Byrne: From Notre Dame to Harvard

[admin]

Is this a bigger win for Harvard?
or
Is this a bigger loss for Notre Dame?

Some might say that this a great hire for Harvard but it is a much bigger loss for ND. ND has been known for it's defense over the years and Byrne has been that coach. They have never been known for having top tier offenses and that is what Corrigan is in charge of. Time will tell but I think ND has really been hurt by this.

[EasyRider]

This is a great poll topic, and I think ND has been hurt by this, too. But Harvard is a potential giant with Byrne. ND is still a potential giant, without him.

[johnnyonthegunpowder]

It's good for Notre Dame. They've needed to shake things up for a while.

[seacoaster]

Respectfully, I think defense is the thing that doesn't need shaking up in South Bend. Big loss for UND.

[thetruth]

The jobs of head coach and defensive coordinator are extremely different. Head coaches manage coaching staffs, relationships with administrators, alumni relationships and fund raising as much if not more than they manage their players. Coordinators focus exclusively on players and strategy. It’s going to be an interesting pivot for someone in his mid-50s who has been a lifetime assistant. I think his assistant hires will be critical to his success at Harvard. Huge blow to ND regardless.

[sguy9]

The jobs of head coach and defensive coordinator are extremely different. Head coaches manage coaching staffs, relationships with administrators, alumni relationships and fund raising as much if not more than they manage their players. Coordinators focus exclusively on players and strategy. It’s going to be an interesting pivot for someone in his mid-50s who has been a lifetime assistant. I think his assistant hires will be critical to his success at Harvard. Huge blow to ND regardless.

He has already been a Head Coach at an underfunded DII program. So he has already been responsible for everything else. He also is the architect of the ND Lax Experience, which is a much larger deal than just focusing on the D. This is a monster loss for ND and a gigantic win for the Harvard.

[HooDat]

The jobs of head coach and defensive coordinator are extremely different. Head coaches manage coaching staffs, relationships with administrators, alumni relationships and fund raising as much if not more than they manage their players. Coordinators focus exclusively on players and strategy. It’s going to be an interesting pivot for someone in his mid-50s who has been a lifetime assistant. I think his assistant hires will be critical to his success at Harvard. Huge blow to ND regardless.

He has already been a Head Coach at an underfunded DII program. So he has already been responsible for everything else. He also is the architect of the ND Lax Experience, which is a much larger deal than just focusing on the D. This is a monster loss for ND and a gigantic win for the Harvard.

anyone who has spent any time in front of Gerry Byrne knows that he is beyond ready to be a head coach. Harvard is the perfect storm in terms of coaching opportunity and ability for his wife to practice medicine at the highest levels.

Corrigan is a spittle spewing screamer. We will see how it plays out.....

[Voyuer]

I have always had a dislike of ND lax and could never put my finger on why. It was difficult for me, because I had heard nothing but great things about G. Byrne and really liked him the one time I met him. Now I can get back to disliking ND lax, and not feel bad about it. It is not a rational dislike, as I have really personally liked many of the kids who have played there.

[HowieT3]

Harvard's program is gaining a lot with this hire. Despite that, the loss for ND's program is much greater. I think there could be adverse effects on their culture from this.

[HooDat]

Harvard's program is gaining a lot with this hire. Despite that, the loss for ND's program is much greater. I think there could be adverse effects on their culture from this.

that is a far more polite way of making the point I made earlier.....

[thetruth]

He has already been a Head Coach at an underfunded DII program. So he has already been responsible for everything else.

Yes, St Anselm from 2003-2006. In his 3 years at St Anselm the team went 16-27 which is the 2nd worst winning percentage for a head coach in that school's history. It's not really comparable to a job like Harvard so I didn't even think about it, but you are absolutely correct. Byrne has a great reputation and has really established himself as the preeminent defensive coach in college lacrosse and a great recruiter so he's obviously doing a lot of things right. I'd imagine he'll do well at Harvard. I'm sure ND will be fine as well despite the big loss. In his 16 seasons without Byrne, Corrigan went 144-72 with only 2 losing seasons, 10 NCAA tournament appearances and 1 final four.
In the last 3 years, ND is 27-19 with no final four appearances and a losing record in the ACC. During that span the Irish scoring defense average ranking was 16th in the country.

[Muleski]

When I first saw this thread, my initial reaction was that "this POLL is really dumb...." Obviously, it's a big win for Harvard and a big loss for ND, right? Who cares about which may prove to be "bigger?". Then I actually checked back, read the comments and I think there is a lot of information and good opinion here.

Gerry Byrne should be positioned to do incredibly well and raise the fortunes of the Crimson, pretty quickly. I am interested to see who he'll hire as an OC, and as a DC {I presume that it will be Gerry's defense and his DC will be a younger guy....DC in development.} Both should be great jobs, and I believe that Harvard has the resources to attract and pay. The unfortunate thing is that Chris Wojcik is good guy, and a loyal guy, and it could well be that he is going to look, in retrospect, like a very sub-mediocre, inept, coach. That is even being polite. We'll see where he ends up. I would bet at one of the many prep schools in N.E..perhaps as a coach/AD. So, I'm in the camp that Harvard wins, and wins big.

