The Denver Pioneers men's lacrosse team represents the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univ ...

(DU) in

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

(NCAA) Division I

college lacrosse College lacrosse is played by student-athletes at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. In both countries, men's field lacrosse and women's lacrosse are played at both the varsity and club levels. College lacrosse in Canada is ...

. The DU men's lacrosse program was first introduced in 1966 as a club sport. The program alternated between varsity and club status until entering Division I in 1999. Since the 2014 season, the Pioneers have competed as an associate member of the

Big East Conference The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

. DU was initially a Big East member in men's lacrosse only, but added women's lacrosse to its Big East membership in advance of the 2017 season. Before DU's move to the Big East for the 2014 season, it had been a member of the

Great Western Lacrosse League The Great Western Lacrosse League, also known as the GWLL, was an NCAA Division I men's college lacrosse athletic conference that existed from 1994 to 2009. The conference was created when the NCAA instituted automatic qualifiers to the NCAA c ...

from 1998 to 2009 and then the

ECAC Lacrosse League The ECAC Lacrosse League was an American NCAA Division I college athletic conference and part of the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Founded in 1999 with play beginning in 2000, this part of the conference only sponsored men's lacrosse. It d ...

from 2010 to 2013. Through 2015, Denver has an all-time varsity record of 272–203–1. In Division I alone, they are 173–95. Denver plays its home games at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium, which has a capacity of 2,000 people.

Early years

The

first began sponsoring men's lacrosse as a club sport in 1966 under coach Pete Richardson. Over the next 24 years, the team would alternate between varsity and club status in the RMLA, a member of the

US Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates The US Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates (USLIA) are programs created by US Lacrosse, the national governing body for lacrosse in the United States, to foster intercollegiate teams for both men and women prior to the National Collegiate Athletic ...

(USLIA). In 1991, Denver transitioned into

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

as a member of the RMILL before making the full transition to Division I with the rest of DU sports in 1999. The Pioneers first joined the

(GWLL) as a charter member in 1994, although the Pioneers would not compete in the conference as a full Division I member until 1999. In 1999, Denver hired Jamie Munro as head coach for the team's inaugural season in Division I and the GWLL. Under Munro, the Pioneers would win their first conference regular season title after finishing with a 4–1 conference record (tied with Notre Dame and

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

). After winning the GWLL outright in 2006 with a 5–0 conference record, Denver earned a bid to their first NCAA Tournament, where they would fall 16–8 to

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

. Two years later the Pioneers again shared the GWLL regular season title with Notre Dame and Ohio State, but earned an at-large bid to the

2008 NCAA Tournament The 2008 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketba ...

with a 10–7 overall record. Denver would lose to Maryland once again, this time 10–7. After finishing 1–4 in the conference and 7–8 overall in 2009, Jamie Munro resigned. Munro finished with a 90–70 record as head coach of the Pioneers, securing four GWLL Championship titles (2003, 2005, 2006, 2008) and two NCAA postseason tournament appearances (2006, 2008). He was also named GWLL Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2006.

Bill Tierney era

In 2009,

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

coach

Bill Tierney William G. Tierney (born September 26, 1952) is an American lacrosse coach who currently heads the men's lacrosse team at the University of Denver. Tierney is the first college lacrosse coach to win an NCAA DI Championship west of the Eastern ...

was named head coach of the Pioneers. Tierney was previously the coach at

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nin ...

for 22 years, earning 6 NCAA championships in 9 years, appearing in 8 championship games, 9 Final Fours and 11 Ivy League championships. In 2010, the Pioneers tied the program-best record of 12–5 and earned the ECAC regular season title after completing a 7–0 conference record. Denver would earn just their third NCAA Tournament birth, where they would lose to Stony Brook, 9–7, in the first round. In 2011, the Pioneers completed a 15–3 record, again going undefeated in the ECAC at 6–0 to capture the conference regular season and tournament championships. In the 2011 NCAA Tournament the No. 6-seeded Pioneers hosted No. 11 Villanova in front of a standing room-only home crowd of 2,575. In the first NCAA Tournament game to ever be held west of the Mississippi River, Denver earned its first ever tournament win, beating Villanova 13–10 to advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinal round Denver defeated

Johns Hopkins Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland where he remained for most ...

14–9 at

James M. Shuart Stadium The James M. Shuart Stadium is an 11,929-seat multi-purpose stadium and sports facility, the facility serves as the home to Hofstra's lacrosse teams on the campus of Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. First opened in 1963, and remodeled in ...

Hempstead, New York The Town of Hempstead (also known historically as South Hempstead) is the largest of the three towns in Nassau County (alongside North Hempstead and Oyster Bay) in the U.S. state of New York. It occupies the southwestern part of the county, o ...

to earn a spot in the NCAA Final Four. At

M&T Bank Stadium M&T Bank Stadium is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium is immediately adjacent to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the home of the ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

the Pioneers would fall to the eventual champion

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

by a score of 14–8. Following the school's first NCAA Final Four, the Pioneers completed a 9–7 record while going 3–3 in the ECAC. Although the 9–7 regular season tally did not compare to previous season records, Denver lost six one–goal games, including four in overtime throughout the season. The Pioneers would still make the 2012 NCAA Tournament thanks to one of the toughest schedules in the country. In the first round the Pioneers defeated

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

16–14 in

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange, Durham and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 census, making Chapel Hill the 17th-largest municipality in the state. Chapel Hill, Durham, and the state ...

