Two sons on team share moment in sun with father
By: Bob Nuse
In the last 10 years, the Princeton University men’s lacrosse team has won six national championships.
Each of those championships was special in its own way.
The first one in 1992, well, it was the first one. An unexpected championship and a sign of things to come.
When the Tigers won their second title two years later in 1994, it went a long way towards validating the previous title. That 1994 championship made people realize the title two years earlier was no fluke.
In 1996 the Tigers won their third title and the first of what would be three straight. That title proved the Tigers could win without departed stars like Scott Bacigalupo, David Morrow and Kevin Lowe.
In 1997, Princeton went unbeaten and won back-to-back titles for the first time. Then, a year later, the Tigers won title No. 5, which came in a year when for the first time, everyone expected Princeton to win it all. With the vaunted attack of Jesse Hubbard, Jon Hess and Chris Massey now seniors, the Tigers were under pressure to win for the first time and they responded with a fifth title.
This past Monday, Princeton won the national championship for the sixth straight time. And while all hold a special place in Bill Tierney’s heart, this was will always be the most memorable.
"We always talk to the kids about not being selfish, and I always try to be that way myself," Tierney said Monday after winning the sixth title. "But I’ve watched one of these kids play goalie since he was 6 years old and listened to people say he was only playing because he was my son. And I’ve heard people say the other one was to small and too slow to play Division I lacrosse.
"I know I had to apologize to the other kids on the team for this, but this one was special for me and my family. To be able to win this with my two sons, it’s something we’ve dreamed about. This is just a special moment for our whole family."
Tierney’s oldest son, Trevor, was a freshman goalie on the national championship team of 1998. His play in the quarterfinals that year helped get Princeton to the Final Four. But over the championship weekend, his play was limited to closing out the fourth quarter.
Brendan, the youngest son, joined father and brother on the last two Princeton teams, both of which eventually saw their title run ended by Syracuse. This year, the three got a title together.
"Ever since the final last year when we lost to Syracuse, this is what I’ve worked for and thought about," said Trevor, who capped off his career by being named a first team All-American this week. "All summer and all through the practices, this is what I thought about. I wanted us to get back here and win a championship.
"To be able to walk off that field with my father and brother having won a national championship is something I’ll never forget."
And it’s something the Princeton head coach won’t forget either.
"There is no finer moment than what we’re feeling right now," Bill Tierney said after the win. "I had to apologize to the team for this emotion, knowing they were the ones who made it all possible.
"They’re all special when you win a national championship. But I have to admit that this one, having both of my sons on the team, this one is a very special. I just had to be a little selfish this time."
Once a player joins the Princeton lacrosse program, they become part of an extended family. This title was not only big for the current crop of players, but for those who have played in the past as well. And through it all, there has been Bill Tierney, who along with assistant coach Dave Metzbower has orchestrated this journey that has brought six titles.
"A lot of the credit for this has to go to David Metzbower," Tierney said. "People will never know just how much he means to the success of this program. He’s so much a part of this and sometimes that gets overlooked. But we all know what he means to us."
But it all starts with Bill Tierney, whose six national titles ties him with Roy Simmons Jr. for the all-time Division I lead.
"It all starts with Coach," Trevor Tierney said. "A bad pass in practice and he goes crazy. A defensive lapse in practice and he goes crazy. We’re in pressure situations from February on.
"We know that we need to make sacrifices and if we make them, we end our careers with (championship) rings."