Jake Coon

Biography

The 2026 season is Jake Coon's 17th season as the RIT men's lacrosse head coach. During his decade-and-a-half, Coon has led the Tigers to two National Championships, 15 Conference Championships, and 10 Final Four appearances. The winningest coach in program history, Coon led RIT to 21-2 record in 2025, advancing to the NCAA Semifinal for the 11th time. A four-time All-American goalie at Nazareth College, the Homer, NY native is Nazareth's only four-time All-American. He led Nazareth to a 51-10 record, helping the Golden Flyers to the NCAA Division III title in 1997. Coon earned First Team All-American and USILA Goalie of the Year honors in 1998 and 2000. He was inducted into the Nazareth Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. Coon played professionally for the Rochester Knighthawks (National Lacrosse League) from 2000-2003, and the Rochester Rattlers (2001-2005) and Boston Cannons (2005-2009) of the Major Lacrosse League. After graduating from Nazareth in 2002, Coon spent five years at Nazareth from 2001-2005 working directly with the goalies and defense, helping guide the Golden Flyers to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2004 national championship game. Following Nazareth, Coon spent four years at UMass as the defensive coordinator and worked closely with the goalies, helping guide the Minutemen to the 2006 national championship game.