When the Premier Lacrosse League announced the first six coaches in league history, one stood out over the others. Literally. Andy Towers, the hulking coach of Chaos LC with a bald head and bulging biceps, jutted out of the frame.

Since that photo, Towers continues to stand out. His big personality matches his physical frame, whether it’s a video clip from the sidelines that — while enthusiastic — needs to be censored for language or becoming a meme thanks to his on-air use of his notebook during the 2021 PLL Draft.

“My philosophy is always to be authentic and true to myself, first and foremost, from a personality standpoint,” Towers said. “Among those characteristics is being honest with everybody, and being proactive and tactful in my communication, whether that’s good news or bad news. The greatest fabric in any relationship is honesty and trust.”

He’s not just all style, however. There’s a lot of substance as well. Towers played professional lacrosse for the Boston Cannons and Bridgeport Barrage. He was the head coach at Dartmouth College for six years. He’s a USA Lacrosse Connecticut Hall of Famer and was named the PLL Coach of the Year for the league’s inaugural season in 2019.

The PLL now has eight head coaches. Each has his own strengths and journey that got him here. Coaching pro lacrosse — with its weekend warriors parachuting in from other full-time jobs and responsibilities — requires a different skillset than coaching college lacrosse or any other level of the sport.

All coaches will tell you the objective in the PLL is to win the championship. In two seasons, however, only one coach — Whipsnakes LC skipper Jim Stagnitta — has been able to do so.

“That’s who we’re all chasing, the Whipsnakes and Coach Stagnitta and his staff,” Towers said. “In the offseason, we’ll all try to make the changes to the rosters that will ideally get us connected the best as it relates to culture in the locker room and performance on the field. That’s paramount.”

Stagnitta’s first professional coaching position came with Major League Lacrosse’s Denver Outlaws in 2012, and he has brought a winning mentality since the very beginning.

“The approach early on of actually treating them like professionals and preparing to play games, I remember when Tony Seaman brought me in [to Denver], and he was my college coach, I said, ‘I’m not here if you just want me to manage egos and substitute players. I want to coach and prepare,’” Stagnitta said.

“That approach particularly early on was something that appealed to the players. They want to be coached no matter where they are in their career. They want to get better and be put in a position to succeed.”

Many of the PLL’s head coaches have coached at the collegiate level. What we don’t see much of, however, is coaches from Division I powerhouses (think Maryland, Johns Hopkins or Duke) coaching professionally. Many that have collegiate coaching experience came from a mid-major program or, in the case of Cannons LC’s Sean Quirk or Redwoods LC’s Nat St. Laurent, Division III. 

Quirk, who coached at Endicott College, said being in Division III helped him develop an “underdog” attitude that drives him as a head coach professionally.

“When you come from a Division III school like myself and a D-II/D-III athlete at Springfield, you look at yourself inward as a little bit of an underdog,” he said. “I thrive off of failing, hitting adversity walls, making sure I don’t hit those points again. Mentally I get so dialed in to what I’m doing to succeed.”

St. Laurent, who from 2016-20 earned a .667 winning percentage at Ohio Northern University, said another reason more coaches from perennial NCAA Division I championship contenders don’t also coach professionally is a more practical one.

“Some schools don’t allow them to do that,” he said. “I know, personally, I’ve been offered big-time Division I assistant coaching offers, but they told me I’d have to step down from the PLL, and I wasn’t prepared to do that.”

It isn’t a necessity to have played professionally, but it does have its advantages.

“The fact I did it for 15 years gives me a unique perspective for what it takes for the guys to be successful,” said Tim Soudan, who played for MLL’s Rochester Rattlers and as well as in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League, which eventually became the National Lacrosse League. “There are some coaches in the PLL that have a unique understanding of what it takes to have a job, work 40 hours and go play on the weekend. I don’t put pressure on them where there doesn’t need to be pressure.”

Towers and Atlas LC’s Ben Rubeor also played in MLL, while Archers LC’s Chris Bates was Soudan’s teammate for several years in the MILL.

Rubeor said his past professional playing career helps him understand and appreciate his players.

“I know the effort it takes,” he said. “I know how much time and effort they put in on their own. I respect it. I try to coach with a little bit of gratitude. I know they’re sacrificing a lot of their personal lives to make this work and play at the highest level possible.”

In addition to coaching their teams, PLL coaches also serve as the team’s general manager.

