| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1944 Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | (aged 74) Columbia, Maryland, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1964–1967 | Towson |
| Position(s) | Midfielder |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1969–1970 | Towson (freshmen) |
| 1971–1973 | Calvert Hall H.S. |
| 1973–1976 | Baltimore |
| 1977–1983 | Army |
| 1984–2001 | Maryland |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 282–123 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1985ACC Tournament Championship 1987 ACC Tournament Championship 1989 ACC Regular Season Championship 1998 ACC Tournament Championship | |
| Awards | |
| 1978 USILA Coach of the Year 1995 USILA Coach of the Year 1989 ACC Coach of the Year 1992 ACC Coach of the Year 1998 ACC Coach of the Year 2004National Lacrosse Hall of Fame | |
Richard Irving Edell (1944 – May 2, 2018) was an Americanlacrosse coach. He served as the head coach for theUniversity of Maryland,United States Military Academy, andUniversity of Baltimore's men's lacrosse teams. Edell was inducted into theUS Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2004, at which time he held the second-mostNCAA tournament appearances of any head coach.[1]
Born in Maryland in 1944,[2] Edell attendedTowson University, where he played lacrosse and was named an honorable mentionAll-American as amidfielder in 1967.[3] He graduated in 1967 with a degree in physical education. Edell continued his education, earning a master's degree in education fromWestern Maryland (now McDaniel College) in 1970 and, later while coaching, a master's degree in science from theUniversity of Baltimore in 1976.[4]
Edell's first coaching position was as the freshman team coach at his alma mater,Towson, where he served for two years. He then held the head coaching position atCalvert Hall High School for three years, and led his team to the 1971 and 1972Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA) championships. TheUniversity of Baltimore provided him his first collegiate head coaching opportunity, and, in four years, he led the team to three NCAADivision IItournaments. During that time, he also coached UB's soccer team, which he led to the 1975NCAA Division II national championship. In 1977, Edell took over as the Army head coach. During his seven-year tenure, he compiled a 66–24 record and led the Cadets to fourNCAA tournament appearances.[4] He also coachedArmy Black Knights men's soccer from 1979 to 1981.[5]
Edell took over as theMaryland head coach starting with the 1984 season. During his 18-year tenure there, he led the Terrapins to threeAtlantic Coast Conference (ACC) titles and 13 NCAA tournament appearances, which included three appearances in the championship game. In his second year with the Terrapins, he led the team to a 2–1 conference record to secure the championship. The following season, Maryland finished with a 10–3 overall record and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals before elimination. In 1987, Edell led Maryland to a perfect 3–0 mark for the conference title and led the team to the NCAA semifinals. From 1991 to 1998, the Terrapins secured an NCAA tournament berth each season. In 1995, 1997, and 1998, Maryland advanced to the tournament final before being eliminated. In 1998, the Terps again finished with a perfect conference mark, 3–0.[4] In 2001, he retired from coaching due to a non-life-threatening health issue,inclusion body myositis.[4][6] The 57-year-old Edell said, "My mind and heart want to do this, but my body won't."[4]
In 2011, first-year Maryland head coachJohn Tillman led Maryland to thenational championship game, and he contacted Edell for advice. Edell, whose teams lost their three championship game appearances, toldThe Washington Times
"I said 'John, I tried practicing on Sunday. I tried not practicing on Sunday. I can't give you any help for Monday' ... We thought long and hard after the first one [a 13–9 loss to Syracuse]. I don't know if we made mistakes. I don't have the answer. Whatever he does on Monday, he's on his own.I will counsel people on the semifinals. I don't have a useful thing to say about the final."[7]
At the time of his retirement, Edell, with 282 wins, wasthe fifth-winningest all-time head coach in terms of wins, and the sixth-winningest active head coach in terms ofwinning percentage. He was also the second-winningest active head coach by wins, behindJack Emmer of Army with 289, and the winningest all-time ACC coach, with 171 wins, ahead ofJim Adams of Virginia with 137. Edell had the second-most NCAA Division I tournament appearances, with 17, behindRoy Simmons, Jr. of Syracuse who had 18. He was the seventh head coach to reach the 400-game benchmark and the first ACC head coach to reach the 150-win benchmark.[4]
TheUnited States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) twice named Edell the National Coach of the Year: in 1978 with Army and in 1995 with Maryland. The Atlantic Coast Conference named him the ACC Coach of the Year three times: in 1989, 1992, and 1998.[4] In 2004, Edell was inducted into theUS Lacrosse Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the US Lacrosse Potomac Chapter Hall of Fame,[1] the US Lacrosse Greater Baltimore Chapter Hall of Fame,[8] theUniversity of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame,[1] the University of Baltimore Athletic Hall of Fame,[9] the Towson University Hall of Fame[10] and the Army West Point Athletic Hall of Fame.[11]
Edell and his wife, Dolores, had four children.[4] He died at a hospital in Columbia, Maryland from pneumonia on May 2, 2018, at the age of 74.[12][13]
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