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The Princeton men’s lacrosse dynasty of the 1990s is well known and often celebrated. Under the guidance of Hall of Fame coach Bill Tierney, the Tigers won six NCAA national championships in a 10-year span from 1992-2001.

The dynasty-within-the-dynasty included three straight titles from 1996-98, with a cumulative 43-2 record during those three seasons. Tierney’s squads were loaded with All-Ivy and All-American players.

The 1996 squad was headlined by the outstanding trio of sophomore attackers — Jesse Hubbard, Jon Hess and Chris Massey. The offense was a showcase, averaging 15.67 goals per game throughout the year and over 15 goals per game in the NCAA tournament.

At the other end of the field, the defense included Becket Wolf and future Team USA defender Christian Cook and held all but two opponents to under 10 goals during the regular season.

Somewhere in the middle of all that — literally — was senior midfielder Jeff MacBean, a quiet leader who often quarterbacked the offense in invert sets. His sharp passing skills and strong game IQ made him an effective feeder from behind the goal.

“I liked scoring goals, but I also liked setting them up,” said MacBean, a three-year starter for the Tigers. “I probably had more of a feeder’s mentality than a shooter.”

As a team captain in 1996, MacBean earned second-team All-American honors while helping to lead Princeton to its third NCAA championship, and the second in his career. The Tigers finished 14-1 overall with a season-ending 13-game winning streak.

Princeton began the 1996 postseason as the No. 1 seed in the 12-team NCAA tournament.

Following a first-round bye, the Tigers mauled Towson 22-6 in the quarterfinals before defeating Syracuse by two goals in the semifinal round with the ball in MacBean’s stick as time expired.

That set up a rematch with No. 3 seed Virginia, which had handed Princeton its only loss of the season, a 12-9 misstep on March 9 in Charlottesville. After falling behind by nine goals at halftime, a strong second half by the Tigers had helped to make the final score respectable.

“They kind of blew our doors off,” MacBean said.

Despite being the top-seeded team, Princeton did not consider itself the favorite heading into the championship matchup.

“We felt like the underdog,” Hubbard said. “We had rolled through the Ivy League, but Virginia had played a tougher schedule. We knew we had to execute on certain things to beat them.”

The payback was not easy. Playing on a wet field at Maryland’s Byrd Stadium, the Tigers defeated the Cavaliers 13-12 in sudden death. Hubbard, the future Hall of Famer, scored the overtime game-winner on a low bouncer just 34 seconds into the extra session.

The assist came from midfielder Lorne Smith, but MacBean, who had two other assists in the game, was the first to reach Hubbard. The photo of their spontaneous celebratory embrace graced the July magazine’s cover in 1996.

“Obviously, that was a special moment,” Hubbard said. “There was almost disbelief that we had pulled it off.”

There was also an eerie sense of déjà vu.

Two years earlier, Princeton had claimed the same title on the same field against the same opponent in much the same manner. The only difference was that in 1994, Kevin Lowe had tallied the overtime game-winner for the 9-8 victory, and MacBean had been credited with the assist. There was also some good fortune involved on the final play.

“That pass didn’t go exactly where it was supposed to go, but Kevin picked it up and scored. We’ll take it,” MacBean said.

MacBean didn’t make the magazine’s cover in 1994, but he did this time around.

“I think I appreciated the 1996 championship a little more, especially since I was a senior and a team captain,” he said. “You make a lot of sacrifices as a college athlete, and it’s gratifying when all the hard work pays off in the end.”

Outside of his All-Ivy and All-American recognition during his career, MacBean was also selected for the North-South All-Star Game in 1996.

“I don’t think anybody thought that we were the favorite to win the championship that year, but we got better and better as the season went on,” MacBean said.

Originally from Rosemont, Pa., MacBean was a standout attackman at nearby Episcopal Academy before converting to midfield at Princeton. After college, he remained active as a post-collegiate club player for several years and also coached high school lacrosse for six seasons after relocating to California. He was inducted into the US Lacrosse Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter’s Hall of Fame in 2019.

Now living in Walnut Creek, Calif., MacBean works as a construction project manager for Maximus, a real estate development company in the Bay Area. As the father of two young children, he doesn’t rule out a return to coaching in his future.

As for MacBean’s cover photo partner, Hubbard added two more NCAA titles to his resume in 1997 and 1998 before graduating as a three-time All-American. Hubbard finished his career as Princeton’s all-time leader in goals scored (163) and second in career points (211).

In 1998, Hubbard also added a world championship to his resume as a member of U.S. national team, and he later became a six-time all-star in Major League Lacrosse (2001-06) while leading the MLL in scoring three times. Hubbard was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2012.