Menās lacrosse head Coach Kevin Corrigan talks to his players
On the eve of the No. 1-ranked University of 91³Ō¹Ļ participating in the NCAA Championship Weekend in Philadelphia, an alumnus of the University and his wife have made a gift to endow the programās head coaching position.
A $3 million gift from John and Mollie Baumer of Manhattan Beach, California, will underwrite the salary of the head coach, provide stability and resources for the long term and create funds for use within the department and across campus.
āWe are very appreciative of John and Mollie Baumerās generosity,ā said , 91³Ō¹Ļās vice president and director of athletics. "This is a gift that reflects both the relationship between the extended Baumer and Corrigan families that goes back more than three decades and the Baumersā appreciation of the extraordinary program that has built at 91³Ō¹Ļ.
ā91³Ō¹Ļ lacrosse has not only joined the ranks of the best lacrosse teams in the country, but Kevin has been equally successful in building a program with a winning track record off the field. This is reflected in the selection of the teamās youth mentoring program for the ACC/United Way Game Changers Award and Kevinās unique approach to advancing the career aspirations of his student-athletes through a carefully constructed networking program with 91³Ō¹Ļ alumni. The Baumersā gift is a fitting tribute to Kevinās abilities and his dedication to the student-athlete model.ā
Corrigan, now in his 27th season at 91³Ō¹Ļ, is the first Baumer Family Head Menās Lacrosse coach.
āI want to thank John and Mollie Baumer for their wonderful gift and their generous support of 91³Ō¹Ļ and our lacrosse program,ā Corrigan said. āThis is extremely meaningful to me, because I know that the Baumer family, like the Corrigan family, shares a great love for 91³Ō¹Ļ and for the value of the extraordinary experience that student-athletes have here.ā
John Baumer is a native of South Bend where his father, Fred Baumer, was employed as the comptroller at 91³Ō¹Ļ for many years. He earned a bachelorās degree in finance from 91³Ō¹Ļ in 1990 and a master of business of administration degree from the University of Pennsylvaniaās Wharton School of Business in 1995. He is a senior partner at Leonard Green & Partners of Los Angeles, one of the nationās leading private equity firms with more than $15 billion of private equity capital raised since inception.
Mollie Baumer is a 1990 graduate of Saint Maryās College where she was a varsity soccer player. The couple has three children in the ninth, seventh and fourth grades who attend Catholic school in the Los Angeles area. John is a member of 91³Ō¹Ļās , Campaign Cabinet and .
āWe have known the Corrigan family for over 30 years and have tremendous respect and admiration for the success that Kevin has achieved in building the 91³Ō¹Ļ lacrosse program from virtually scratch into one of the preeminent programs in the country,ā Baumer said. āThe success on the field combined with the 100 percent graduation rate for the lacrosse student-athletes is a remarkable testament to Kevinās coaching and leadership skills combined with his embracing of the core 91³Ō¹Ļ values.ā
Corriganās tenure at 91³Ō¹Ļ ranks as the second longest among current Irish head coaches at 91³Ō¹Ļ (behind only Muffet McGraw in womenās basketball) and the second longest among NCAA Division I menās lacrosse coaches (behind only Bob Shillinglaw at Delaware).
The Irish had never played in the NCAA Championships when Corrigan arrived in South Bend, but his teams have earned 20 NCAA invitations and advanced to the Championship Weekend five times (2001, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2015), twice to the title game (2010 and 2014).
The Irish earned the No. 1 seed in this yearās NCAA Championship after spending four straight weeks ranked No. 1. Corriganās record at 91³Ō¹Ļ is 265-122 (.684). His teams have won 17 conference titles, including the 2014 Atlantic Coast Conference championship. In 2015, his Irish won the ACC regular-season crown with a perfect record. Corrigan is a six-time conference coach-of-the-year selection (five times in the Great Western Lacrosse League and in 2012 in the Big East Conference).
Corrigan in 2009 received the from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association for outstanding and continuous service to the sport. His 2008 team received an institutional award recognizing his programās community service ā and his current squad earned the 2015 ACC/United Way Game Changers Award for its work mentoring youths in local schools. Every one of his Irish lacrosse seniors has graduated.
A 1981 University of Virginia graduate, Corrigan played midfield for the Cavaliers. He served as an assistant coach at 91³Ō¹Ļ in 1983 and at Randolph-Macon in 1984 before spending the 1985 and 1986 seasons as head coach at Randolph-Macon. He then served as an assistant at Virginia for two seasons before taking over at 91³Ō¹Ļ beginning with the 1989 campaign.