Dino Mattessich
Encyclopedia
Dominick A. "Dino" Mattessich is a Croatian-American
university administrator and former college lacrosse
coach and player. He served as the head coach for the University of Maryland
and University of Baltimore
varsity lacrosse teams and for the University of Connecticut club team.
, in what is now Croatia
, and later emigrated to Freeport, New York
. As a freshman at Freeport High School, he was told that he would not make the varsity track team, and told to try playing lacrosse
instead.
Mattesich played at the University of Maryland
from 1971 to 1974, including on the team that won the national championship tournament
in 1973
. He graduated in 1974 with a bachelor's degree
in physical education
.
under Chip Silverman, who had agreed to coach the team for one season after the departure of former head coach Dick Edell
. Another UB assistant, Steve Hamp explained the relationship as, "Chip really wasn't the X's and O's guy; that was assistant coach Dino Mattessich. Chip was more of the motivator." The following season, Mattessich took over as Baltimore's head coach.
In 1980, Mattessich served as a defensive assistant at Maryland. In June 1980, he was promoted to replace Bud Beardmore
as the head coach. He served in that position from 1981 to 1983, and compiled a 26–15 record.
He then served for twelve years as an associate athletic director
at Towson State University
in Towson, Maryland
. Mattessich was an associate athletic director at the University of Maine
, where he worked under athletic director Sue Tyler, former Maryland women's lacrosse and field hockey coach. Tyler appointed Mattessich as head of the search committee that selected John Giannini
as the Maine men's basketball coach in 1996. In 2001, he left Maine for the University of Connecticut
to take a position as an associate athletic director.
In 2006, Mattessich became the head coach of the club lacrosse team at the University of Connecticut
. His son Brian played for him and graduated in 2006. That season, Dino Mattessich was named the Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League
Coach of the Year. In 2008, one of Mattessich's former players at UConn said that he "runs the program like a Division I team, and the intense, offseason conditioning focus on skill development and team commitment. That is a big challenge for players, but it has paid off on the field." Brian Mattessich took over as head coach in 2009, and Dino Mattessich continues to as a senior associate director of athletics.
Mattessich provided the inspiration for a lacrosse player depicted on a 51-cent Canadian stamp issued in 2006 in commemoration of the World Lacrosse Championship
. The illustration was based on a photograph of Mattessich taken by Bob Rothgaber during the 1974 Maryland–Hopkins NCAA tournament final
that was used on the cover of Lacrosse: Technique and Tradition by Bob Scott. The stamp depicts the player in a Canadian national team uniform.
Croatian-American
Croatian Americans are citizens of the United States of Croatian descent.-Numbers:According to the 2007 US Community Survey, there are 420,763 Americans of full or partial Croatian descent....
university administrator and former college lacrosse
Field lacrosse
Field lacrosse, sometimes referred to as the "fastest sport on two feet," is a full contact outdoor men's sport played with ten players on each team. The sport originated among Native Americans, and the modern rules of field lacrosse were initially codified by Canadian William George Beers in 1867....
coach and player. He served as the head coach for the University of Maryland
Maryland Terrapins lacrosse
The Maryland Terrapins men's lacrosse team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I lacrosse as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
and University of Baltimore
University of Baltimore
The University of Baltimore , located in downtown Baltimore, Maryland in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood at 1420 N. Charles Street, is part of the University System of Maryland. Through the Freshman Initiative or Lower Division Initiative, UB has transformed from an upper division university to a...
varsity lacrosse teams and for the University of Connecticut club team.
Early life and college career
Mattessich was born in the former YugoslaviaSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
, in what is now Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, and later emigrated to Freeport, New York
Freeport, New York
Freeport is a village in the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, USA, on the South Shore of Long Island. The population was 42,860 at the 2010 census. A settlement since the 1640s, it was once an oystering community and later a resort popular with the New York City theater community...
. As a freshman at Freeport High School, he was told that he would not make the varsity track team, and told to try playing lacrosse
Field lacrosse
Field lacrosse, sometimes referred to as the "fastest sport on two feet," is a full contact outdoor men's sport played with ten players on each team. The sport originated among Native Americans, and the modern rules of field lacrosse were initially codified by Canadian William George Beers in 1867....
instead.
