Metzbower rejects head coach position, will leave Princeton

Men’s lacrosse associate head coach David Metzbower has declined an offer to succeed former head coach Bill Tierney, who left the program earlier this month, and said instead that he will leave the program as well.

“The reason I’m leaving is because of the fact that I’m always on the road and have very little time to spend with my family,” Metzbower said in a statement. “I feel like I’m at an important juncture of my life. When Bill decided to leave, it shocked me so much. It made me take stock in my life and take a look at what I was or wasn’t able to do for my family.”

“I don’t know my kids’ teachers,” he added. “I don’t know what they do. I’ve been to about three or four of their sporting events. I hear other people talk about time they spend with their family, and I get jealous. I feel like I was putting Princeton lacrosse in front of my family.”

Metzbower had been at Princeton for 20 seasons. He arrived in 1990, two years after Tierney came to Princeton, and was a vital part of the outstanding run for the men’s lacrosse team that included six national titles and 14 Ivy League championships.

Metzbower was seen as the top candidate to replace Tierney, and many in the lacrosse community assumed he was a shoo-in for the job, which may have deterred other candidates from applying for the position. Some have suggested that Metzbower’s departure is more of a shock than Tierney’s decision to leave for the University of Denver.

"I was shocked," Metzbower said in an e-mail on Tierney's departure. "I never thought he would leave to coach another lacrosse program. "

Director of Athletics Gary Walters ’67 said in a statement that the announcement was an “enormous surprise” and added that the search for a new head coach will resume immediately.

“Sometimes when you are faced with a tough decision, it focuses your mind,” Walters said. “[Metzbower] was given the opportunity to succeed Bill and made the decision not to do so for personal and family reasons, and we respect him for that.”

As the team’s offensive coordinator, Metzbower oversaw one of the greatest attack units — Jesse Hubbard, Chris Massey and Jon Hess, all members of the Class of 1998 — in NCAA lacrosse history. Hubbard, Massey and Hess started together from 1996 to 1998, and during that time, the Tigers went 43-2 and won three straight national titles. No other team has won three titles in a row since 1980.

Metzbower coached numerous All-Americans on the offensive end, including first-teamers Hubbard, Hess, Kevin Lowe ’94, Josh Sims ’00, Ryan Boyle ’04 and Mark Kovler ’09.

Metzbower said in the e-mail that he would "hope to continue coaching at some level, whether it is my children’s teams or high school or college down the road."

Metzbower’s departure leaves Kevin Unterstein, a 2008 graduate of Hofstra, as the only salaried coach on the team. Long-time volunteer assistant coach Bryce Chase also remains with the program.

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"I believe the team is in great shape," Metzbower said in the e-mail when asked about the team's prospects without its top two coaches. "We lost some great senior leaders and players, but we return a talented defense and goalie. The offense has great players returning also. There are plenty of young to step and fill the holes that the seniors left. I expect them to return at least to the playoffs or more."