Denver's Bill Tierney Pioneering a New Era of College Lacrosse

DENVER — On most years, the NCAA men’s lacrosse national championship is much like any other. Memorial Day vacationers occupy the stadium, two teams take the field and one program leaves with a well-earned trophy.

This year’s championship game in Philadelphia was no different, as Denver ousted Maryland, 10-5, to claim the program’s first title. And although it could have been a routine accomplishment for six-time champion coach Bill Tierney, this one held a little more gratification than the others.

“It feels like my first one,” said Tierney. “It’s a long road, winning 17 games and losing a couple along the way. Cold weather, lots of travel to the East, all that stuff…makes for a long season. And then to come out and be the only team standing at the end (of the season) is very, very special.”

Denver’s title is historic in more ways than one. In becoming the first western program to win a Division I title, the Pioneers truly earned their moniker—pioneering a new path for lacrosse programs outside of the east coast. 

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Being a trailblazer is nothing new for Hall of Fame coach Tierney, though. While at Princeton, he led the program to its first national title and later added five more. He became the first coach to win a championship with two sons on his team, as well. 

But of all of his accomplishments, none is more impressive than what occurred on Monday. The dream of making lacrosse a nationwide sport—not just an east-coast pastime—is finally being accomplished. 

And no one deserves the credit more than Denver’s “Miracle Man”: Bill Tierney.

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June 8, 2009 was a strange day. It was the lacrosse world’s version of “The Decision”; a day that carried mixed emotions for the sport’s community. But at the time, no one knew that Bill Tierney’s decision to leave Princeton for Denver would have the effects it did.

Frankly, the decision didn’t make sense. At the time, Tierney was widely considered to be the best coach in college lacrosse, and no one expected him to leave his Princeton home.

Tierney made Princeton lacrosse successful; Tierney was Princeton lacrosse. Leaving his six national championships was unreasonable and incomprehensible.

“The Eastern lacrosse world reacted to the news as if a Vince Lombardi had left the NFL to teach American football at Harrow,” said Josh McPhee of the New Yorker. “All publications that cover lacrosse, and even some that seldom do, were full of puzzlement and surprise, and the most employed word was ‘shock’.”

More than a few people called Tierney crazy. Lacrosse is, and always will be, an east-coast sport, they said. Tierney, or anyone else, could do nothing to change that.

But Tierney had different plans. His goal wasn’t to improve on Denver’s 7-8 record from the previous season. His eyes were on something much, much bigger.

“From the first minute I was on (Denver's) campus, we talked about winning national championships, because if you accept being mediocre, then you’ll fall short of your goals. That’s not a good thing,” said Tierney. “We set our sights very high here, and thankfully this group of young men achieved what we set out to do.”

Mel Evans/Associated Press

Even for a 57-year-old Hall of Fame coach, attempting to turn a western program around is a colossal project. Many considered Tierney to be past his prime and around a decade from retirement, and a huge career move like that requires a pretty big reason to even garner consideration.

Oddly enough, Tierney didn’t have a good reason to go to Denver—he didn’t have a reason at all. It was an opportunity that seemed exciting to Tierney, and a spontaneous decision sent his career 2,000 miles to the west. 

“There was no logic to that decision (to come to Denver),” said Tierney. “It was impulsive. It was something that I thought would be fun and exciting and would recharge the batteries.

“I had been at Princeton for 22 years, and when you’re 57 years old at the time and somebody offers you an opportunity to reignite the batteries, I think you take it. Especially when you wake up in the morning and look at the Rocky Mountains, and then head over to a school that’s supporting you, has great facilities and wants to do well, it makes it easy. The decision wasn’t well thought out, but I’m glad we made it.”

Call Tierney whatever you please: crazy, too risky, overly ambitious. But one thing you can’t take from him is his will to succeed and the lengths he will go to do so. He had a vision of what Denver’s lacrosse program could be—and he chased it.

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

"The lacrosse world, as you know, is taking huge steps out west,” said Tierney in an email to Princeton lacrosse alumni prior to publicizing his decision. “The chance for me to be a part of that growth, as an ambassador for the game, as well as for Denver, is very appealing.  If we are truly going to make lacrosse a nationwide sport, we need for some programs out there to become great. I think I can help Colorado lacrosse become the launching pad for that movement.”

Tierney turned Denver into a little more than the “launching pad.” Lacrosse’s westward movement is riding on DU’s success, and the national championship on Monday will forever be one of western lacrosse’s marquee moments.

No matter the success that Tierney has at Denver, some people will continue to consider his decision to leave Princeton as delirious and maniacal. But no one can devalue the ambition and trust it took, and no one but Tierney will enjoy the benefits.

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Denver’s victory on Monday brought more than just a championship trophy to the western United States. The Pioneers became lacrosse’s perfect poster boys for any western program—DI or not—that can only imagine becoming a national contender.

“We certainly hope that we’ll motivate some more people, that’s for sure,” said Tierney. “We hope that people in the West who have been considering (starting a lacrosse program) will turn around and say, ‘Well, if Denver can do it, so can we,' and more and more take it on.”

RICH SCHULTZ/Associated Press

Fortunately for Denver, the future looks brighter than it ever has. Tierney doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, and with a national championship under his belt, he thinks recruiting on the East Coast will improve drastically.

The recruits that were reluctant to head 2,000 miles west may now have an easier decision. Seeing Denver play on national stages, and win the national championship, does nothing but help recruiting.

“Honestly, it doesn’t really matter to us,” said Tierney of getting East Coast recruits. “We’re going to bring in 10-12 kids a year, we want the right kids, and we don’t really care where they come from.”

Regardless of Tierney’s future recruiting efforts, the incoming class will be as talented as any Denver has seen. He has locked up commitments from multiple high-profile prep stars, and he already has a good idea of what his team will look like a few years down the road.

“We recruit two or three years ahead of time so we know what we have coming in next year, in two years, or in some cases, three,” said Tierney. “Right now, I know the quality of those players are as good or better as what we have now. Will we get another Wes Berg? Maybe, maybe not. We’ll see. But no matter what, they’ll be really good.”

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

For anyone who wants to see the westward growth of lacrosse, Tierney is the man to praise. He’s done as much for the progression of college lax than anyone, and although the landscape of the game will only get more competitive, Tierney and Denver will be leading the pack.

Denver is an ideal fit for “The Miracle Man.” He’s a picture-perfect Pioneer—in every sense of the word.

Samuel Benson is a Featured Columnist covering college lacrosse. Contact him at [e-mail]. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.