Dom Starsia
Encyclopedia
Dom Starsia is an American lacrosse
coach. He is currently the head coach of the University of Virginia men's lacrosse
program, with whom he has won four NCAA national championships, in 1999
, 2003
, 2006
, and 2011. Previously, he served as the head coach of the Brown University lacrosse team where he was twice awarded the F. Morris Touchstone Award
as the NCAA Division I lacrosse coach of the year. Starsia is currently among the winningest lacrosse coaches in history and was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2008.
in 1952, Starsia attended Valley Stream Central High School
, where he played football
at the wide receiver
position. In 1970, he enrolled at Brown University
, where he again played wide receiver for the varsity football team. Prior to enrolling at Brown, Starsia had never played or seen a lacrosse game. However, he took to the sport naturally and developed into an outstanding defenseman, earning Third Team All America
honors in 1973 and 1974 as well as First Team All-Ivy and All-New England honors both years. In 1974, he was captain of the Brown lacrosse team that reached the NCAA playoffs and was selected to play in the annual North-South Senior All-Star Game
.
Following college, Starsia was a standout club lacrosse player and was named a club All-American in 1977, 1979, and 1980. He was selected as the Club Defenseman of the Year in 1979. He also played for the U.S. National Team in the 1978 World Lacrosse Championship
.
In 1981, Starsia was inducted into the Brown University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1996, he was inducted into the New England Lacrosse Hall of Fame in Newton, Massachusetts. In 2000, he was named to the Brown Bears men's lacrosse "Team of the Millennium" and was chosen one of Brown's "Top 100 Athletes of the Twentieth Century."
. Between 1974 and 1982, he served in a number of different roles at Brown, including head coach of the women's soccer team. In 1982, he became head coach of men's lacrosse and eventually led his alma mater
to two Ivy League
championships, in 1985 and 1991. In both of these seasons, he was recognized nationally with the F. Morris Touchstone Award
as the NCAA Division I lacrosse coach of the year.
in 1993. There, he coached the Cavaliers to national championships in 1999
, 2003
, 2006
, and 2011. His 2006 team finished with a perfect 17-0 record, a first in NCAA history. During Starsia's tenure at Virginia, the Cavaliers have won Atlantic Coast Conference
championships in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006, and 2010; produced 117 All-Americans including 28 First Team All-Americans; 68 All-ACC selections; eight ACC Rookies of the Year; six ACC Players of the Year; five NCAA Championship MVPs; and 36 All-NCAA Tournament selections. Through 2011, Starsia has compiled a career record of 329 wins and 118 losses in 29 seasons (228-72 at Virginia and 101-46 at Brown), making him the winningest coach in Division I history. His current contract with Virginia extends through 2012. Starsia has coached all-time greats including Darren Lowe
, Doug Knight
, Michael Watson, Conor Gill
, Jay Jalbert
, Tillman Johnson, Matt Ward, and Ben Rubeor
.
In 2006, Starsia received the Howdy Myers Man of the Year Award at the annual USILA convention. Two years later, in 2008, he was inducted into the Lacrosse National Hall of Fame
by US Lacrosse
. Following Virginia's 2011 national championship season, Starsia was also nominated for an ESPY Award for Best Coach/Manager.
.
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. He is currently the head coach of the University of Virginia men's lacrosse
Virginia Cavaliers men's lacrosse
The Virginia Cavaliers men's lacrosse team represents the University of Virginia in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's lacrosse...
program, with whom he has won four NCAA national championships, in 1999
1999 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
The 1999 NCAA Division I tournament championship game was played at University of Maryland's Byrd Stadium with an attendance of 24,135. After building a 9-3 lead in the third quarter, the Virginia Cavaliers were able to hold off the Syracuse Orange, the number eight seed, 12-10. It was Virginia's...
, 2003
2003 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
The 2003 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament was the 33rd annual Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament. Sixteen NCAA Division I college men's lacrosse teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament...
, 2006
2006 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
The 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament was the 36th annual Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament. Sixteen 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 semifinals and...
, and 2011. Previously, he served as the head coach of the Brown University lacrosse team where he was twice awarded the F. Morris Touchstone Award
F. Morris Touchstone Award
The F. Morris Touchstone Award is an award given by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association to the nation's most outstanding NCAA Division I Lacrosse Head Coach. The award was first presented in 1958....
as the NCAA Division I lacrosse coach of the year. Starsia is currently among the winningest lacrosse coaches in history and was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2008.
Early life
Born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1952, Starsia attended Valley Stream Central High School
Valley Stream Central High School
Valley Stream Central High School is a public senior high school in the village of Valley Stream, New York in southwest Nassau County. It is part of the Valley Stream Central High School District.-Principals:A list of school principals:...
, where he played football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
at the wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
position. In 1970, he enrolled at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, where he again played wide receiver for the varsity football team. Prior to enrolling at Brown, Starsia had never played or seen a lacrosse game. However, he took to the sport naturally and developed into an outstanding defenseman, earning Third Team All America
USILA All-American Team
The USILA All-American Team is an honor given annually to the best American men's college lacrosse players at their respective positions by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. The term All-American is derived from the same practice in American college football, in which the...
honors in 1973 and 1974 as well as First Team All-Ivy and All-New England honors both years. In 1974, he was captain of the Brown lacrosse team that reached the NCAA playoffs and was selected to play in the annual North-South Senior All-Star Game
North-South Senior All-Star Game
The North-South Senior All-Star Game is an annual postseason college lacrosse game featuring the best players from the graduating class. It is hosted by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association , one of the college sport's main governing bodies. The inaugural event occurred in 1940 at...
