Lion lacrosse coach a winning fixture

By DAVID COMER
Collegian Sports Writer

There were no Gatorade showers or jubilant celebrations after the men's lacrosse team crushed visiting Lafayette 18-4 on Saturday.

Lion Coach Glenn Thiel reacted to the win in normal fashion -- he addressed his team and then shook hands with the opposing players and coaches. He seemed oblivious to the milestone he had just reached -- the 200th win of his 28-year coaching career.

"He runs a very simplified program. He doesn't do anything fancy. In his own words, 'You don't have to be a rocket scientist to play lacrosse,' " said the victim of Thiel's 200th win -- Lafayette Coach Bill Lawson.

"I think he's just done an outstanding job. I can't say enough about the man. We've been friends for years, and I'm just happy to be here and share this day."

Donned in a blue and black windbreaker and a white Penn State lacrosse hat on the brisk spring afternoon, Thiel was greeted by a scattering of the 265 fans who heard the public address announcer note the significant win. He gladly accepted the plaudits.

"He's done a lot for lacrosse," Lawson said, "and he's done a lot for the Penn State program."

Thiel shrugged off the achievement, crediting it to his longevity.

"If you coach 28 years, you ought to have a few wins," he joked.

Penn State lacrosse and the Thiel name are synonymous.

He was a midfielder for the Lions from 1964-66. During his senior season, he scored 27 goals and received the Pittenger Award as the team's most valuable senior.

"He was always a leader on the team and somebody that you would look up to," said Drexel Coach Randy Voigt, who was Thiel's teammate at Penn State. "If you wanted to get better you always looked to play against the best guy, and he was the guy you wanted to play against in practice. The game is just in his blood."

Thiel's family tree would be better suited having lacrosse sticks instead of branches. Thiel played with his brother Dave for two years at Penn State. His father, Glenn "Nick" Thiel, coached the Lions from 1935-56.

But it was wrestling, not lacrosse, that was the younger Glenn Thiel's athletic focus at Penn State. He was a varsity wrestler for the Lions for two seasons, albeit not a legendary career.

"I was one of the worst wrestlers Penn State has ever had," Thiel said. "But wrestling for Penn State was the biggest thrill of my life."

Lacrosse, as Thiel said, was on the "bottom rung of the Penn State sports ladder." Today, the sport is far from being the most important sport in Happy Valley. Thiel said that, "hopefully, we can overcome that."

And if the No. 10 Lions (6-1) can break into the elite group of 12 teams that make the NCAA tournament, Thiel said the status of lacrosse at Penn State may be elevated. The Lions have never made the tournament before.

"If that happens, it will open a lot of doors," Thiel said. "People are taking notice now."

And Thiel, whose 201 wins rank him seventh among active Division I coaches, has put Penn State in position to make that jump to the next level.

"He really, really loves the sport," Lion Assistant Coach Rick Young said. "It's not just a passion or job, it's really a love of sport."

Thiel started his coaching career at the Community College of Baltimore before taking the head spot at Virginia in 1970.

With the Cavaliers, Thiel compiled a 63-30 record in eight seasons and led them to three Atlantic Coacst Conference titles and the 1972 NCAA Championship.

Thiel returned to his alma mater for the 1978 season and has turned the Penn State lacrosse program into one of the best in the country. He has done it with a simplified approach to the game and an ability to adapt his schemes to the players he has.

In each of the past five seasons, the Lions have finished with a No. 19 ranking or higher.

"He really knows his lacrosse and is very, very knowledgeable about the game," senior midfielder Mike Busza said. "He's just a great coach."