the nation. Other playing accolades for Byrne include being named an All-Lake Placid Classic performer on 11 occasions and an All-Vail Shootout competitor nine times.

Byrne was inducted into the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame – New England Chapter – in 1999 and was the 2001 New Hampshire High School Coach of the Year while at Souhegan High School. He was drafted by the New York Saints of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) in 1991 and played for them in 1992. Byrne also played for the Rochester Knighthawks of the NLL in 1997. He continued his professional career after getting drafted by the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) in 2000. Byrne played for the Cannons from 2000-02, while having the distinction of being the oldest active player in the league at that time.

In addition to his duties at Saint Anselm, Byrne stayed active in the sporting world in several other ways. He served as managing director at Kiltegan Marketing Group, which is an integrated sports marketing services company with clients such as Reebok and Major League Lacrosse. Byrne also has spent time as the director of marketing for Cybex International and Brine, a major manufacturer of lacrosse equipment. He also owns the Premier Players Lacrosse Camps and is the founder of the Texas Top-99.

"Gerry has a real wide variety of experiences, all of which help him in coaching," says Corrigan. "Obviously he has coached, but he just hasn't taken the traditional path. His strength is his intelligence and his creativity. He has a great passion for the game and is a great teacher. I am thrilled to have him back here and he brings a lot to the program with his knowledge and having played at a high level."

Byrne is a native of Levittown, N.Y., where he was an All-Long Island Catholic League lacrosse player at Chaminade High School before his graduation in 1982. He and his wife, Dr. Tracy Byrne, a practicing OB/GYN and a 1990 graduate of Notre Dame, are the parents of three children, Rory, Pierre and Brandon.