Le Moyne Legend Dan Sheehan Announces Retirement from Coaching

Syracuse, N.Y. – Six-time national championship-winning head coach Dan Sheehan announced his retirement leading the Le Moyne College men’s lacrosse program on Wednesday to become the College’s Director of Philanthropy for Athletics. In this new position, Sheehan will lead major fundraising initiatives for alumni, friends and supporters of Dolphin athletics.

“I take tremendous pride in what the men’s lacrosse program has become today,” said Sheehan. “It has been an incredible honor to represent Le Moyne and I have been fortunate for the opportunity to be part of the lives of so many outstanding student-athletes. Our alumni and supporters are the backbone of Le Moyne and I look forward to working with them to drive the next era of innovation and championship success for all of our students.”

Sheehan concludes his 29-year tenure on the sidelines with a record of 382-84 (.820). He is tied for the 11th-most victories and the eighth-best winning percentage in the history of NCAA men’s lacrosse. He is the winningest coach at the Division II level with 366 victories. He registered his 375th career victory on March 29, 2025 and in doing so in 445 games became the second-fastest coach to reach the mark, trailing only Salisbury's Jim Berkman (416 games).

The only Division II men’s lacrosse coach to win six national championships, the Dolphins went undefeated in four of them, a feat accomplished by only three of Division II’s other 35 national champions. The Dolphins were the first national champions to go 16-0 (2004), 18-0 (2006) and 20-0 (2016). Sheehan led the Dolphins to 20 NCAA tournament berths, including 10 national championship game appearances, 15 Northeast-10 Conference tournament championships and 19 regular season conference championships (18 NE10, 1 NEC), 17 of which they claimed by going undefeated in league play. In the program’s first year in the NEC in 2025, the Dolphins earned a share of the regular season title and were the host and top seed in the conference tournament.

“Coach Sheehan’s impact at Le Moyne cannot be overstated,” said Le Moyne President Linda LeMura. “Beyond his unparalleled coaching success and the immense pride all Dolphins take in the men’s lacrosse program, he brought national attention to the College each year his team made a championship run. He was a positive influence on the hundreds of young men he coached, serving as a leader and role model in ways that went far beyond the lacrosse field.”

“Dan Sheehan is synonymous with Le Moyne excellence. While his on-field record speaks for itself, the true impact he had is found in those who rallied around a program defined by tradition, loyalty and championship mettle,” said Phil Brown, Le Moyne’s assistant vice president of athletics and campus recreation. “He bridged generations of Dolphin alumni, fans and supporters across the country and I am thrilled that all constituencies will continue to benefit from his leadership in this new role.”

In his time in charge of the Dolphins, he coached almost 475 student-athletes and had 33 players earn major awards from the USILA, 130 USILA All-America selections, including 60 named to the first team, 36 players earn major awards from the Northeast-10 Conference and NEC and 212 collect all-conference accolades, including 115 first team honorees.

Sheehan is an eight-time conference Coach of the Year (7 NE10, 1 NEC), the 2000 USILA Division II Coach of the Year, the 2010 FieldTurf Division II Coach of the Year and the 2013 and 2016 Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IMLCA) Division II Coach of the Year. He is a member of the Upstate Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame (2013), the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame (2017) and the Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame (2019).

“No one understands the heart of the Le Moyne athletic community quite like Dan,” said Jim Joseph ’83, Ed.D. ’23, vice president of Advancement and Innovation at Le Moyne. “After almost three decades of building deeply rooted relationships with our alumni, friends, and partners, he is uniquely positioned to lead the philanthropic vision of Le Moyne athletics. In his new role, he will lead major fundraising initiatives vital to ensuring our student-athletes and athletic programs have the resources they need to compete and thrive at the Division I level.”