Jack Emmer John S . Emmer is a former American coach . He retired in 2005 with 326 wins , making him the lacrosse coach with the most wins in NCAA history . This mark was surpassed in 2008 by Jim Berkman of Division III Salisbury University . Emmer is one of only two head coaches to have led three different teams to the NCAA men ' s lacrosse tournament . Early life . Emmer grew up in Mineola , New York and attended Rutgers University , where he played football as a wide receiver and lacrosse as a defenseman . He lettered in lacrosse three times from 1965 to 1967 . The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association named him to the All - American second team . He was voted most valuable player by his teammates and made an appearance in the North - South Senior All - Star Game upon the end of his college career in 1967 . Emmer was selected in the 13th round of the 1967 NFL Draft as the 327th overall pick by the New York Jets . Coaching career . In 1970 , Emmer received his first head coaching position at Cortland State . During his three - year tenure there , he posted a 32 – 6 record and led the Red Dragons to an appearance in the recently established NCAA tournament in 1972 . In 1973 , Emmer took over as head coach at Washington and Lee . He led the Generals to six - straight NCAA tournament appearances between 1973 and 1978 . In 1973 , Washington and Lee finished the regular season with a perfect 14 - win mark . The Generals defeated Navy in overtime , 13 – 12 , to advance to the semifinals , where they were beaten , 18 – 5 , by Maryland . The Generals again finished 1974 undefeated with a 15 – 0 record , and received a bid to the NCAA tournament . In the first round , they beat Navy , 11 – 9 , before being eliminated in the quarterfinals by Johns Hopkins , 11 – 10 . In the 1975 NCAA tournament , Washington and Lee beat Hopkins , 11 – 7 , at Homewood Field to end the Blue Jays ' 27 - game home winning streak . The Generals then fell to Maryland , 15 – 5 , in the semifinals . In total , Emmer led Washington and Lee to ten NCAA tournaments . In 1984 , he moved to the United States Military Academy to take over the Army lacrosse team . At West Point , he led the Black Knights to eight NCAA tournament appearances , which set a school record for a head coach . He also become one of the only two head coaches to led three different teams to the NCAA semifinals . Under Emmer , Army won ten outright or shared Patriot League conference championships , including five straight from 1991 to 1995 , over which period the Black Knights posted a perfect 25 – 0 conference record . In all , Emmer recorded a 70 – 12 Patriot League mark . Emmer was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year in 1992 and 1998 . In 2002 , he coached an all - star collegiate United States national team to the gold medal in the World Lacrosse Championship in Perth , Australia . In 2003 , Emmer broke the NCAA record for wins by a coach , and received the Howdy Myers Man of the Year Award . Emmer retired from coaching after the 2005 season in order to spend more time with his family in Skaneateles , New York . Emmer was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2005 . He has also been inducted into the Charlottesville , Hudson Valley , and Long Island Metro Area US Lacrosse chapters Halls of Fame . Personal life . Emmer and his wife , Joan , have two children , a son and daughter . His son , Patrick , plays as a midfielder at Bryant University under head coach Mike Pressler , who played for Jack at Washington & Lee .