BALTIMORE – US Lacrosse announced the U.S. Men’s National U-19 Team coaching staff that at will join recently appointed head coach, Tim Flynn. Jack Crawford, head coach at Loyola Blakefield (Md.) School; Tom Duquette, head coach at Norfolk (Va.) Academy and Tom Rotanz, head coach at Shoreham (N.Y.) Wading River High School were named assistant coaches.
“We are thrilled with the selection of these three coaches to assist Tim Flynn in leading the 2012 U.S. Men’s National U-19 Team,” said Nathaniel Badder, director of US Lacrosse’s national teams. “Individually, they are all men of high character and with remarkable records of success on the lacrosse field. Collectively, they will complement one another well to form a tremendous staff which will steer the team toward the championship in 2012.”
Jack Crawford has 22 years of coaching experience under his belt and has been the head boys’ lacrosse coach at Loyola Blakefield (Md.) since 2003 where is current coaching record is 102-35. Prior to coaching at Loyola Blakefield, he was the head boys’ coach at the Thacher School (Ojai, Calif.) and assistant varsity coach at the Landon School (Bethesda, Md.) A veteran volunteer for US Lacrosse, Crawford has served as an evaluator at the 2008 men’s U-19 team tryouts and has provided coaching workshops and educational sessions at several US Lacrosse National Conventions.
Tom Duquette, a member of the 1974 U.S. men’s national team and former coach of the 1986 North South game, is currently the head boys’ varstity coach at Norfolk (Va.) Academy. Duquette has over 30 years of teaching and coaching experience. A standout attackman for the University of Virginia from 1970-73, Duquette was elected into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2001. He is also a member of the Virginia and Baltimore Chapters’ Halls of Fame.
Tom Rotanz also contributed to the game as an outstanding player before serving as an outstanding coach. Rotanz was an All-American at Ward Mellville (N.Y.) High School and an All-American and a national champion at both Suffolk County Community College and Adelphi (N.Y.) University. As a coach, Rotanz earned Suffolk County “Coach of the Year” six times (1999, 2001-03, 2006-07) and “Man of the Year” in 1999 plus Newsday’s “Coach of the Year” (2001, 2003 and 2007). Rotanz has also offered his time as a speaker at the 2001 and 2003 US Lacrosse National Conventions. He has served as head boys’ lacrosse coach at Shoreham-Wading River (N.Y.) High School since 1995 and prior to that, he has coached at Longwood (N.Y.) High School (1991093) and Rocky Point (N.Y.) High School (1986-89).
Crawford, Duquette and Rotanz will join Tim Flynn who was recently named head coach of the U.S. men’s U-19 national team.
Flynn has been the head boy’s varsity lacrosse coach at Mountain Lakes High School since 1979. Flynn is past president of the New Jersey Lacrosse Coaches Association and a past trustee of the New Jersey chapter of US Lacrosse. His resume also lists extensive awards for his coaching excellence, including New Jersey Coach of the Year bestowed by both the New Jersey Star Ledger (1987, 1989) and the New Jersey Coaches Association (1988, 1993) and he was the recipeinct of the Len Roland Sportsmanship Award (1990) and the Garden State Games Distinguished Service Award (1997). Flynn is a member of the New Jersey chapter of US Lacrosse Hall of Fame (inducted 1998), the NJSIAA Hall of Fame (inducted 1995) and the Montclair State College Lacrosse Hall of Fame (inducted 2009).
“After reviewing the applications from a very strong and accomplished candidate pool, I am extremely excited to be working with Tom Duquette, Jack Crawford and Tom Rotanz,” said Flynn. “All three are educators who have developed rock solid and very successful programs that compete at the highest levels and have withstood the test of time. Each fulfills an area of expertise for the staff that will be needed to accomplish the goal of winning a World Championship. I look forward to working with these three professionals in molding our players into a team worthy to represent the United States.”
The U.S. men’s national U19 lacrosse team won gold in all six of the past ILF World Championships (2008, 2003, 1999, 1996, 1992 and 1988). In USA’s most recent victory, the Americans beat Canada for the gold in Coquitlam, B.C. (Canada) by a score of 19-12.
More information on the 2012 FIL World Championships can be found at http://www.2012worldlacrosse.com.
US Lacrosse is the parent organization of the U.S. men’s and women’s national lacrosse teams. Warrior is the official exclusive equipment and apparel supplier to the U.S. men’s national teams program. More information on the U.S. men’s national U19 lacrosse team can be found at http://www.uslacrosse.org/TopNav/NationalTeams/MensU19Team.aspx.
