Former Maryland Assistant Moves to HS Ranks

by Corey McLaughlin | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

After three decades as a college lacrosse assistant coach, Dave Slafkosky has resurfaced as the head coach at Mount St. Joseph. © John Strohsacker/LaxPhotos.com

On his street alone, former longtime Maryland men’s assistant coach Dave Slafkosky has three Mount St. Joseph High School alums within earshot. One lives across the block from his Catonsville, Md., home, another next door and another two doors down.
 
He may be hearing more from them come the spring lacrosse season.
 
Slafkosky, a highly-regarded assistant under Dick Edell for 18 years at Maryland and in the same capacity with Dave Cottle for the last nine seasons, was announced last week as the new boys' lacrosse coach at Mount St. Joseph, a Catholic school that two of Slafkosky’s sons attended and a place located only four miles from his Baltimore-area home.
 
The impetus for the move? Being let go at Maryland.

Slafkosky, who served as defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator in 26 seasons with the Terps, made it through one head coaching change in College Park, but couldn’t make it through two. He was not retained b

y new Maryland coach John Tillman. Thus began a job search for the man known to many as "Slaf," who hadn’t needed look for work in nearly three decades.
 
He said he was looking at three options, one at the college level, but decided on Mount St. Joseph, where he will also work as guidance counselor. He holds a masters degree in counseling.
 
The coaching job will be his first at the high school level. Slafkosky, 57, coached at West Point with Edell from 1977-83 before joining him at Maryland.
 
“It’s a new challenge and something I’m looking forward to doing,” Slafkosky said by phone from his home. “The last couple years I was looking at doing something new, but I guess getting kicked out the door at Maryland made me jump in that direction.”
 
He replaces Tony Brockmeyer, who stepped down as coach after 12 seasons.  The Gaels went 1-17 last year and winless in the MIAA, regarded by many the toughest high school conference in the country.
 
“I’ve coached nothing but college,” Slafkosky said. “It will be different in that you’re dealing with a younger group of men. I think I’ve shown I can deal with the college athlete; now I’ll have to show I can deal with the high school athlete.”
 
He said in recent days he’s already discovered more Mount alums than he thought existed, even though he’s lived near the school for 15 years. People he doesn’t know have wished him good luck in the store.
 
“Everybody’s been pretty nice so far,” he said, “but we haven’t beaten anybody yet or we haven’t lost yet. I’m lucky I’ve made a lot of friends in lacrosse in the Maryland area. I’ve got a lot of phone calls from them in the last week or so. The surprising thing is I didn’t realize how many people have a connection with Mount St. Joe.”
 
Slafkosky graduated from Johns Hopkins in 1974, where he helped the Blue Jays to a national championship his senior year as a midfielder.
 
His son, Kevin, graduated from Mount St. Joseph in 2005 and another son, David, is a 2009 graduate. He also has a daughter, Sarah. A third son of Slafkosky and his wife Michelle, Daniel, passed away in December 2000 in a car accident. He was 20.
 
“I think Mount St. Joe has a tremendous educational experience,” Slafkosky said. “My sons got a great education there. I think that’s a key reason why I took this job. I’d like to be able to match that education with the lacrosse experience.”