Sources: Cottle to Interview at Harvard

by Gary Lambrecht | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online

Few could have envisioned such a trade coming to fruition a week ago, but the University of Maryland and Harvard University might end up swapping men's lacrosse coaches.

One week after John Tillman left Harvard to replace Dave Cottle at Maryland, Cottle could be on the verge of taking over the Crimson. Sources familiar with the coaching search underway at Harvard say that Cottle is expected to interview for the job vacated by Tillman, who left after three seasons to sign a seven-year contract to coach the Terrapins. Sources added Cottle expected to meet with officials from Harvard as early as Tuesday afternoon.

Cottle, who did not return phone calls seeking comment about the Harvard position, could emerge this week as the school's leading candidate.

Cottle, a 28-year coaching veteran who has won 280 games in a career that included 19 seasons at Loyola, was forced to resign after nine seasons at Maryland on May 23 -- the day after Maryland dropped a 7-5 decision to Notre Dame in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals. Cottle won 99 games in College Park and took the Terps to eight straight NCAA tournaments, including three trips to the final four. But Maryland failed to win its first championship since 1975 and failed to reach the semifinals since 2006.

Harvard athletics director Bob Scalise, a former All-American lacrosse player at Brown who coached the Harvard men's lacrosse team from 1974 to 1987, is said to be fond of Cottle. The two worked together in recent years on the NCAA tournament selection committee.

Cottle recently interviewed for the men's lacrosse opening at Penn State, which has since hired former Cornell coach Jeff Tambroni to replace the retired Glenn Thiel.