Richard M. Moran (January 18, 1937 – April 24, 2022) was an American Hall of Fame

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

player and coach.

Playing career

His playing career began as an All-County midfielder at

Sewanhaka High School Sewanhaka High School is a six-year public high school located in Floral Park, New York. It is part of the Sewanhaka Central High School District. Sewanhaka High School was established in 1929. Its name translates to "Island of Shells" in Engl ...

Floral Park, New York Floral Park is an incorporated village in Nassau County, New York, United States, on Long Island. The population as of the US Census of 2010 is 15,863. The Incorporated Village of Floral Park is at the western border of Nassau County, and is ...

, from 1951–1955 and helped his team to four consecutive undefeated seasons before heading to the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

where he was a key performer on the 1959 Terrapins National Championship team.

Head coaching career

Moran's head coaching career began in 1961 at Manhasset High School, where he compiled a 67-5 record over five seasons, winning the Long Island Championship from 1962 to 1964. In 1966, Moran became the first lacrosse coach at

Elmont Memorial High School Elmont may refer to: Places In the United States *Elmont, Missouri *Elmont, New York **Elmont station, a Long Island Rail Road station in Elmont, New York *Elmont, Virginia Fictional people *Elmont (Doonesbury), a character in the Doonesbury comic ...

and promptly posted a 29-3 record and won two league championships in two seasons. He was also the head coach of the Long Island Athletic Club from 1966–1968, leading the team to a 31-4 record and capturing the 1968 club championship, the first-ever United States Club Lacrosse Association (USCLA) club title won by a northern team. In 1969, he succeeded the legendary Ned Harkness as the head men's lacrosse coach at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

and went on to lead the Big Red for 29 seasons, winning three national championships (1971, 1976, 1977). His teams won 15 Ivy League championships, including ten straight from 1974 to 1983, and turned in three national runner-up performances, losing in the title game in 1978, 1987 and 1988. Moran also set an NCAA record as he guided his teams to 42 consecutive victories from 1976–78 and an Ivy League record 39 straight conference wins from 1973-1979. During his tenure with the Big Red, Moran was named the USILA Coach of the Year three times (1971, 1977, 1987) the USILA Man of the Year (1975), and served as the head coach of Team USA in the 1978

World Lacrosse Championship The World Lacrosse Championship (WLC) is the international men's field lacrosse championship organized by World Lacrosse that occurs every four years. The WLC began before any international lacrosse organization had been formed. It started as ...

. He served as the President of the Irish Lacrosse Foundation and coached Team Ireland in the

World Lacrosse Championships The World Lacrosse Championship (WLC) is the international men's field lacrosse championship organized by World Lacrosse that occurs every four years. The WLC began before any international lacrosse organization had been formed. It started as a ...

in 2010 in Manchester, England, finishing 9th, in 2006 in London, Ontario, where the team took a seventh-place finish, in Perth, Australia in 2002, where the team went undefeated (5-0) en route to winning the Green Division title. Richie has also been involved in two European Lacrosse Championships with Team Ireland and prepared the team for the 2014 World Lacrosse Championships in Denver, CO.

Post-coaching career

Moran was inducted into the Manhasset, Long Island and Upstate New York Lacrosse Halls of Fame, as well as the Cornell University Athletic Hall of Fame and most recently, the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. His 1976 and 1977 Cornell teams featuring players Mike French and

Eamon McEneaney Eamon James McEneaney (December 23, 1954 – September 11, 2001) was an All-American lacrosse player at Cornell University from 1975 to 1977 and later an employee of Cantor Fitzgerald who died during the September 11 attacks. Lacrosse career McE ...

are frequently cited as among the top college lacrosse teams in NCAA history. Moran is also considered a lacrosse innovator by introducing the game to a greater pool of talented lacrosse players, specifically by recruiting box lacrosse players from Canada as well as high school talent from upstate New York. In 2012, Richie Moran received the "Spirit of Tewaaraton" award which is presented to an individual involved in the sport of lacrosse, who nobly reflects the finest virtues exemplified in the game, and who, over the course of his life, has made a significant contribution to society and to the lives of others. In May 2016, Moran was inducted into the inaugural class of the Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IMLCA) Hall of Fame. In 2017, Moran published his autobiography "It's Great to Be Here", detailing his birth during the Great Depression, his family's great sacrifice during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, his years as an elite player and years as a revered and successful coach. Moran died on April 24, 2022, at the age of 85. He is survived by his wife Pat, their three children, Kevin, Jennifer and Kathy, and their eight grandchildren, Kylie, Ryan, Chase, Lindsay, Adrienne, Eamon, Quinlan, and Finn.Richie Moran, who coached Cornell lacrosse to 3 NCAA championships, dies at 85
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Head coaching record

References

External links