Stagnitta Named 2013 Brine Major League Lacrosse Coach of the Year
August 14, 2013 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Denver Outlaws News Release
DENVER - Head Coach Jim Stagnitta has been voted as the 2013 Brine Major League Lacrosse Coach of the Year, by the MLL's coaches and general managers, the league announced on Wednesday.
"Receiving this award is a great honor and the culmination of the hard work of many people," Stagnitta said. "Starting with a selfless group of players who bought into the system, a phenomenal staff including Tony Seaman, B.J. O'Hara and Stan Ross, they all contributed to making this season a success. It is also a great honor to be recognized by my peers. It is a group of people that I have a lot of respect for and knowing they voted for me adds more to this award."
Stagnitta led an Outlaws team that became just the fourth major American sports team to finish a regular season undefeated joining the 2007 New England Patriots and 1972 Miami Dolphins of the NFL as well as the 1948 Calgary Stampeders of the CFL. In addition to posting the first undefeated season in MLL history, the Outlaws' 14 wins represented the highest total in league history.
Denver set 10 MLL records and 21 club records under Stagnitta's leadership in 2013, and the team led the league in 8-of-12 major statistical categories this season (see list at bottom of the release).
The club's 226 goals in 2013 were the third most by a team in MLL history and the 136 goals allowed by Denver in 2013 tied for fifth fewest in league history. The Outlaws' 117 assists this season rank fifth in MLL history and set a new club record.
Denver has won 20 consecutive regular-season games dating back to the 2012 season to shatter the previous MLL record of seven games in a row.
Since Stagnitta was hired as Denver's head coach prior to the start of the 2012 season, the Outlaws have amassed a league-best 25-3 (.893 pct.) record. Denver has outscored its opponents 465-307, with that +158 margin tops in the league, nearly double that of second-place Chesapeake (+83) in that span. Denver's 25 wins in a two-year span set a league record, topping the previous high of 23 that was set by the 2001-02 Baltimore Bayhawks.
Stagnitta helped two of the club's 2012 rookies develop into a pair of the league's top scorers in Chris Bocklet and Drew Snider. Bocklet led the league in goals and tied for the lead in assists, while Snider ranked seventh. Bocklet (+35) and Snider (+34) posted the highest and second-highest point output improvement among all MLL players in 2013.
Jeremy Sieverts, who earned the league's Most Improved Player Award in 2012 under Stagnitta's leadership, ranked eighth in the league with 44 points and set a club record with six two-pointers, finishing tied for second in the league in that category.
The club drafted attackman Eric Law, who ranked third among league rookies with 24 goals, establishing a team record for first-year players. Law led the league with a .632 shooting percentage that ranked fifth in league history for a single-season among all players.
Stagnitta's 2013 Coach of the Year Award is the second that an Outlaws head coach has earned, joining Brian Reese, who won the honor in 2009.
As the league's top playoff seed, the Outlaws will play in the MLL semifinals against the Charlotte Hounds at 1 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 24 at PPL Park in Philadelphia. That game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
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Major League Lacrosse Stories from August 14, 2013
- Stagnitta Named 2013 Brine Major League Lacrosse Coach of the Year - Denver Outlaws
- Outlaws Coach Jim Stagnitta Named Brine Coach of the Year - MLL
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