Coming Full Circle
/Coming Full Circle
Life has a funny way of bringing you back to where you started.
As many of you know, I have accepted the position of Head Men's Lacrosse Coach at the University of Georgia.
To say it has been a whirlwind would be an understatement. Over the past two weeks, my phone has rung constantly with congratulations, encouragement, and conversations with people I haven't heard from in years. Former players, coaches, officials, colleagues, and friends have all reached out, reminding me just how blessed I have been by this game and the relationships it has given me.
Just a few months ago, my life looked very different.
When I retired from USA Lacrosse in March after nearly a decade on staff, and more than forty years of coaching and working full time, I was perfectly content. My plan was simple: devote my time to the Gordon J. Corsetti Mental Agility Foundation, spend more time with my bride, Mary Jo, and finally slow down after a career that began in 1982.
I thought my days of leading a college program had long passed.
Then this opportunity presented itself.
After many conversations, countless prayers, and a lot of encouragement from Mary Jo, I decided to take a shot. Sometimes God has a way of opening doors you never expected to walk through again.
In many ways, my coaching journey has come full circle.
My first collegiate coaching experience came shortly after college when I had the privilege of coaching at Farmingdale University alongside the legendary Fred Acee. I could never have imagined then that decades later I would have the opportunity to lead one of the premier MCLA programs in the country at the University of Georgia.
This week I drove to Athens, Georgia to meet with our Field Operations and Team Chaplin and as I was driving my favorite song and band, Lynyrd Skynyrd came on ”Simple Man” As I reflected on this opportunity, I kept coming back to something I wrote for Gordon’s Web site and blog, A Simple Man.
I've never wanted to be remembered for job titles, awards, or championships. Those things are nice, but they are never the point. I've always believed that life is really about faith, family, friendships, and serving others with whatever gifts God has given us. If people remember me as a simple man who tried to love God, love his family, and help young people become better men and women, then I've lived a successful life.
That perspective hasn't changed because of this new opportunity.
If anything, it has become even clearer.
The University of Georgia Men's Lacrosse program is especially meaningful because it is filled with young men and alumni whose lives have intersected with mine for decades. Many played on our Atlanta youth teams, club teams and coached in our programs. Some I coached in high school. Others I watched grow from little boys carrying oversized lacrosse sticks into successful men.
Today, they are business leaders, attorneys, physicians, entrepreneurs, technology professionals, educators, and community leaders. Watching their success off the field has always meant far more to me than anything that happened between the lines.
For years, at every parent meeting, someone inevitably asks the same question:
"Coach, how do you think we're going to do this season?"
My answer has never changed.
"I'll tell you in ten years."
People usually smile or laugh, but I mean every word.
Wins matter. Championships are exciting. Trophies create wonderful memories.
But they don't define success.
Ten years from now, I hope our players are known as outstanding husbands, loving fathers, men of integrity, faithful followers, dependable coworkers, compassionate friends, and leaders who make their families and communities better because they are in them.
That's the scoreboard that matters.
Lacrosse has always been the vehicle, not the destination.
As I begin this new chapter at Georgia, I don't simply want to build a winning team. I want to build young men who understand purpose, embrace structure, value meaningful relationships, and demonstrate compassion for others. Those same principles have become the foundation of the Gordon J. Corsetti Mental Agility Foundation and the legacy Gordon continues to teach me every single day.
My prayer is that every player who walks into our program leaves with far more than a better shot, faster feet, or a higher lacrosse IQ.
I hope they leave with a stronger faith, greater resilience, deeper friendships, and a clearer understanding that their identity is never found in a scoreboard but in the person God created them to become.
I'm incredibly grateful to the University of Georgia Club program for this opportunity.
I'm thankful to Mary Jo for encouraging me to trust God's timing once again.
And I'm thankful to every player, parent, coach, official, and friend who has walked this journey with me over the last four decades.
Here's to another chapter.
Not because of the wins we hope to achieve, but because of the lives we have the privilege to impact.
As I've learned over the years, that's what really lasts.
Please consider donating to the Gordon J. Corsetti Mental Agility Foundation to help us keep Gordon’s legacy alive.
Call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for help. In an emergency, please call 911.
If you or someone you know is seeking help for mental health concerns, visit the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) website, or call 1-800-950-NAMI(6264).
For confidential treatment referrals, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website, or call the National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP(4357).
