Wabash College President Patrick E. White has appointed Terry Corcoran as the College's first lacrosse coach. Corcoran brings 31 seasons of experience as a head coach to a Little Giant lacrosse program that will move from club to varsity status in 2014-15.
“Terry Corcoran brings together the highest standards of coach and athlete, student and teacher, we expect at Wabash,” said White. “Shaped by his collegiate days at Hobart College, one of America’s distinctive liberal arts colleges, and his career at several great colleges as a coach, Coach Corcoran has shown a relentless commitment to excellence and to fulfilling the highest imagination of what athletics can bring to the education of the whole man. I could not imagine a better choice as a coach to inaugurate Wabash College’s varsity lacrosse.”
Corcoran has led teams to 273 victories, ranking him seventh among active NCAA Division III men’s lacrosse coaches and sixth among all-time DIII coaches with 10 or more seasons as a head coach. He was named the Division III Lacrosse Coach of the Year in both 1985 and 2005.
Eleven of his teams have earned NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament berths and 50 of his players have received All-America honors.
“This is an exciting opportunity,” Corcoran said. “During my visit I was impressed with everything I saw and everyone I met. It was very clear there is a tremendous sense of pride and commitment at Wabash — in academics and athletics. I believe that combination provides a foundation for unlimited success both academically and athletically.”
Corcoran comes to Wabash from Elizabethtown College where he led the Blue Jays to 71 victories in eight seasons, including the 2010 Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) regular season championship. He coached two All-American and two Scholar All-American players — the first such honors awarded to the Elizabethtown program. Corcoran’s players also earned MAC Player of the Year honors in three separate seasons.
“Transitioning a lacrosse program from club to varsity takes a lot of energy, and I’m excited for this challenge, “ said Corcoran. “I plan to communicate with the current members of the club program and the lacrosse alumni to make sure they are an integral part of our program. Of course, the next step is to immediately start recruiting the type of young men who want to succeed in both lacrosse and life.”
“I am extremely excited to welcome Coach Corcoran to the Wabash family,” said Wabash Dean of Students Mike Raters. “Terry had done his homework and was most impressive in his articulation of and commitment to our Gentleman’s Rule and Mission Statement. In him we will have a great teacher of all we try to accomplish in Wabash Athletics, on and off the field. His penchant for lifelong learning and a thirst for challenge is consistent with the ‘Wabash Always Fights’ approach to life we seek to instill in our student-athletes.”
Corcoran graduated from Hobart College in 1978 and was a three-time All-American lacrosse player in 1976, 1977, and 1978. He helped the Statesmen earn the NCAA championship in 1976 and 1977. In 1978, Corcoran led the nation in scoring and guided Hobart to the title match and was named the Division II-III Attackman of the Year Award. Corcoran was inducted into the Hobart Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992.
From 1982 through 1994, he served as head coach at Washington College in Maryland where he guided teams to the NCAA lacrosse tournament 10 times in his 12 seasons, including four NCAA Finals appearances. He coached 48 All-Americans, seven of his players earned Player of the Year honors at their position, and he coached a Division III National Player of the Year.
Corcoran also held successful head coaching positions at the University of Pennsylvania and Skidmore College. He began his coaching career an assistant at Corning East High School in New York, Hobart College, and Princeton University.
Corcoran has been inducted into the Corning, New York Sports Hall of Fame (1984), the Washington College Athletics Hall of Fame (2010), and the Skidmore Athletics Hall of Fame (2012 as part of the 2005 Team induction). He is the past vice-president of the United States Lacrosse Coaches Association and past chairman of the DIII All-America Committee.
“Terry brings immense experience and invaluable contacts to Wabash as he has successfully built three different Division III lacrosse programs and taken them to new heights,” said Wabash Director of Athletics Joe Haklin. “He is highly regarded in the lacrosse community as a recruiter and as a strategist. Furthermore, his belief that hard work and discipline are the cornerstones of success fits in well with the Wabash athletic ethos.”
“Our student-athletes should expect a most knowledgeable, organized, prepared, energetic, and dedicated mentor,” Dean Raters added. “He will remind them of his boss, Joe Haklin, in terms of his passion and enthusiasm. Kudos to Joe and the search committee for attracting a deep and talented pool of candidates, resulting in the hire of a man of widespread recognition and respect in lacrosse circles.”
Corcoran begins his duties immediately.