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 15 seasons. One of the
nation’s most successful lacrosse coaches, he enters his 16th
season with a 202-38 (.842) overall mark. Since the turn of the
century, Sheehan’s Dolphins are 190-21 (.900).
The 1995 Ithaca College graduate guided Le Moyne to nine
consecutive NCAA tournament berths between 2002 and 2010 - its only
trips to the national tournament in program history. Sheehan is a
seven-time Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year, 2000 USILA
Division II Coach of the Year and 2010 FieldTurf Division II Coach
of the Year.
In 2009, the Dolphins returned to the National Championship game
for the fourth consecutive season. The Dolphins lost to C.W. Post,
8-7, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts to end the
season 16-1. Le Moyne went undefeated in conference play for the
ninth time in the last 10 years by posting a 9-0 record against
Northeast-10 opponents. The Dolphins cruised through the conference
tournament, allowing just four goals over two games, to claim their
ninth tournament title. The Dolphins led the nation in scoring
defense (3.94) for the ninth straight season, while also recording
the top Man-Down Defense (7-68/.103) and Winning Percentage (16-1).
Senior goalkeeper Doug McIver received top individual honors for
leading the country in Goals-Against-Average (3.96) and save
percentage (.681).
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.
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Coaching Profile...
- Overall Record: 220-40 (.846)
- NE-10 Record: 139-8 (.946)
- Four NCAA Championships (2004, 2006,
2007, 2013)
- Seven NCAA Championship Games
- 11 NCAA Tournament Appearances
- 11 NE-10 Tournament
Championships
- Seven-time NE-10 Coach of the
Year
- 2000 USILA Coach of the Year
Coaching Record...
| Year |
Wins |
Losses |
Pct. |
| 1998 |
6 |
9 |
.400 |
| 1999 |
6 |
8 |
.429 |
| 2000 |
13 |
3 |
.813 |
| 2001 |
12 |
3 |
.800 |
| 2002 |
13 |
3 |
.813 |
| 2003 |
14 |
1 |
.933 |
| 2004 |
16 |
0 |
1.000 |
| 2005 |
14 |
1 |
.933 |
| 2006 |
18 |
0 |
1.000 |
| 2007 |
15 |
2 |
.882 |
| 2008 |
15 |
2 |
.882 |
| 2009 |
16 |
1 |
.941 |
| 2010 |
15 |
2 |
.882 |
| 2011 |
12 |
2 |
.857 |
| 2012 |
17 |
1 |
.944 |
| 2013 |
18 |
2 |
.900 |
| Total |
220 |
40 |
.846 |
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