.
Following college, Starsia was a standout club lacrosse player and was named a club All-American in 1977, 1979, and 1980. He was selected as the Club Defenseman of the Year in 1979. He also played for the U.S. National Team in the 1978 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...
.
In 1981, Starsia was inducted into the Brown University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1996, he was inducted into the New England Lacrosse Hall of Fame in Newton, Massachusetts. In 2000, he was named to the Brown Bears men's lacrosse "Team of the Millennium" and was chosen one of Brown's "Top 100 Athletes of the Twentieth Century."
Brown University
After graduating from Brown in 1974 with a degree in American Civilization, Starsia joined the Brown athletic departmentBrown Bears
The Brown Bears is a name shared by all sports teams at Brown University, a university located in Providence, Rhode Island in the United States. The Bears are part of the Ivy League conference. Brown's mascot is Bruno. Both the men's and women's teams share the name, competing in 37 National...
. Between 1974 and 1982, he served in a number of different roles at Brown, including head coach of the women's soccer team. In 1982, he became head coach of men's lacrosse and eventually led his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
to two Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
championships, in 1985 and 1991. In both of these seasons, he was recognized nationally with the F. Morris Touchstone Award
F. Morris Touchstone Award
The F. Morris Touchstone Award is an award given by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association to the nation's most outstanding NCAA Division I Lacrosse Head Coach. The award was first presented in 1958....
as the NCAA Division I lacrosse coach of the year.
University of Virginia
After spending ten years at Brown, Starsia became the head coach of the Virginia CavaliersVirginia Cavaliers men's lacrosse
The Virginia Cavaliers men's lacrosse team represents the University of Virginia in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's lacrosse...
in 1993. There, he coached the Cavaliers to national championships in 1999
1999 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
The 1999 NCAA Division I tournament championship game was played at University of Maryland's Byrd Stadium with an attendance of 24,135. After building a 9-3 lead in the third quarter, the Virginia Cavaliers were able to hold off the Syracuse Orange, the number eight seed, 12-10. It was Virginia's...
, 2003
2003 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
The 2003 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament was the 33rd annual Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament. Sixteen NCAA Division I college men's lacrosse teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament...
, 2006
2006 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
The 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament was the 36th annual Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament. Sixteen 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 semifinals and...
, and 2011. His 2006 team finished with a perfect 17-0 record, a first in NCAA history. During Starsia's tenure at Virginia, the Cavaliers have won Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
championships in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006, and 2010; produced 117 All-Americans including 28 First Team All-Americans; 68 All-ACC selections; eight ACC Rookies of the Year; six ACC Players of the Year; five NCAA Championship MVPs; and 36 All-NCAA Tournament selections. Through 2011, Starsia has compiled a career record of 329 wins and 118 losses in 29 seasons (228-72 at Virginia and 101-46 at Brown), making him the winningest coach in Division I history. His current contract with Virginia extends through 2012. Starsia has coached all-time greats including Darren Lowe
Darren Lowe (lacrosse)
Darren Lowe was a three time All-American NCAA lacrosse player at Brown University from 1989 to 1992 who led his team to three straight NCAA tournament quarterfinal appearances.-Career Highlights:...
, Doug Knight
Doug Knight
Doug Knight is an American lacrosse player who had a standout collegiate career at the University of Virginia, where he set numerous scoring records.-High school and collegiate career:...
, Michael Watson, Conor Gill
Conor Gill
Conor Gill is a professional lacrosse player who had an exceptional collegiate career at the University of Virginia before going on to the professional ranks.-High school and collegiate career:...
, Jay Jalbert
Jay Jalbert
Jay Jalbert is an American lacrosse player who had a standout collegiate career at the University of Virginia and then went on to play professional lacrosse in Major League Lacrosse and the National Lacrosse League, as well as on the U.S...
, Tillman Johnson, Matt Ward, and Ben Rubeor
Ben Rubeor
Ben Rubeor is an American lacrosse player who currently plays for the Washington Bayhawks in Major League Lacrosse. He was one of the nation's top collegiate lacrosse players at the University of Virginia....
.
In 2006, Starsia received the Howdy Myers Man of the Year Award at the annual USILA convention. Two years later, in 2008, he was inducted into the Lacrosse National Hall of Fame
Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame
The US Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame, located in Baltimore, Maryland, on the campus of Johns Hopkins University, is operated by US Lacrosse...
by US Lacrosse
US Lacrosse
US Lacrosse is the national governing body of men and women's lacrosse in the United States, primarily serving the youth game. It provides a leadership role in virtually every aspect of the game, boasts 63 chapters throughout the United States, and offers programs and services to inspire...
. Following Virginia's 2011 national championship season, Starsia was also nominated for an ESPY Award for Best Coach/Manager.
Personal life
Married with four children, Starsia has three daughters and one son. His son Joe is an assistant lacrosse coach at Colgate UniversityColgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
.