Today, the Panther City Lacrosse Club announced Tracey Kelusky would become the franchise’s first head coach.
“To say I’m incredibly honored would be an understatement. The past six years of coaching in the NLL has afforded me the opportunity to grow as a coach and as a person,” Kelusky said. “I am very excited for the opportunity to assist in leading the Panther City franchise to become a championship caliber team in the NLL.”
Kelusky previously served as the offensive coach for the Philadelphia Wings, where he oversaw the highest-scoring offense in the league during the 2019-2020 season. Before coaching with Philadelphia, Kelusky was an assistant coach for the New England Black Wolves following his 14-year playing career.
During his playing career, Kelusky found the back of the net 383 times, dished out 440 assists and racked up 823 points in 195 games, playing for the Columbus Landsharks, Montreal Express, Calgary Roughnecks, Buffalo Bandits and Philadelphia Wings. He was named the 2000-2001 NLL Rookie of the Year after being drafted out of the University of Hartford. Kelusky also won the NLL All-Star MVP in 2005 and two NLL Champion’s Cups in 2004 and 2009.
“This is an exciting day for the Panther City Lacrosse Club and for our city of Fort Worth,” General Manager Bob Hamley said. “I am proud to announce Tracey Kelusky as our head coach. Tracey has a rich history in our game and is a talented coach. Tracey has a proven ability to develop players and maximize their abilities. For these and many other reasons, we are thrilled to have him represent Panther City Lacrosse.”
“I know the entire group is committed to bringing a successful franchise into the state of Texas and there is lots of work to be done,” Kelusky added. “Alongside our strong leadership group of Bob Hamley and Greg Bibb, we will build a team that is an attractive place to play for the world’s best lacrosse players. I am looking forward to sharing my passion and to getting started in creating that success with likeminded staff and players. We are Fort Worth…We are Panther City!”
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