Mattesich played at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
from 1971 to 1974, including on the team that won the national championship tournament
NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship
The annual NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament determines the top men's field lacrosse team in the NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III....
in 1973
1973 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
The 1973 NCAA Division I tournament championship game was played at Franklin Field in Philadelphia in front of 5,965 fans. The undefeated Maryland Terrapins, led by coach Bud Beardmore and Hall of Fame midfielder Frank Urso defeated Johns Hopkins 10 to 9 in two overtimes, with Urso scoring the...
. He graduated in 1974 with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
.
Coaching and administrative career
In 1977, Mattessich served as an assistant coach at the University of BaltimoreUniversity of Baltimore
The University of Baltimore , located in downtown Baltimore, Maryland in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood at 1420 N. Charles Street, is part of the University System of Maryland. Through the Freshman Initiative or Lower Division Initiative, UB has transformed from an upper division university to a...
under Chip Silverman, who had agreed to coach the team for one season after the departure of former head coach Dick Edell
Dick Edell
Richard "Dick" Edell is an American former lacrosse coach. He served as the head coach for the University of Maryland, United States Military Academy, and University of Baltimore's men's lacrosse teams...
. Another UB assistant, Steve Hamp explained the relationship as, "Chip really wasn't the X's and O's guy; that was assistant coach Dino Mattessich. Chip was more of the motivator." The following season, Mattessich took over as Baltimore's head coach.
In 1980, Mattessich served as a defensive assistant at Maryland. In June 1980, he was promoted to replace Bud Beardmore
Bud Beardmore
Clayton A. "Bud" Beardmore is a former American lacrosse coach. As head coach at the University of Maryland, Beardmore led the Terrapins to two NCAA tournament championships in 1973 and 1975...
as the head coach. He served in that position from 1981 to 1983, and compiled a 26–15 record.
He then served for twelve years as an associate athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
at Towson State University
Towson University
Towson University, often referred to as TU or simply Towson for short, is a public university located in Towson in Baltimore County, Maryland, U.S...
in Towson, Maryland
Towson, Maryland
Towson is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 at the 2010 census...
. Mattessich was an associate athletic director at the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
, where he worked under athletic director Sue Tyler, former Maryland women's lacrosse and field hockey coach. Tyler appointed Mattessich as head of the search committee that selected John Giannini
John Giannini
Dr. John Giannini is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of the La Salle University men's basketball team. He was a graduate assistant for the 1988–89 Illinois Fightin' Illini, a Final Four team featuring Kendall Gill, Nick Anderson, Kenny Battle, Stephen Bardo and...
as the Maine men's basketball coach in 1996. In 2001, he left Maine for the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
to take a position as an associate athletic director.
In 2006, Mattessich became the head coach of the club lacrosse team at the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
. His son Brian played for him and graduated in 2006. That season, Dino Mattessich was named the Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League
Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League
The Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League is a conference in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association . The PCLL primarily incorporates teams in New England, New York, and New Jersey and is divided into two divisions, Division 1 and Division 2...
Coach of the Year. In 2008, one of Mattessich's former players at UConn said that he "runs the program like a Division I team, and the intense, offseason conditioning focus on skill development and team commitment. That is a big challenge for players, but it has paid off on the field." Brian Mattessich took over as head coach in 2009, and Dino Mattessich continues to as a senior associate director of athletics.
Mattessich provided the inspiration for a lacrosse player depicted on a 51-cent Canadian stamp issued in 2006 in commemoration of the World Lacrosse Championship
World Lacrosse Championship
The World Lacrosse Championship is the world championship for international men's field lacrosse. From its inception in 1967 through the 2006 event, it was sanctioned by the International Lacrosse Federation...
. The illustration was based on a photograph of Mattessich taken by Bob Rothgaber during the 1974 Maryland–Hopkins NCAA tournament final
1974 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
The 1974 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament was the 4th annual Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament. Eight NCAA Division I college men's lacrosse teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament. The championship game...
that was used on the cover of Lacrosse: Technique and Tradition by Bob Scott. The stamp depicts the player in a Canadian national team uniform.