DENVER – University of Denver Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Ritchie Center Operations Josh Berlo has named long-time associate head coach and Pioneer alum Matt Brown the next William G. Tierney Head Men's Lacrosse Coach following Bill Tierney's retirement at the end of the 2023 men's lacrosse season.
Brown's introductory press conference will take place at 1 p.m. MT on Thursday in the Gottesfeld Room inside the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness.
"This is a special day in the history and legacy of Pioneer Men's Lacrosse," Berlo said. "I could not be more excited about the future of this great program under the leadership of our next head coach Matt Brown. Coach Brown will undoubtedly build upon the tradition and achievements that Coach Tierney built as an elite program located in the western outpost of the sport. Matt knows what it takes to be a highly successful program at DU, having spent a combined 22 years on campus as both a student-athlete and coach. Matt will officially take over at the conclusion of the year and serve as the first former DU Men's Lacrosse student athlete to lead the program during its Division I era."
Following a standout playing career with the Pioneers and a couple of years focusing on the pro game, Brown joined the program's coaching staff as a volunteer assistant in 2007 before joining the staff full-time in 2009 and being named the program's associate head coach in 2011.
"This day is a dream come true," Brown said. "I'm so thankful for this opportunity to lead a program that has meant the world to my life and my family's life. I would first like to thank Bill Tierney and his son Trevor Tierney for having faith in me to add me to their staff in 2009. My time with Coach T has no doubt made me a better coach to prepare me for this position, but it has equally made me a better man. As I said at Bill Tierney Day a couple of weeks ago, he created a culture here that I could have only dreamed of when I played here, and I'm honored to continue and build on that culture and our program's tradition.
"I would like to thank my wife Jewel and our three daughters for their support in my coaching career all these years. Thanks to Chancellor Jeremy Haefner, sport administrator Brandon Macneill and Vice Chancellor Josh Berlo for their leadership of this University, and their thoroughness in the search process. Going through this full search was an important step for me to put my vision for this program that I've always had in my head on paper, and articulate that to the committee, which I know takes the success and the future of this program very seriously. I'm thankful for the support we have at the University of Denver. We have work to do this season still, and I'm looking forward to taking the field at a packed Barton Lacrosse Stadium on Friday night."
After three seasons with the previous coaching staff, Brown was asked to join Tierney's staff in the summer of 2009. He has paired his brilliant offensive mind with Tierney's defensive philosophies to go 164-58 in the last 14 seasons, a huge portion of his 190-80 record in 17 seasons on the Denver coaching staff. Brown, and the Denver offensive success were instrumental in major conference moves from the Great Western Lacrosse League to the ECAC to the program's home now in the BIG EAST.
Brown helped guide the Pioneers to their first five NCAA Championship Weekends, including making Denver the first program to sit atop the national plateau from a state not sharing a border with the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Under his guidance, Denver's offense has finished in the top 10 in scoring offense nine times in 17 seasons, including third in both 2014 and 2016.
Brown's impact on the student-athletes at Denver helped result in 11 USILA First Team All-Americans (the first in the program's history), nine USILA Second Team All-Americans, six USILA Third Team All-Americans, 25 USILA All-America Honorable Mention selections, 10 USILA Scholar All-Americans, one ECAC Offensive Player of the Year, four BIG EAST Attackmen of the Year, six BIG EAST Midfielders of the Year, two ECAC Rookie of the Year award winners, 56 all-conference first-team selections and 29 all-conference second-team selections.
Outside of just coaching the Pioneers, Brown has done a tremendous amount of work in growing the game across the United States. He serves as one of the founders and directors of Denver Elite Lacrosse and directs the Denver Elite Box Program, which is a founding member of USBOXLA. In summer 2017, Brown's vision of offering a similar box lacrosse program for college students to what exists in his home country of Canada came to a reality when USBOXLA began the Colorado Collegiate Box Lacrosse League in 2017. Following the summer of 2017, the National Collegiate Box Series was formed, which paired Colorado's league with the Ohio Collegiate Box League for the first national box championship in 2018. The NCBS has since expanded to upstate New York, Connecticut and California to give the NCBS five different leagues across the country.
Brown's coaching experience extends beyond the collegiate sphere, serving as the head coach for the Canadian National Lacrosse team that is set to head to San Diego this summer for the 2023 World Games. Brown served as the offensive coordinator for the 2012 Under-19 Canadian Men's Field Team and was an assistant coach for Canada when it defeated the USA 11-9 at the Duel in Denver in September 2012. In October 2012, Brown was named the offensive coordinator once again for the 2014 team that won the FIL World Lacrosse Championship in Commerce City, Colorado. Brown was named the head coach of the Canada U-19 Team in June 2019 ahead of the 2020 U-19 World Championships that were delayed to last summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Burnaby, British Columbia, native was a four-year starter for the Pioneers from 2002-05. While at DU, Brown played 56 games and accumulated 137 points, the sixth-best total in Pioneers history; and 113 goals, fourth on DU's career goals list. As a senior, he was named First-Team All-Great Western Lacrosse League at attack, earned Preseason All-American honorable mention honors and was selected to the USILA North/South All-Star Game.
Led by Brown, the Pioneer Lacrosse program gained national attention, tying for the GWLL title in 2003 and 2005 and finishing with a then school-high ranking of No. 18 in his final season as a student-athlete.
Upon completing his DU career, Brown was drafted fifth overall by the Arizona Sting of the National Lacrosse League, where he played in all 18 games in 2006 and accumulated 40 points. He went on to play four seasons in the NLL (2006-09). Brown spent five summers playing for the Denver Outlaws in the MLL from 2006-10, scoring 138 goals and adding 20 assists in 56 career regular season games.
Brown graduated from DU with degrees in finance and marketing in 2005. He resides in Denver with his wife Jewel and daughters Mackenzie, Peyton and Sydney.
Statement from Current Head Coach Bill Tierney:
As I start to think of my future retirement, I quickly come back to how important it is to consider the future of Denver Lacrosse, which has been such an integral part of my life for the last 14 years.
Matt Brown has been at my side for all that time. When I hired him, he was a young, eager, excited ex-Pio player who quickly became a trustworthy, honest and hardworking assistant. Matt has created a unique brand of offensive lacrosse, combining the skills of Canadian Box Lacrosse and successful current field lacrosse tactics. Over the years, this style of play has been emulated by most college coaches and is extremely popular today.
He has led our offense from day one and without his ability to teach, mentor and motivate our players, there wouldn't be 10 conference championships, five Final Fours or an NCAA Championship. To me, Matt has been a friend, mentor, stepson and supporter of all I've tried to do here at Denver. His family has been so good to me and Helen, as well as our children. His diehard loyalty to me will always be cherished.
Matt Brown's love for the University goes unmatched, and there will be generations of Pioneer Lacrosse players who will thrive under his leadership for many years to come. I am proud of what we've done together and look forward to our continued friendship.
The future of DU Lacrosse is in the best hands possible under Matt Brown.
UP NEXT: The Pioneers return home for the final time in the 2023 season on Friday when Denver hosts Providence under the lights at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium. Opening faceoff on CBS Sports Network and 104.3 The Fan HD3 is set for 7 p.m. MT. Single game tickets are available and can be purchased here.
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