Son will join ex-PU lacrosse coach at Denver
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
From every corner of the lacrosse world came shock at Bill Tierney’s decision to exit the Princeton University program that he built for a University of Denver program that he hopes will rise to new heights and pave the way to wider appeal of the sport.
Tierney himself isn’t exempt of the shock.
”I had a lot of messages to send out, and I used that word a lot,” Tierney said. “I’m as shocked as anyone because I wasn’t looking. When I went out there last Thursday, every corner I turned, someone was telling me how great it was. They have great facilities. There’s great leadership out there. Jamie Munro has done a great job of getting it to a good point. We want to make it great.”
Tierney takes over for Munro, the former head coach who resigned from Denver after a 7-8 season that was sabotaged by the dismissal of three players for team rules violations. Princeton went 13-3 in Tierney’s 22nd season at the helm and reached a 16th NCAA Tournament quarterfinal.
”A few years ago, they were in the quarterfinals,” Tierney said of Denver. “This is a team that had players. They had a little breakdown in communication this year, hence the opening. This is a team with talent. As soon as I get back there and mend some fences and establish what was wrong, we’ll get going. We’ll get the kids that buy in and get rid of the kids that don’t. It’s a great opportunity to be good quickly.”
Making the move all the easier is the fact that Tierney will bring his son Trevor Tierney on Denver staff as the top assistant. Tierney’s other son, Brendan, lives in Seattle, while youngest daughter Brianne coaches at California. Oldest daughter Courtney teaches and coaches at The Pennington School.
”I’ve already been blessed one time around winning a national championship with my two sons,” Tierney said. “To share the sideline with one, that’s going to be fun. It’s the icing on the cake. It’s an added benefit for going to Denver. He didn’t have to lure me out there or try to get me to come. But it’s a comforting feeling knowing I’ll have him there.”
Trevor Tierney has established roots in Denver. He was an assistant at Denver for one season before exploring other options, played professionally in the city, coaches professionally now in Denver, and is ready to step back into the college scene.
”The past couple years, I’ve been looking around at some different opportunities,” Trevor said. “I wanted to get back. It couldn’t be a better situation to get to work with my dad and be in a place I love. I’m excited about the opportunity.
”It’s a hard place not to like. When he came out here to check it out, he said, ‘I thought I’d be able to find something I didn’t like about this place so I could say no.’ He couldn’t. He’s seen from me how much I like it.”
Tierney and his wife, Helen, had always planned to retire to Denver. But the 57-year-old isn’t close to retiring. He is 272-93 as a college head coach, including 238-86 at Princeton. He won six national titles with the Tigers, and built them from the ground up. It took something special to pull Tierney away from Princeton.
”I’ve been offered other jobs before,” he said. “This one feels right. I think it’s going to be a good place for us.”
Tierney notified his players by email of his decision Monday afternoon. The email explained his decision before he began calling players individually later in the day.
”I wanted them all to find out at the same time,” Tierney said. “I sent a long letter. Now I’m talking to each one individually.
”It’s very tough. But it’s what you expect of Princeton people, alums, players, their families — they’ve all been supportive. I’m sure they’re hurting, just as I am. They’ve all said, if that’s what’s best for you and your family, we’ll be behind you. I’ve been so blessed. These people are phenomenal. I’m going to miss them to death.
”As I said to the kids, let’s not bemoan the fact our time is cut short. Let’s enjoy the time we had together.”
Trevor was one of the alums on that email distribution list.
”I see both ends of it,” he said. “I have very close friends from Princeton. I got the same email letter from my dad, and when you read it and it’s kind of sad. It’s the end of an era at Princeton. That place meant so much to me and my family. It’s like grieving for something. It’s been a little sad.
”The other side of it is I have a lot of friends that are alums of Denver University. I’ve built a lot of contacts from working out here. There are people that are very excited about it. The growth of lacrosse is so amazing here. This is the cherry on the top for Denver.”
By improving a western program, Bill Tierney hopes he can make lacrosse a more popular sport nationwide. He made Princeton a household name in the lacrosse world, and he hopes to make lacrosse a bigger name in the sports world.
”Bill has been a great leader of the Princeton lacrosse program and a great ambassador for the athletic department and the game of lacrosse itself,” said Princeton athletics director Gary Walters. “At the same time, Princeton remains committed to the high quality of its men’s lacrosse program, and as such we will now conduct a national search in as timely a manner as possible.”
Dave Metzbower has been Tierney’s top assistant for 20 years. His potential successor is just one person that Bill Tierney will miss as he heads to Denver to take on a new challenge, one for which he is excited.
”I get to continue my passion, coaching young men, in a place that really wants to win,” Tierney said. “The place has some benefits to it.”
So does Princeton after all the work that Bill Tierney put into building the program. An opportunity in Denver, though, has done what nothing else in the last two decades could — take Tierney away from the Tigers. And he’s as shocked as anyone.
”It’s very, very difficult,” he said.