Herkimer County Community College has announced the appointment of James Ireland, of Norwalk CT, as head men’s lacrosse coach for the spring 2012 season. Ireland is an HCCC graduate with the Class of 2004, and was a member of the Herkimer Generals 2003 national championship lacrosse team and was a two-time first team All American and 2004 NJCAA Player of the Year. He served as assistant varsity and junior varsity lacrosse coach at Newtown High School in Newtown, CT. A private lacrosse instructor, Ireland works with athletes of all ages. Jamie has tremendous love for the sport and for Herkimer.
If you have been following any type of lacrosse in the past 20 years you probably at some point heard of the program at Herkimer County Community College. And recently you have probably heard about how the program is in a slight downfall. If you are not familiar with the program you might want to read the history of Herk Lacrosse, the rise of the program to dominance, and their recent fall in the world of lacrosse.
For decades Herkimer was THE school for Junior College lacrosse. So what happened to this once top program? The basic history is that Herk had a team for decades and that they were the primetime JuCo of upstate NY until OCC (Onondaga Community College) took over the title.
Herk won their last JuCo title in 2005. Paul Wehrum was the coach at the time (he is now at Union College – NCAA DIII), and he heavily recruited some of the best players, and helped them move on to 4 year colleges after finishing their time in JuCo. He was like a father figure for the kids and helped them with great success.
After Wehrum left for Union College (NCAA DIII) in 2004, Scott Barnard, who also won a NJCAA championship at Herk, took over. He is now the head coach at Hamilton.
After Barnard left in 2008, Rich Dommer, also a Herk Lacrosse Alum, took over for a couple of years.
The great coaches kept coming and we also can’t forget that Herkimer also had campus adjacent housing, which is something that almost no other JuCo in the country had. The players basically lived in a two story condo with no RAs. But by the time Dommer had taken over, Onondaga Community College had started a team and had on campus housing and were coached by former Herk Lacrosse players.Things changed fast.
With Wehrum as coach, Herk always had a strong advantage on bringing in Native American players. But he couldn’t stay with the program forever, and Native American players could now go to a school which was also closer to a Reservation (OCC) and was making a real investment in the sport of lacrosse. The native americans are the creators of lacrosse and are key to this game.
So can Herkimer ever get back to the levels of success they once enjoyed? For a program that won 9 JuCo National Championships between 1988 and 2005, it would almost be too sad to imagine that they cannot step up to the plate. If anyone can turn this program around, it would be Coach Ireland.
“I would just like to personally thank each and every one of you for your support through out these past few weeks. You have all been so great! Our love for Herkimer and the game of lacrosse is now stronger than ever. As we all know, this is a very special place for us and this has only proven that more. I encourage all to come to as many games/practices as possible. A more formal letter will be sent out very soon. Thanks again for everything, I hope to see you all soon.” - Coach Ireland
“Jamie is a remarkable young man. I have been impressed by his desire to improve his own lacrosse abilities and remain a student of the game. He is enthusiastic and loves new challenges. He is determined to build back the program that we all love at Herkimer.” - Paul Wehrum
“I am excited and optimistic that Jamie will quickly provide direction and commitment to our current lacrosse student-athletes. Jamie’s playing and coaching experience makes him an excellent selection for Herkimer Lacrosse. As an alum and a member of the Herkimer “Lacrosse Family,” Jamie knows the importance of commitment, excellence and opportunity that all of our Lacrosse Alumni have experienced at Herkimer.” - Athletic Director Donald Dutcher.
New Head Coach: Jamie Ireland
If you have been following any type of lacrosse in the past 20 years you probably at some point heard of the program at Herkimer County Community College. And recently you have probably heard about how the program is in a slight downfall. If you are not familiar with the program you might want to read the history of Herk Lacrosse, the rise of the program to dominance, and their recent fall in the world of lacrosse.
For decades Herkimer was THE school for Junior College lacrosse. So what happened to this once top program? The basic history is that Herk had a team for decades and that they were the primetime JuCo of upstate NY until OCC (Onondaga Community College) took over the title.
Herk won their last JuCo title in 2005. Paul Wehrum was the coach at the time (he is now at Union College – NCAA DIII), and he heavily recruited some of the best players, and helped them move on to 4 year colleges after finishing their time in JuCo. He was like a father figure for the kids and helped them with great success.
After Wehrum left for Union College (NCAA DIII) in 2004, Scott Barnard, who also won a NJCAA championship at Herk, took over. He is now the head coach at Hamilton.
After Barnard left in 2008, Rich Dommer, also a Herk Lacrosse Alum, took over for a couple of years.
The great coaches kept coming and we also can’t forget that Herkimer also had campus adjacent housing, which is something that almost no other JuCo in the country had. The players basically lived in a two story condo with no RAs. But by the time Dommer had taken over, Onondaga Community College had started a team and had on campus housing and were coached by former Herk Lacrosse players.Things changed fast.
With Wehrum as coach, Herk always had a strong advantage on bringing in Native American players. But he couldn’t stay with the program forever, and Native American players could now go to a school which was also closer to a Reservation (OCC) and was making a real investment in the sport of lacrosse. The native americans are the creators of lacrosse and are key to this game.
So can Herkimer ever get back to the levels of success they once enjoyed? For a program that won 9 JuCo National Championships between 1988 and 2005, it would almost be too sad to imagine that they cannot step up to the plate. If anyone can turn this program around, it would be Coach Ireland.
“I would just like to personally thank each and every one of you for your support through out these past few weeks. You have all been so great! Our love for Herkimer and the game of lacrosse is now stronger than ever. As we all know, this is a very special place for us and this has only proven that more. I encourage all to come to as many games/practices as possible. A more formal letter will be sent out very soon. Thanks again for everything, I hope to see you all soon.” - Coach Ireland
“Jamie is a remarkable young man. I have been impressed by his desire to improve his own lacrosse abilities and remain a student of the game. He is enthusiastic and loves new challenges. He is determined to build back the program that we all love at Herkimer.” - Paul Wehrum
“I am excited and optimistic that Jamie will quickly provide direction and commitment to our current lacrosse student-athletes. Jamie’s playing and coaching experience makes him an excellent selection for Herkimer Lacrosse. As an alum and a member of the Herkimer “Lacrosse Family,” Jamie knows the importance of commitment, excellence and opportunity that all of our Lacrosse Alumni have experienced at Herkimer.” - Athletic Director Donald Dutcher.
New Head Coach: Jamie Ireland
No comments:
Post a Comment