John Tillman (lacrosse)
Encyclopedia
John C. Tillman is an American lacrosse
coach. He is currently the head coach for the University of Maryland
Terrapins men's lacrosse team. He previously served as the head coach at Harvard University
and as an assistant coach at the Naval Academy
and Ithaca College
.
, Tillman served in the United States Navy
as a fleet support officer. He attended college at Colgate University
before transferring to Cornell University
. Upon transferring, he changed his lacrosse position from goalkeeper to defensive midfielder. Tillman earned a varsity letter with the Colgate Raiders in 1988 and with the Cornell Big Red
in 1991. He graduated from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration
in 1991.
Tillman played professionally in the National Lacrosse League
for the Baltimore Thunder
from 1997 to 1999 and the Washington Power
in 2000. He also played at the amateur level for the Toyota Lacrosse Club, which won five consecutive Southern Division Championships and a world championship in 2000.
from 1992 to 1995. Tillman then moved to the United States Naval Academy
, where he served as an assistant and formulated the offensive game plans for the Midshipmen
. In 2002, he was promoted to the position of Head Assistant Coach, and from 2004 to 2007, Navy was one of just five NCAA teams to qualify for the tournament each season. In each of those years, Navy also won both the Patriot League
regular season and tournament championships. In 2004
, Navy advanced to the NCAA tournament championship game before falling to Syracuse
, 14–13.
hired Tillman as the Crimson
's head coach. In his first season, Harvard finished with a 6–8 record and 1–5 against Ivy League
competition. In 2009, Inside Lacrosse
magazine ranked Harvard's incoming freshman class as the third-best in the nation. That year, the Crimson improved to an 8–5 record, including 3–3 in the Ivy League. In 2010, Harvard defeated sixth-ranked Princeton
for the first time since 1990. The Crimson finished the season with a 6–6 record. He finished his tenure at Harvard with a 20–19 record.
reported that the University of Maryland
had hired Tillman to replace former head coach Dave Cottle
. He was signed to a seven-year contract with a $150,000 annual salary. Tillman stated that the long-term contract was the deciding factor in taking the job, rather than remain at Harvard. "I think what it showed me was that the administration at Maryland believed in me."
In his first season at Maryland, Tillman's Terrapins finished with a 13–5 record, the Atlantic Coast Conference
tournament championship, and as national runners-up after a loss to Virginia
in the NCAA championship game. Tillman inherited an experienced squad with 17 seniors from one of the highest ranked 2007 recruiting classes. Rather than overhaul the team, Tillman made minor adjustments to terminology and refocused the defensive scheme from man-to-man match-ups to team containment. During the postseason, Tillman remained in contact with his two predecessors at Maryland. He discussed his players and their personalities with former coach Dave Cottle
, whom he invited to address the team after the regular season in which they lost to four underdog opponents. Tillman also consulted with Hall of Fame inductee Dick Edell
, who led Maryland to three finishes as national runners-up. Edell, whose teams lost the championship game in 1995, 1997, and 1998 said, "I will counsel people on the semifinals. I don't have a useful thing to say about the final."
After the season, Navy expressed interest in hiring Tillman as replacement for retired head coach Richie Meade
, but he elected to remain at Maryland.
Field lacrosse
Field lacrosse, sometimes referred to as the "fastest sport on two feet," is a full contact outdoor men's sport played with ten players on each team. The sport originated among Native Americans, and the modern rules of field lacrosse were initially codified by Canadian William George Beers in 1867....
coach. He is currently the head coach for the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
Terrapins men's lacrosse team. He previously served as the head coach at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and as an assistant coach at the Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
and Ithaca College
Ithaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
.
Early life
A native of Corning, New YorkCorning (city), New York
Corning is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States, on the Chemung River. The population was 10,842 at the 2000 census. It is named for Erastus Corning, an Albany financier and railroad executive who was an investor in the company that developed the community.- Overview :The city of...
, Tillman served in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
as a fleet support officer. He attended college at Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
before transferring to Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. Upon transferring, he changed his lacrosse position from goalkeeper to defensive midfielder. Tillman earned a varsity letter with the Colgate Raiders in 1988 and with the Cornell Big Red
Cornell Big Red men's lacrosse
The Cornell Big Red Men's Lacrosse team represents Cornell University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's lacrosse. Cornell competes as a member of the Ivy League, of which they have won 23 conference championships. The Big Red have appeared in the NCAA tournament 22...
in 1991. He graduated from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration
Cornell University School of Hotel Administration
The School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University is a specialized business school for hospitality management founded in 1922 as the first four-year intercollegiate school devoted to the field...
in 1991.
Tillman played professionally in the National Lacrosse League
National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League is a men's professional indoor lacrosse league in North America. It currently has nine teams; three in Canada and six in the United States. Unlike other lacrosse leagues which play in the summer, the NLL plays its games in the winter and spring. Each year, the playoff...
for the Baltimore Thunder
Baltimore Thunder
The Baltimore Thunder were a member of the National Lacrosse League from 1987 until 1999. They were based in Baltimore, Maryland, and won the first Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League championship in 1987...
from 1997 to 1999 and the Washington Power
Washington Power
The Washington Power were a member of the National Lacrosse League during the 2001 and 2002 seasons. After the inaugural championship in 1987 in Baltimore through 1999 and an unsuccessful stint in Pittsburgh , the franchise moved to Washington, D.C. in 2001...
in 2000. He also played at the amateur level for the Toyota Lacrosse Club, which won five consecutive Southern Division Championships and a world championship in 2000.