While it is extra work, many coaches enjoy the additional role unique to professional lacrosse.

“I’ve fallen in love with it, maybe more so than coaching,” Waterdogs LC coach Andy Copelan, who formerly coached at Fairfield. “It gives you a reason to stay close to the college game. It gives you a reason to stay connected with the other PLL coaches because you’re constantly wheeling and dealing. We had a busy offseason. It’s been a lot of fun. The GM part is something I don’t know if I underestimated, but I’m enjoying it way more than I thought I would.”

Creating good working relationships with the other coaches is important to build rosters and improve teams.

“Although you want to keep your cards close to your vest at times, you have to be transparent, respectful, and honest with other coaches and GMs when dealing with player movement and trades,” Quirk said. “If you aren’t, it will catch up with you. Once one coach can’t trust you or believe in what you’re trying to deal, that circulates in a small league quick.”

Many PLL players are coaches themselves and have their own philosophies and approaches to the game. Collecting input from the players and giving them some ownership over what happens with the team can be beneficial.

“I don’t think it’s my way or the highway,” Bates said. “I’m smart enough to know there’s high-level experience guys in the room. My ears are always open. I’m asking guys opinions and trying to lean on what’s successful for them. If I came in with a single-minded way of doing things, if it didn’t go well, it wouldn’t last.”  

BENCH BOSSES

Chris Bates, Archers LC

Bates was the head coach at Drexel and Princeton before joining the PLL. With the Archers, he was reunited with former Princeton players Tom Schreiber, Ryan Ambler and Austin Sims. Bates said the familiarity with terminology and family backgrounds helps. “It allows you to hit the ground running as opposed to guys you don’t know and didn’t recruit,” he said.

Andy Copelan, Waterdogs LC

Copeland left Fairfield wanting to spend more time with his young family in the summer instead of on the road recruiting. When the opportunity to coachin the PLL became a reality, however, he said it was too good to pass up. “I love being part of the PLL in the early stages,” he said. “Focusing on making the Waterdogs a championship contender and helping the PLL at large has been awesome.”

Sean Quirk, Cannons LC

The former Endicott College coach took over MLL’s Boston Cannons in 2015. The team missed the playoffs his first three seasons, made the cut in 2019 and won the championship in 2020. “Every team has talent, especially in the PLL. Every team is loaded,” Quirk said. “If you can be equal talent wise but have the strong culture another team may not have, that will take you over the top.”

Ben Rubeor, Atlas LC

A three-time All-American at Virginia and 2012 MLL championship MVP with the Chesapeake Bayhawks, Rubeor was an assistant with the Boston Cannons before earning the head coaching position with Atlas LC. “Winning is hard,” he said. “When you have the best players in the world on your team and playing against, it is a difficult task to get a team playing at its highest level.”

Tim Soudan, Chrome LC

Soudan’s Rochester Rattlers teams were known for having the tightest-knit group of players in the locker room. Those relationships brought him back to the sideline with the Chrome. “I would get a call from Jordan Wolf after every game of the first PLL season saying, ‘Coach, I miss you so much,’” he said. “It makes you feel good.”

Nat St. Laurent, Redwoods LC

St. Laurent got his first pro coaching job as a volunteer assistant with the Ohio Machine  by meeting Tom Mariano at a recruiting event in Ohio. He rose through the ranks and became known as a player’s coach. “I hope it defines me,” he said. “Our players know I care about them, first and foremost. It’s OK to care and have feelings for your players and want them to be great.”

Jim Stagnitta, Whipsnakes LC

Stagnitta, a former college coach at Rutgers and Washington and Lee, is now a veteran of the pro ranks. He was previously the head coach of the Denver Outlaws, an assistant with the Florida Launch and the head coach of the Charlotte Hounds. “We can always get better,” Stagnitta said. “Having the opportunity to coach and interact with guys at this level, I’ve continued to evolve.”

Andy Towers, Chaos LC

Towers is friends with Ryan Danehy, who worked as an assistant coach with the New York Lizards when Paul Rabil played for them. When the PLL was formed, Towers asked Danehy to put in a word for him with Rabil. After talks with Paul and Mike Rabil, Towers was offered a head coaching position in the PLL. It’s a opportunity he has cherished. “I wear my emotions on my sleeve,” he said.

This article appears in the Championship Edition of USA Lacrosse Magazine. Join our momentum.