| Dan Sheehan | ||
 |
Head Men's Lacrosse Coach & Assistant Athletics Director | |
| sheehadj@lemoyne.edu | ||
| (315) 445-4463 | ||
Dan Sheehan, the only coach at Le Moyne College to lead his team to a national championship, has served as the men's lacrosse head coach for 11 seasons. One of the nation's most successful lacrosse coaches, he enters his 12th season with a 142-32 (.816) overall mark. Since the turn of the century, Sheehan's Dolphins are 130-15 (.897).
The 1995 Ithaca College graduate has guided Le Moyne to seven consecutive NCAA tournament berths - its only trips to the national tournament in program history. Sheehan, a seven-time Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year and 2000 USILA Division II Coach of the Year, also serves as an Assistant Athletic Director at Le Moyne.
In 2008, Sheehan led the Dolphins to their third
consecutive appearance in the National Championship game, held at
Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Sheehan's charges,
which finished the season 15-2, fell to New York Tech in the title
game by a score of 16-11. En route to the title game, the Dolphins
clinched their eighth Northeast-10 Conference regular season
championship by going 10-0 in conference play. For the eighth
consecutive season, Le Moyne posted the best goals against average
in Division II (3.94).
In 2007, the Dolphins earned their third national championship and
second consecutive title by defeating Mercyhurst, 6-5, in
Baltimore, Maryland. The USILA honored Most Outstanding player
of the game, Mike McDonald, with the Turnbull Award, and three
other players were announced as First Team All-Americans. From
2004 to 2007, Sheehan led his teams to 63 wins and only dropped 3
contests. With a third national championship ring, the senior class
left as the program's most decorated. In '07, the Dolphins led the
nation in goals against average for the seventh consecutive season.
In 2006, he guided the Dolphins to a program record 18 wins and its second national championship. Le Moyne was ranked first in every poll, led the nation in goals against average for the sixth consecutive season and landed eight players on the USILA All-America team en route to its second perfect season in three years. The Dolphins downed Dowling 12-5 in front of 23,990 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia for their second national championship.
In 2005, Sheehan led the Dolphins to a 14-1 overall mark and 10-0 Northeast-10 Conference record. Le Moyne's vaunted defense allowed an unprecedented 3.27 goals per game. A program-record seven Dolphins were named to the USILA All-America teams, including national player of the year Travis Tarr.
An 11-10 double overtime triumph over Limestone in front of 19,202 at M&T Bank Stadium in the NCAA Division II Championship capped off a perfect 2004 season. Le Moyne trailed 10-9 with nine seconds remaining, but out of a timeout Brandon Spillett rushed the cage and scored to send the game into overtime. The Dolphins dodged several Limestone chances in the extra sessions, but Spillett netted the decisive goal in the second overtime. The Dolphins raced through the regular season unbeaten, hosted the Northeast-10 Conference Championship as the regular season titelist for the fifth consecutive time, topped Bryant 7-6 for their fourth straight league crown and edged N.Y. Tech 7-5 to advance to the national championship game.
In 2003, Sheehan was named the NE-10 Conference Coach of the Year for the fourth consecutive time. The 2003 squad opened the season with a dramatic victory at defending national champion Limestone and proceeded to rattle off 14 consecutive victories. Le Moyne was ranked atop every USILA Division II regular season coaches poll as the Dolphins won a school-record 14 games. Eventual national champion N.Y. Tech spoiled the unblemished season 12-11 at Le Moyne in the national semifinals. Statistically, Le Moyne topped the NCAA Division II in defense, allowing just 5.33 goals per outing.
In 2002, Sheehan guided the Dolphins to new heights, becoming the first men's lacrosse coach to lead Le Moyne into the NCAA tournament and the first to gain the nation's No. 1 ranking. Le Moyne topped the national statistics in scoring offense, scoring defense and margin of victory (11 goals per game).
In 2001, Sheehan led Le Moyne to a 12-3 record and the second Northeast-10 Conference Championship in program history. Le Moyne topped the national statistics in goals allowed per-game and man-down. Sheehan was named the 360Lacrosse.com Division II Coach of the Year and Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year.
The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association named Sheehan its 2000 Division II Morris Touchtone National Coach of the Year. He also earned the conference coach of the year award for the first time. At the time, the 13-3 overall mark equaled the best of all-time and the 8-0 conference regular season mark set off a string of seven consecutive unbeaten seasons that currently totals 70 straight league games.
A 1991 graduate of nearby lacrosse powerhouse West Genesee High School, Sheehan resides in Camillus with his wife Kate, a 1995 Le Moyne College graduate, their two sons Kevin and Ryan and daughter Margaret.
| Sheehan Among the Best | ||||||
| Through 2007 Season | ||||||
| Active Division II Coaches | ||||||
| Rank | Coach | School | Seasons | Wins | Losses | |
| 1 | Jack Kaley | NYIT | 15 | 160 | 30 | 0.844 |
| 2 | Dan Sheehan | Le Moyne | 10 | 127 | 30 | 0.809 |
| 3 | Chris Ryan | Mercyhurst | 7 | 75 | 22 | 0.773 |
| 4 | Sandy Kaptos | Adelphi | 14 | 115 | 58 | 0.665 |
| 5 | Mike Cerino | Limestone | 17 | 147 | 81 | 0.645 |
| 6 | Tim Boyle | Dowling | 8 | 59 | 33 | 0.641 |
| 7 | Jim Murphy | Bentley | 15 | 122 | 85 | 0.589 |
| 8 | Joe Catalanotti | Molloy | 10 | 78 | 59 | 0.569 |
| Active NCAA Coaches | ||||||
| Rank | Coach | School | Seasons | Wins | Losses | |
| 1 | Jim Berkman | Salisbury | 20 | 308 | 35 | 0.898 |
| 2 | Jack Kaley | NYIT | 15 | 162 | 30 | 0.844 |
| 3 | Dan Sheehan | Le Moyne | 10 | 127 | 30 | 0.809 |
| 4 | Steve Colfer | Cabrini | 7 | 91 | 26 | 0.777 |
| 5 | Hank Janczyk | Gettysburg | 25 | 297 | 91 | 0.765 |
| 6 | Chris Ryan | Mercyhurst | 7 | 75 | 22 | 0.773 |
| 7 | Dave Pietramala | Johns Hopkins | 10 | 108 | 36 | 0.750 |
| 8 | Bill Tierney | Princeton | 23 | 252 | 86 | 0.746 |
| 9 | John Desko | Syracuse | 9 | 100 | 38 | 0.725 |
