One year after women’s basketball coach Dianne Nolan left Fairfield as a legend and the face of the women’s basketball program, the Stags once again face a void at head coach of a premier sport.
On Friday afternoon, men’s lacrosse head coach Ted Spencer officially retired from his position as head coach, instead opting for an administrative position with the University’s athletic program.
The Mirror received word of Spencer’s decision via a press release from Sports Information Director Jack Jones.
According to the release, the decision was a mutual agreement between Spencer and the Fairfield athletic department.
“This was a difficult choice for me, but in the end, I had to do what was best for me and my family,” Spencer said in the press release.
Spencer had recently completed his 13th season at the helm of the Fairfield lacrosse program and owned a 93-90 overall record.
This past season, Spencer inspired hundreds across campus and in the national collegiate lacrosse community with his remarkable recovery from a life threatening cancer condition.
In a matter of months, Spencer went from preparing for off-season training to a hospital bed at Yale Medical in New Haven. After extensive surgery in November, he underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments and was still able to return to the sidelines in February for the 2008 season.
Last season, the Stags finished with a 4-9 overall record and a 1-5 mark in its third season as a member in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Lacrosse League.
More importantly than last year’s record, though, was Spencer’s role in turning the program from a fledgling varsity sport into an elite national powerhouse.
When he assumed the head coaching position in 1996, Fairfield had never finished with a winning record. In fact, the Stags only managed a combined eight wins in three seasons at the Division I level.
Spencer led the Stags to a 9-7 record in his first season behind the helm, which included a MAAC Championship and a berth in the ECAC tournament.
In Spencer’s first three years in the MAAC, the Stags never lost a conference game.
The program’s banner year came after the Stags’ move to the Great Western (GWLL) Lacrosse League
In 2002, the team’s second season in the conference, Fairfield finished with a 4-1 in-conference record, which included a win against Ohio State and a thrilling 11-10 victory against Notre Dame in South Bend.
The Stags also qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. 2002 marked the first of Spencer’s two trips to the national tournament.
Spencer shared nothing but optimism for the program he leaves behind.
“In speaking with the team, I know that I have their support in making this change and I am thankful to have been associated with such a group of fine young men,” Spencer said.
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