Titans Head Coach Adam Mueller Named NLL Coach of the Year
May 8, 2008 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Orlando Titans News Release
New York, NY -New York Titans head coach Adam Mueller was given the "Les Bartley Award" for Coach of the Year by the National Lacrosse League today. In only their second season in the NLL, Mueller has led the upstart New York Titans to a 10-6 regular season record and their first ever appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals to take place this Saturday.
"Adam has brought this young team from a 4-12 record last season to the Eastern Conference Finals this season, which is no small achievement," said Titans principal owner Gary Rosenbach. "For all he has done to shape this team and put them on the right path to win a Championship, no one deserves this award more than Adam."
Mueller was named Head Coach of the New York Titans on July 11, 2006 in the Titans inaugural year. Now in his 19th season in the National Lacrosse League, Mueller joined the Titans after two successful seasons coaching the expansion team Minnesota Swarm. He was the assistant coach for the Swarm when it first joined the league in 2005. As Head Coach of the Swarm in 2006, Mueller led the club to an 8-8 record and to the playoffs for the first time in team history. Mueller began his Head Coaching career with the Philadelphia Wings and coached the team for three seasons from 2002-04, compiling a 23-25 record and one playoff appearance. In his second year as an assistant coach for the Wings, Mueller helped lead Philadelphia to a 10-4 record and an NLL Championship in 2001.
Mueller assembled an All-Star line-up for the expansion Titans in 2007, bringing in Casey Powell, Ryan Boyle and Pat Maddalena as well as a strong crop of new talent. Mueller's 2007 squad finished the season with a 4-12 record.
For the 2008 season, Mueller drafted Jordan Hall with the number one overall pick in the 2007 NLL Entry draft. He added on two rookie defenders in Rory Smith and Mitch Belisle, who in only their first season in the league have become forces to be reckoned with under Mueller's tutelage. Along with continuing to shape the talents of forwards Mike McLellan and Brendan Mundorf, transition player Greg Peyser, defenseman John Orsen and starting goalie Matt Vinc - all second year players on the Titans - he brought in league veterans Patrick Merrill, Jamie Hanford and Jeff Ratcliffe to help round out the young team.
Mueller becomes the first head coach in league history to lead three different teams to the post-season. He previously earned playoff berths as head coach of Minnesota (2006) and Philadelphia (2002).
A North Brunswick, New Jersey native, Mueller is a former player in the league, playing 75 career games over ten seasons from 1990-2000. He totaled 119 points on 50 goals and 69 assists and collected 259 loose balls in his career. Mueller played with Detroit (1990-94), Baltimore (1995-96), Philadelphia (1997-99) and Albany (2000) and has been a member of three NLL Championship teams, including two as a player with Detroit (1991) and Philadelphia (1998), and one as an assistant coach with the Wings (2001).
Mueller and the Titans will take on John Tavares and the Buffalo Bandits at HSBC Arena Saturday, May 10 at 7:30pm in the do-or-die Eastern Conference title match.
The Calgary Roughnecks will be hosting the Portland LumberJax in the Western Conference Finals on Saturday, May 10 at 7:30pm. The winner of the East Division matchup will host either team from the West, as both the Bandits and the Titans have better regular season records than Calgary and Portland.
If the Titans beat the Bandits and take the Eastern Conference title, they will host the NLL Champion's Cup game against the winner of the West at the Garden on Saturday, May 17th at 7:30pm. The NLL Champion's Cup game will be televised on ESPN 2.
Tickets for the NLL Champion's Cup Game at the Garden - contingent on a Titans win this weekend in Buffalo - will go on sale on Monday, May 12 at 12pm. Please call 888-8TITANS to learn about play-off pricing and group deals. Tickets will be available via ticketmaster.com, the Garden box office or via www.nytitans.com.
About the Les Bartley Award for Coach of the Year
The Head Coach of the Year award is named in honor of the late Les Bartley, whose contribution to his teams, to the NLL, and to the game of lacrosse is immeasurable. Bartley, who lost his battle with colon cancer in May of 2005, left behind a coaching legacy. He won seven championship rings in his twelve year coaching tenure and is the league's all-time winningest coach. Bartley tallied an astonishing 93-38 regular season record behind the bench.
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National Lacrosse League Stories from May 8, 2008
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- Knighthawks' Pat Cougevan To Participate In "Stuffed With Hugs" - Rochester Knighthawks
- Minnesota Swarm's Marty O'Neill Named NLL General Manager of the Year - Minnesota Swarm
- Titans Head Coach Adam Mueller Named NLL Coach of the Year - Orlando Titans
- Mueller wins Les Bartley Award as Head Coach of the Year; O'Neill wins GM of the Year Award - NLL
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