Meet Head Coach Keith Bugbee
Keith Bugbee enters his 27th season as head men's lacrosse coach and assistant professor of physical education at Springfield College in 2010. Under his direction, the Pride is one of the top programs in the country. Bugbee's coaching record stands at an impressive 279-133 (.675 winning percentage). In 2003, he became one of only four active coaches in Division III with over 200 victories.
Bugbee's teams have competed in 22 post-season tournaments, including 12 NCAA Tournaments, and won a national championship. Thirty-nine of his players have received All-America recognition, including Bob Felt, who was voted the 1994 U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division II Player of the Year.
Bugbee was named the USILA Division II Coach of the Year in 1994 and 1995. He coached the North team in the annual North-South All-Star Game in 1995 and was the coach for the West squad in the annual New England All-Star Game in 1986. Bugbee served as president of the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association and was inducted into the New England Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2002.
The 2009 campaign resulted in the Pride capturing its eighth Pilgrim League crown. Earning a home game in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, the Pride made light work of Mount Ida, winning by a 21-4 count. For the second-straight year, Springfield then headed out to for a second-round battle at Cortland State. Going up against the eventual NCAA National Champion, the Pride's comeback fell short as it lost, 15-12. The Pride landed eight players on the All-Pilgrim squad, including the Pilgrim League Player of the Year
Jake Beebe and Rookie of the Year,
Mike Delia.
The 2008 season saw the Pride cruise through Pilgrim League play undefeated en route to winning the program's seventh Pilgrim League crown. Earning a home game in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, Bugbee's troops dispatched Kean, 17-2, before fighting valiantly in a 12-9 loss to eventual national-runner up, Cortland State, in the second round. The Pride were led by eight All-Pilgrim honorees, including
Chris Sharpe, who was tabbed the Player of the Year.
In 2007, Springfield advanced to the championship game of the Pilgrim Lacrosse League for the eighth consecutive year. SC has been in the championship game every year of the League's existence and has won the game six times. Seven SC lacrosse players earned All-Pilgrim League recognition in 2007, including Rookie of the Year
Joe Heney.
After starting off the 2006 campaign slowly, recording a 2-3 mark in its first five games, the Pride responded by rattling off victories in 11 of its next 12 games, which included an eight-game winning streak. SC captured its fourth-straight Pilgrim League Tournament title, beating WNEC for the championship in a double-overtime thriller, 12-11. In doing so, the Pride earned its 11th berth in the NCAA Tournament. SC's season unfortunately ended with a second-round loss in the NCAA Division III Tournament at Middlebury College.
Bids to the NCAA Tournament are hard to come by, but they are the norm at SC. In 2004 and 2005, the Pride clinched back-to-back Pilgrim Lacrosse League titles and reached the NCAA Tournament. In 2005, SC won 12 consecutive games, including a pair of victories in the Pilgrim League Championship, before ending its season against Wesleyan in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The Pride finished the 2004 season with the nation’s fifth-ranked scoring offense (14.53 goals/game) and rolled to an 8-0 mark against league competition, including a pair of wins in the conference tournament. Making the program’s seventh appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament, SC fell at Stevens Institute of Technology, 8-4, in a second-round match-up. Two of Bugbee's stars,
Paul Purdy and
Taylor Brown, were named honorable mention All-Americans, and Purdy was tabbed the Player of the Year in the Pilgrim League.
In 2003, Bugbee was named the Pilgrim League Coach of the Year after leading the Pride to an 11-5 record and the NCAA tournament. SC fell at eventual national runner-up Middlebury College, 11-9, in a second-round game.
In 2001, Bugbee led SC to a school-record 16-2 mark and a No. 5 final national ranking. The Pride defeated Eastern Connecticut State, 11-9, in a first-round NCAA Tournament game played on Benedum Field, before falling at No.1-ranked Gettysburg (Pa.), 16-12. Springfield led the nation in scoring (17.78 gpg) and scoring margin (+11.67 gpg) while winning its second consecutive Pilgrim League Championship. SC, which was ranked as high as No. 3 nationally, had six players named All-American, including former Boston Cannons goalie
Jeremy Platt.
In 2000, the Pride finished the season ranked No. 20 after falling in overtime at RIT, 13-12, in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. SC was ranked No. 12 in 1999 after compiling a 12-5 record. SC finished 12-4 in 1998 and captured its second ECAC Division III Championship. The Pride also won ECAC Championships in 1989, 1993 and 2002.
In 1994, Springfield captured the NCAA Division II National Championship with a 15-12 victory over New York Institute of Technology to finish with a 12-2 record. The following year, Springfield compiled a 13-1 mark with its only loss coming against Adelphi, 12-10, in the NCAA Division II Championship title game.
Bugbee is a 1979 graduate of Keene State (N.H.) College where he lettered in lacrosse and soccer while earning his bachelor’s degree in physical education. He received his master’s degree in physical education from Springfield College.
Bugbee's All-Time Coaching Record at Springfield College
| Year
| Wins
| Losses
| School
|
| 1984
| 10
| 5
| Springfield
|
| 1985
| 10
| 4
| Springfield
|
| 1986
| 12
| 2
| Springfield
|
| 1987
| 8
| 6
| Springfield
|
| 1988
| 8
| 7
| Springfield
|
| 1989
| 14
| 2
| Springfield
|
| 1990
| 12
| 3
| Springfield
|
| 1991
| 9
| 8
| Springfield
|
| 1992
| 5
| 8
| Springfield
|
| 1993
| 12
| 4
| Springfield
|
| 1994
| 12
| 2
| Springfield
|
| 1995
| 13
| 1
| Springfield
|
| 1996
| 5
| 8
| Springfield
|
| 1997
| 7
| 7
| Springfield
|
| 1998
| 12
| 4
| Springfield
|
| 1999
| 11
| 5
| Springfield
|
| 2000
| 10
| 7
| Springfield
|
| 2001
| 16
| 2
| Springfield
|
| 2002
| 13
| 6
| Springfield
|
| 2003
| 11
| 5
| Springfield
|
| 2004
| 13
| 4
| Springfield
|
| 2005
| 12
| 5
| Springfield
|
| 2006
| 13
| 5
| Springfield
|
| 2007
| 8
| 9
| Springfield
|
| 2008
| 11
| 7
| Springfield
|
| 2009
| 12
| 7
| Springfield
|
| 26 seasons
| 279
| 133
| .675 winning percentage
|