Hall of Fame lacrosse coach Bill Tierney is recovering at his home in the Denver metro area after experiencing a heart-related health issue and undergoing surgery last week, the Philadelphia Waterdogs announced Wednesday.
The news comes just one month after Tierney guided the Philadelphia Waterdogs to the 2026 Premier Lacrosse League championship, a dominant 14-4 victory over the Denver Outlaws that delivered the eighth title of his coaching career. With it, Tierney became the first lacrosse coach to win a college and professional championship.
“We’re sending Coach our best for a speedy recovery,” the team said in a statement issued on social media. “Our thoughts are with Bill, [his wife] Helen and the entire Tierney family.”
The University of Denver, the school at which Tierney spent 14 seasons before he retired from college coaching in 2023, added that it “can’t wait to see him back in the stands at Peter Barton [Stadium] this spring.”
Tierney is one of the most accomplished coaches in lacrosse history. In 1988, his first year as Princeton’s head coach, his team finished 2-13. He turned the Tigers into a dynasty, winning six NCAA championships between 1992 and 2001.
Then he went west, taking over and elevating the DU program in 2009. In 2015, he coached Pioneers lacrosse to their first NCAA championship, making him the first head coach to lead two programs to NCAA Division I titles. Across 14 seasons at DU, Tierney went 169-59, including a 69-8 record in conference games. He retired from college coaching after the 2023 season with a 439-152 record.
Retirement didn’t last. Tierney spent just seven months away from the game before receiving a call about coaching the Waterdogs. His first pro season was a grind. In 2024, the Waterdogs had a 2-8 record. Two years later, behind PLL MVP and Championship MVP CJ Kirst and fellow first-team PLL All-Pro attackman Michael Sowers, Philadelphia lifted the trophy.
Tierney, who was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2002, was named 2026 Dick Edell Coach of the Year.