, but would go on to lose to conference rival and eventual national champion Loyola-Maryland for the third time, by a score of 10–9 in front of 13,390 fans at the

Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium is an open-air stadium located off the campus of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Opened in 1959, it serves as the home stadium of the Navy Midshipmen college football and lacrosse team ...

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

. In 2013, Denver would once again capture the ECAC regular season crown after earning a 6–1 conference record and an 11–3 overall record. After the 11th week of the season Denver would earn the No. 1 ranking in both the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and the USILA Coaches Poll, the first time in program history that they have been ranked No. 1 in the country. Denver would go on to lose to

in the ECAC title game, but the Pioneers would earn an at-large bid to the 2013 NCAA Tournament. In the first round Denver would host just the second NCAA Tournament game held west of the Mississippi at a sold out Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium. A record 2,621 fans were on hand to see Denver top Albany 19–14. In the quarterfinals, Denver faced a rematch of a 2011 first round game against

, this time at

Lucas Oil Stadium Lucas Oil Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It replaced the RCA Dome as the home field of the National Football League (NFL)'s Indianapolis Colts and opened on August 16, 2008. The stadium wa ...

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mar ...

. After falling behind 6–0 early on, the Pioneers were behind 9–4 at the half but would go 8–2 in the second half, including 5–1 in the final quarter to win 12–11. Denver became the first team in Men’s Lacrosse Championship Quarterfinal history to win after trailing by five goals or more. In the Pioneer's second semifinal appearance in three years, Denver would fall to

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy * Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' * Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York ** North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, M ...

9–8 at

Lincoln Financial Field Lincoln Financial Field is an American football stadium located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It serves as the home stadium of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) and the Temple Owls football team of Temple University. ...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

. Denver would end the season 14–5 and ranked No. 4 in the final polls. The 2015 season was the most successful in DU lacrosse history. The Pioneers won both the Big East regular-season and tournament titles, earning a #4 seed in that year's NCAA tournament. They went on to win the NCAA title, defeating Maryland in the final at Lincoln Financial Field and becoming the first-ever NCAA men's lacrosse champion from outside the

Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a smal ...

Season Results

The following is a list of Denver's season results since becoming an NCAA Division II program in 1991 and becoming a full member of Division I in 1999: {, class="wikitable" , - align="center" †NCAA canceled 2020 collegiate activities due to the COVID-19 virus.

Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium

Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium was completed in time for the 2005 collegiate lacrosse season in February and was formally dedicated on April 30, 2005. It is the first collegiate stadium in the nation to be designed solely for lacrosse, and is home to DU men's and women's lacrosse teams.The north-facing stadium can accommodate approximately 2,000 people and features pre-cast concrete bench seating, locker rooms for men and women, public restrooms, a concession area, viewing pavilion/conference room and a two-direction press box that also serves the soccer field to the south. The stadium is named for the late Peter Barton, who was the former president and chief executive of cable television company Liberty Media Corp. Laura Barton, Peter Barton’s widow, donated the lead gift for the $6.32 million stadium complex. Other prominent donors were John and Anna Sie, and Myra Levy, whose family used to sell concessions at DU football games. With a capacity of approximately 2,000, Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium has hosted 26 sellout games (including an exhibition match against Johns Hopkins on January 30, 2016), including eight in a row (as of 2/28/16). DU is 76–14 all time at Peter Barton Lacrosse, including 45–5 under Coach Bill Tierney, and 21–4 in sellout games. The 10 highest attendance games are listed below: {, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;" !Rank ! class="unsortable" , Attendance !Date ! class="unsortable" , Final score ! class="unsortable" , Visiting team , - , 1 , , 3,117 , , , , W 19–7 , , Georgetown , - , 2 , , 2,748 , , , , W 9–5* , ,

, - , 3 , , 2,728 , , , , W 11–10 , , Notre Dame , - , 4 , , 2,715 , , , , W 15–4 , , Villanova , - , 5 , , 2,702 , , , , W 16–9 , , St. John's , - , 6 , , 2,676 , , , , W 13–9 , ,

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

, - , 7 , , 2,631 , , , , W 16–6 , , Dartmouth , - , 8 , , 2,621 , , , , W 19–14* , , Albany , - , 9 , , 2,575 , , , , W 13–10* , , Villanova , - , 10 , , 2,545 , , , , L 9–10 , , Notre Dame *NCAA Tournament Game

References

External links

Official website
{{Big East Conference men's lacrosse navbox 1966 establishments in Colorado Lacrosse clubs established in 1966