The greatest player isn't necessarily the greatest coach. After nine years of coaching at Dartmouth, men's lacrosse head coach Tim Nelson stepped down July 1.
Although he started his coaching career with a rather weak 2-11 start in 1990, he finished the last five years with a 36-28 record. His peak at Dartmouth was the 1994 team, which won 10 out of 14 games.
This year, the team struggled as the squad finished with 1-5 record in the Ivies and 6-7 overall. During the season, the Big Green were outscored 149-166 (54-92 in the Ivy).
"Tim analyzed his performance and decided to pursue some other career," Athletic Director Richard Jaeger said. "He was frustrated by the development in his coaching and the complex challenges that coaches have to endure."
"He made some great progress with the team and tried to catch the front-runners in the league," Jaeger said. "His team produced some great players. He recruited them and coached them."
One of Nelson's products, All-American Scott Hapgood '97, led the nation in goals during his time at the College.
In nine years, the team won 47 games while producing 13 All-Ivy players and five All -Americans.
As one of the finest collegiate players in history, Nelson played for Syracuse University. He was both an All-American and a National Attackman of the Year three times.
Nelson ended his college career as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history. Meanwhile, his team won the NCAA championship once and finished second twice.
"Tim was a great guy. And he was a real competitor," Jaeger said. "He worked hard, but he decided to challenge something different."
The College has already started the search for his replacement, Jaeger said. The candidates have already sent in their resumes and will be interviewed by the search committee as well as the players.
Nelson has already left the College and was unavailable for comment.