Kevin Corrigan rubs a LOT of people the wrong way. He had a great thing with Gerry. And we'll see HOW great. We have 3-4 family friends who's kids have played over the last decade for ND, and I have heard a lot of universal praise, respect, love etc for Byrne. Not quite as much for Corrigan, at all. Those who know Kevin going back to his high school and UVA Days have always thought that Kevin has a chip on his shoulder and can be really caustic. But, he basically built this program. He has been there for 32 seasons. He's done a few things right. I would assume that ND will be able to hire an outstanding DC. Have not thought of names, but I would think that he's out there....and that Corrigan will give him plenty of leash length to run his part of the program. As he did with Byrne. If he's smart he won't be a control freak, snapping at that new DC.

What ND will miss, and again it's probably not irreplaceable, is his personality, his competitive nature blended with his calmness, and his incredible energy and skill as a recruiter. He has worked like a dog at that. Logs an amazing number of days a year on the road. So he will no doubt be a vey big loss, but he's opening up a great opportunity for the next guy.

I guess we'll see which was "bigger " in about 4-5 seasons. Wishing them all the best.

[sguy9]

+1

[wahoomurf]

Byrne, Frisbie, and Bob Scalise are L.I. guys. Always a sprinkling of LIers on the HU roster.Eager to see if Gerry will get the Chaminade pipeline to flow away from South Bend and bend toward Cambridge?

[thetruth]

Harvard doesn't have much of a men's lacrosse legacy. Program has been around for 92 years and their all-time record is barely above 500 at 604-600-11. In the Ivy League they are 156-212 and they only have 4 Ivy titles and 3 ILT appearances. In their history they only have 6 NCAA appearances and have only won 2 tournament games. Since 1949 they have had 5 head coaches whose winning percentages have been 507, 560, 502, 513 and 500 with winning percentages in the league of 371, 474, 450, 333 and 423. Pretty consistent regardless of who was at the helm.
Harvard always has one of the top recruiting classes and is one of the few schools I can recall a top recruit flipping from Duke to in recent years. Over the 10 year period from 2009-2018, according to Inside Lacrosse, Harvard has had a higher ranked recruiting class than ND 6 times and the highest ranked recruiting class in the Ivy League 6 times. And each year during that period it had a recruiting class ranked in the Top 15 (7 times in Top 10) with the average ranking being 8th. It is the best college brand on a global basis and has been for decades. Recruiting never has been and never will be a problem for Harvard. The issue has been what happens to those recruits once they get there. Even Tillman's record at Harvard was only 1 game above 500 and his record in the league was very bad. Obviously, it's been a completely different story for him at Maryland.

[MDlaxfan76]

Harvard doesn't have much of a men's lacrosse legacy. Program has been around for 92 years and their all-time record is barely above 500 at 604-600-11. In the Ivy League they are 156-212 and they only have 4 Ivy titles and 3 ILT appearances. In their history they only have 6 NCAA appearances and have only won 2 tournament games. Since 1949 they have had 5 head coaches whose winning percentages have been 507, 560, 502, 513 and 500 with winning percentages in the league of 371, 474, 450, 333 and 423. Pretty consistent regardless of who was at the helm.
Harvard always has one of the top recruiting classes and is one of the few schools I can recall a top recruit flipping from Duke to in recent years. Over the 10 year period from 2009-2018, according to Inside Lacrosse, Harvard has had a higher ranked recruiting class than ND 6 times and the highest ranked recruiting class in the Ivy League 6 times. And each year during that period it had a recruiting class ranked in the Top 15 (7 times in Top 10) with the average ranking being 8th. It is the best college brand on a global basis and has been for decades. Recruiting never has been and never will be a problem for Harvard. The issue has been what happens to those recruits once they get there. Even Tillman's record at Harvard was only 1 game above 500 and his record in the league was very bad. Obviously, it's been a completely different story for him at Maryland.

So...what do you imagine "happens to those recruits once they get there"?

[seriously?]

Team culture. From what I hear, "welcome on board" is non-existent. Upper classmen don't know younger kids names. No doubt an exaggeration but that kind of talk is based on something.

[MDlaxfan76]

Team culture. From what I hear, "welcome on board" is non-existent. Upper classmen don't know younger kids names. No doubt an exaggeration but that kind of talk is based on something.

Funny, not my '16 son's experience.
And it's not as if he arrived as one of the highly touted recruits.
He ended up All-Ivy, but that wasn't likely how he was perceived coming in.
Nor was that how he treated those in the classes below.

Freshman week included a social get together with all the team, numerous 'lacrosse team' parties and events throughout the fall.

One could make other arguments about 'team culture', but not sure that would be on the list.

Interesting article today in the Wall Street Journal on the relative importance of coaches versus 'captains'...if anything, I'd say that some of the team 'leaders' weren't really simpatico with the head coach, then even less so when he brought in an AHC and OC that broke the team in half. Not enough guys fully bought in to one mission.

[thetruth]

So...what do you imagine "happens to those recruits once they get there"?

I have no idea. Just meant to point out that they’ve never had problem getting great recruiting classes. But for some reason the program still remains a 500+/- squad no matter who is coaching.

[wahoomurf]

Team culture. From what I hear, "welcome on board" is non-existent. Upper classmen don't know younger kids names. No doubt an exaggeration but that kind of talk is based on something.

Seriously, seriously? That's not what I heard from our guys.