Rob Bordley, architect of one of the nation’s most successful high school boys' lacrosse programs, will be stepping down as the head coach of the Landon (Md.) School following the 2018 season. Landon headmaster Jim Neill announced Bordley’s decision in an email sent to the Landon community on Friday.
Bordley, a 1966 graduate of Landon, has been on the faculty at the school since 1970. Bordley has led the Bears to 31 Interstate Athletic Conference championships, including 22 straight from 1981 to 2002. Four times his teams have been rated as the No. 1 team in the nation by US Lacrosse Magazine — most recently last spring when Landon went a perfect 21-0.
According to Mike Loveday of LaxRecords.com, Bordley’s 643 career victories entering the 2018 season rank fourth all-time among boys’ high school coaches.
“Rob is the consummate teacher-coach-mentor and is one who thinks deeply and intentionally about leadership as a discipline to be studied and learned, and about the lessons that history has to teach us,” Neill wrote. “He is tireless in his own pursuit of professional and personal growth and, above all, cares deeply about and is dedicated to the boys of Landon.”
After winning his 600th career game in 2015, the ever-modest Bordley said, “I told the kids that I haven’t scored any winning goals, I haven’t made any saves, and I haven’t won any faceoffs. I have just been here a long time. I’ve had a lot of talented kids. I’ve had superb coaches, from start to finish. And the administration and parents have been very supportive. All those factors have contributed to winning our share.”
The 2017-18 school year is Bordley’s 48th at his alma mater and 42nd as the head lacrosse coach. Neill wrote that Bordley will stay connected to the school.
“He and I have been in discussion over the fall as to how his responsibilities will change and what roles will best fit his multifaceted skill set, his deep Landon ties, and the school's needs,” Neill wrote. “We will finish finalizing the plans related to his new role and to plan for his successors in both coaching and teaching in the coming months, but in the meantime I wanted to share this news so that you can join me in celebrating a man who has dedicated, and continues to dedicate, himself personally and professionally to all things Landon.”
An outstanding athlete in his own right, Bordley played football and lacrosse at Princeton, earning All-Ivy recognition in both sports. After graduating from Princeton, Bordley joined the Washington Rugby Football Club and played the sport for more than a decade. He helped usher in the modern era of U.S. rugby, serving as captain for the national team for the United States Eagles first-ever test match, a match against Australia in Anaheim, Calif., in 1976. Bordley was inducted into the U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame in 2012.
Bordley, a featured speaker at the 2017 US Lacrosse Convention, again will host an educational session for coaches at the Jan. 19-21 professional development and networking event in Baltimore. He was inducted into the US Lacrosse Potomac Chapter Hall of Fame in 2004.