Coaching career
After graduating from college, Tillman worked as an assistant coach at Ithaca CollegeIthaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
from 1992 to 1995. Tillman then moved to the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
, where he served as an assistant and formulated the offensive game plans for the Midshipmen
Navy Midshipmen men's lacrosse
The Navy Midshipmen men's lacrosse team represents the United States Naval Academy in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's lacrosse. Navy currently competes as a member of the Patriot League and play their home games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland...
. In 2002, he was promoted to the position of Head Assistant Coach, and from 2004 to 2007, Navy was one of just five NCAA teams to qualify for the tournament each season. In each of those years, Navy also won both the Patriot League
Patriot League
The Patriot League is a college athletic conference which operates in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I) for a number of sports; in football, it participates in the Football Championship Subdivision...
regular season and tournament championships. In 2004
2004 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
The 2004 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament was the 34th annual Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament. Sixteen NCAA Division I college men's lacrosse teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament.The championship game...
, Navy advanced to the NCAA tournament championship game before falling to Syracuse
Syracuse Orange men's lacrosse
The Syracuse Orange men's lacrosse team represents Syracuse University in NCAA Division I men's college lacrosse. The Orange have won 10 NCAA championship titles, and currently competes as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference men's lacrosse conference...
, 14–13.
Harvard
In September 2007, Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
hired Tillman as the Crimson
Harvard Crimson men's lacrosse
The Harvard Crimson men's lacrosse team represents Harvard University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's lacrosse...
's head coach. In his first season, Harvard finished with a 6–8 record and 1–5 against Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
competition. In 2009, Inside Lacrosse
Inside Lacrosse
Inside Lacrosse is a lacrosse media entity and ESPN affiliate. It includes many parts including a news website, an 11 times annual magazine, online video streaming, internet forums and an ESPN television show...
magazine ranked Harvard's incoming freshman class as the third-best in the nation. That year, the Crimson improved to an 8–5 record, including 3–3 in the Ivy League. In 2010, Harvard defeated sixth-ranked Princeton
Princeton Tigers men's lacrosse
The Princeton Tigers men's lacrosse team represents Princeton University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's lacrosse...
for the first time since 1990. The Crimson finished the season with a 6–6 record. He finished his tenure at Harvard with a 20–19 record.
Maryland
On June 15, 2010, Inside Lacrosse and The Baltimore SunThe Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
reported that the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
had hired Tillman to replace former head coach Dave Cottle
Dave Cottle
Dave Cottle is an American lacrosse coach. He is currently a consultant to the Chesapeake Bayhawks of Major League Lacrosse and Marquette University, which announced it was addding men's and women's varsity lacrosse on December 16, 2010. He was previously the head coach for the Maryland Terrapins...
. He was signed to a seven-year contract with a $150,000 annual salary. Tillman stated that the long-term contract was the deciding factor in taking the job, rather than remain at Harvard. "I think what it showed me was that the administration at Maryland believed in me."
In his first season at Maryland, Tillman's Terrapins finished with a 13–5 record, the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
tournament championship, and as national runners-up after a loss to Virginia
Virginia Cavaliers men's lacrosse
The Virginia Cavaliers men's lacrosse team represents the University of Virginia in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's lacrosse...
in the NCAA championship game. Tillman inherited an experienced squad with 17 seniors from one of the highest ranked 2007 recruiting classes. Rather than overhaul the team, Tillman made minor adjustments to terminology and refocused the defensive scheme from man-to-man match-ups to team containment. During the postseason, Tillman remained in contact with his two predecessors at Maryland. He discussed his players and their personalities with former coach Dave Cottle
Dave Cottle
Dave Cottle is an American lacrosse coach. He is currently a consultant to the Chesapeake Bayhawks of Major League Lacrosse and Marquette University, which announced it was addding men's and women's varsity lacrosse on December 16, 2010. He was previously the head coach for the Maryland Terrapins...
, whom he invited to address the team after the regular season in which they lost to four underdog opponents. Tillman also consulted with Hall of Fame inductee Dick Edell
Dick Edell
Richard "Dick" Edell is an American former lacrosse coach. He served as the head coach for the University of Maryland, United States Military Academy, and University of Baltimore's men's lacrosse teams...
, who led Maryland to three finishes as national runners-up. Edell, whose teams lost the championship game in 1995, 1997, and 1998 said, "I will counsel people on the semifinals. I don't have a useful thing to say about the final."
After the season, Navy expressed interest in hiring Tillman as replacement for retired head coach Richie Meade
Richie Meade
Richie Meade is an American college lacrosse coach. He was the head coach of the Navy lacrosse team at the United States Naval Academy and at the University of Baltimore until they discontinued their athletics program...
, but he elected to remain at Maryland.
External links
- Q&A With John Tillman, Lax Magazine, September 2009.