St. Mary's Lax Book

Rob Chomo 2011 & 2012

Not only was I fortunate to play lacrosse at St. Mary’s (1988-1991), I was given an opportunity to be the Head Coach as well. I spent 9 years involved with the program as a coach on both the JV and Varsity levels. Most of what I brought back to the program I learned from Coach Jim Moorhead who instilled a sense of passion and competitiveness that was unmatched on every level. He taught me what it meant to be a St. Mary’s lacrosse

player along with the help of hundreds of players that went through the program – friends I will have for the rest of my life. Those qualities were the building blocks we started with the JV in 2004. I was helped along the way with a set of core coaches: Victor Lilly ’87, Eddie Dentz ’87, and Chris Bullen ’83. Without them, we would not have been able to accomplish the things we did both on and off the field. I was then fortunate to coach with Jack Manley when I moved up to the Varsity in 2007 to help coach the offense. Jack Manley is truly one of the finest position coaches I have ever been around. He knows how to get the best out of his goalies, and the strong tradition of sending out quality goaltenders continues with his time at St. Mary’s. I would like to especially thank Victor Lilly who was my right-hand man from the first day to the last day. Vic was instrumental in a lot of what we did to advance the program by mentoring young men, and making sure we got the most out of every day. Most gratifying of it all for me are the relationships that were built with the players. Players were taught the importance of doing the most basic task the right way. Do everything with passion and effort, and getting players to believe in themselves. Great things can be accomplished with hard work, effort, and confidence - even when you are not the most skilled team. Having a player come back from college or one who has graduated and is out in the real world and share the stories around what we did as a program is priceless. All the days and nights we spent out on a field, the hours of bus rides, and the time in the training room were all worth it for the chance to have a memory that will stay with you for the rest of your life. In closing, my goal as a coach within the program was to continue to pass along what was taught to me as a high school student-athlete by one of the best, Coach Jim Moorhead. Be prepared, have confidence in your ability, give tremendous effort, and have unconditional pride in the name on the front of your jersey for all those that came before you and all those that will follow. – Rob Chomo ‘91

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