Jim Adams ( lacrosse ) James F . " Ace " Adams IV ( born c . 1929 ) is an American former coach . He served as the head coach at the United States Military Academy , University of Pennsylvania , and University of Virginia . He was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1975 . Early life and college . Adams attended St . Paul ' s School in Brooklandville , Maryland , where he was a four - year letterwinner on the varsity lacrosse team . He then went on to college at Johns Hopkins University , where he played lacrosse as a midfielder , football as an end and quarterback , and basketball as a . Adams played on the Blue Jays ' national championship teams in 1947 , 1948 , and 1950 . The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association named him an honorable mention All - American midfielder in 1948 . The following season , the USILA named him to the USILA first team , and in 1950 , to the third team . Adams participated in the 1949 and 1950 North / South Collegiate All - Star Games . Coaching career . Adams began his coaching career at the St . Paul ' s School , where he served as the head lacrosse and football coach from 1951 to 1953 . He also taught five classes each day , and from 1952 , also served as the school ' s athletic director . After his stint at St . Paul ' s , Adams began working as an insurance salesman . He also continued playing lacrosse with the Mount Washington Lacrosse Club in Baltimore from 1951 to 1956 . In 1957 , he served as the club ' s head coach . In 1958 , he became the head coach of the Army lacrosse team at the United States Military Academy in West Point , New York , after its previous head coach , F . Morris Touchstone , died of a heart attack . Adams coached the lacrosse team from 1958 to 1969 and also worked as an assistant athletic director . In his first season , he led the Cadets to a perfect record and Army was selected as the 1958 national champions . Against Duke , Adams played 33 different players in a failed attempt to hold down the score . Army won , 21 – 2 . In 1961 , in the first nationally televised lacrosse game , Army upset Navy , 10 – 8 , to capture a share of the national championship alongside the Midshipmen . That season , Adams was awarded the F . Morris Touchstone Award as the USILA Coach of the Year . In 1969 , the Cadets again defeated Navy to clinch a share of the national co - championship in Adams ' final game at Army . The result was a 14 – 4 rout at Navy - Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in front of 16 , 056 spectators . After his daughter graduated from high school in 1969 , Adams wanted to work close to where she attended college . They considered the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University , eventually choosing Penn because it offered a free tuition and $ 14 , 000 salary for its lacrosse coach . Adams was the head coach at Penn from 1970 to 1978 , which was a significant change from Army . He said , " I went from a squad that had two first - team all - American attackmen to a team that consisted of mediocre players . They were all nice kids , but they just didn ' t have a lot of talent . " Adams , however , managed to guide the Quakers to several top - ten rankings , including the No . 4 position in his final year . While working at a lacrosse camp in New Jersey , a University of Virginia alumnus called Adams and asked why had not applied for the school ' s vacant head coach position . Adams responded that he had not know it was open , and after applying , was hired as Virginia ' s head coach . He remained in that position at Virginia from 1978 to 1992 . During his tenure there , he led the Cavaliers to 12 NCAA tournament appearances and four semifinals appearances , while they twice finished as runners - up . At the time of his retirement from coaching in 1992 , he had the most wins of any active Division I lacrosse coach . Adams was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1975 .