College veteran McCaffrey selected as Wheaton men's lacrosse coach

October 11, 2007

NORTON, MA- Wheaton College Executive Director of Athletics Chad Yowell has announced the hiring of Mike McCaffrey as head men's lacrosse coach, effective November 1. McCaffrey replaces Peter Toner, who resigned after two seasons, and becomes the program's sixth coach heading into its 17th varsity season.

McCaffrey brings a wealth of coaching experience to Wheaton, having previously headed College of the Holy Cross' Division I program from 2000-04 and Division II American International College from 1993-97. He was also an assistant coach at Division III New England College in 1993.

"I am excited that we could find someone of Mike McCaffrey's caliber to move our program forward at this time of the year," said Yowell. "I know the team and staff are excited about having him join us."

McCaffrey has also been active beyond the realm of college coaching. In 2005, he headed the Nashua High School North boys' lacrosse team in New Hampshire during its inaugural season. McCaffrey also founded the boys' lacrosse program at Nashua's Bishop Guertin High School during the late 1980s.

"I see a lot of potential in this program, and I'm very impressed with how the players organized themselves this fall to prepare for the upcoming season," said McCaffrey. "I'm also honored to join this athletic staff, which is a tremendous collection of coaches. In this profession, we want to be associated with winning coaches who have perspective and a strong moral compass when it comes to guiding student-athletes. Hopefully I can tap into some of that success and bring it over to the lacrosse program."

At Holy Cross, which participates in the highly competitive Patriot League, 10 of McCaffrey's players were selected for the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) East-West All-Star game, and six earned NEILA Scholar-Athlete honors. His Crusaders earned 35 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll nods, and McCaffrey helped found John's Brothers, a Holy Cross-based mentoring program in the Worcester public schools that honors the memory of former captain John Price. During his first two years at Holy Cross, McCaffrey helped establish five individual team awards, including two named for late players.

McCaffrey previously spent time at American International, where he was also the men's soccer coach in addition to serving as chair of the Northeast-10 Conference's lacrosse committee and on the Division II All-America selection committee. In addition to his coaching duties, McCaffrey taught physical education for the health studies department. During his year at New England College, McCaffrey was the offensive coordinator for a lacrosse squad that won the league championship. He was also an assistant for the men's ice hockey team.

Prior to coaching at the college level, McCaffrey was a lacrosse development officer in 1991-92 for the former English Lacrosse Union, based in Manchester, England. McCaffrey was hired by the British government to teach and coach lacrosse to the country's youth. He was also responsible for coaching and instructing the English National Team in preparation for the 1994 World Lacrosse Championship.

As a player, McCaffrey helped the University of New Hampshire advance to the 1986 NCAA Tournament, and he graduated in 1988 with a degree in sports communication. A former board member of the Big Brothers Big Sister of Central Mass/Metrowest, McCaffrey is working toward a master's degree in athletic administration.

Wheaton is a selective national liberal arts college with 1,550 students drawn from virtually every state and more than 30 countries. The college combines a traditional curriculum in the arts and sciences with an innovative emphasis on real-world experience - internships, jobs and volunteer service - to help students make the connection between theory and practice. Its students gain admission to the nation's most prestigious graduate programs and regularly win competitive academic awards such as the Rhodes, Marshall and Fulbright scholarships.

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