Terry Corcoran: A New Attitude

Reversing Penn's fortunes It has not been the easiest year for the Penn men's lacrosse team. After a promising 3-1 start, the Quakers have lost five of their last six and sit at the bottom of the Ivy League standings, winless in five Ivy games. And it is not just the losses that are tough to swallow. The way Penn has lost adds to the frustration. Just when you think they cannot possibly find another way to lose, the Quakers do. They have suffered a cruel last-second loss to Cornell, they have been embarrassed by Princeton, and they have fallen in overtime to Dartmouth -- all within the last two weeks. It would be a difficult situation for any coach, especially a first-year coach. This is just the situation new men's lacrosse coach Terry Corcoran is in. Yet Corcoran, who was hired away from Washington College in Maryland last July, is philosophical about Penn's troubles. "That's life," Corcoran says. "You're not always going to be dealt the best hand. You have to take it and go with it. These kids have done a good job of that this year." That is what Corcoran is proudest of in his initial season. He inherited a program that went 6-8 last year, and only 1-5 in Ivy play. In the offseason several players transferred or simply chose not to play this season, weakening a team that was already struggling. But those who remained have played hard, and that is as much as he can ask. "I told them the other day that none of them should be defensive or apologetic at all about some of the close losses and some of the tough games we've had," Corcoran says. "They at least had the courage to put the pads on and the helmet on and go out there against pretty overwhelming odds. They should be proud of that, because a lot of people elected not to do that this year." Getting his team to play hard was the first step in Corcoran's plan to bring success back to the Quakers, and for the most part they have responded, putting together solid efforts against Cornell and nationally-ranked Dartmouth. "He wanted us to remember that we're working as hard as we can," attacker Andy Crofton says. "Sometimes the ball's not going to bounce our way, but we can never give up. Our hard work will pay off now or in the future." Corcoran's methods have worked amazingly well in the past. As a player, he helped Division III Hobart College win national championships in 1976 and 1977 and twice earned first-team all-American honors. In 12 seasons as a coach at Washington, Corcoran compiled a 127-56 record, leading the Sho'Men to the Division III playoffs 10 times, including four appearances in the finals. Then came the opportunity to coach at Penn. Corcoran was attracted by the chance to rebuild a program and to coach in a lacrosse conference as competitive as the Ivy League. And he was sold on Penn's reputation for scholarship and athletics. "It has great tradition, a great lacrosse tradition," Corcoran says. "It's certainly a great academic and a great athletic tradition. It's an exciting place, an exciting school that's going to attract some outstanding student-athletes." So far the results on the field have been disappointing. But although he admits things are difficult with the team struggling, he still insists on taking things day-by-day, focusing only on the job immediately ahead. "I don't think it's right to talk about long-range stuff," Corcoran says. "Right now while we're in season, I just focus in on each game. The only goals I really have are working with this team to be the best we can be for the next couple of weeks." Without any specific goals for the future, Corcoran has spent this trying first season instilling the proper attitude in his squad. It is the first step in preparing them for winning times down the road. "He's brought a winning attitude -- never giving up, never quitting," Crofton says. "He's also brought a lot of intensity to the program, and hard work." "What we're trying to bring is the ability to push through when things are tough, see things through when they're tough, and to continue to play as hard as we can and not to give up," Corcoran says. "That's the most important thing we have to deal with now." And if Penn continues to follow Corcoran's plan, the Quakers could someday reverse their fortunes -- and their position in the Ivy League.