‘Doc’ and Murphy are reunited as Haverford College assistant leaves to join staff at Pennsylvania

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/27/09

University of Pennsylvania men’s lacrosse head coach Mike Murphy has announced the hiring of his former assistant at Haverford College, pro goalie Brian Dougherty (Episcopal Academy), as an assistant coach with the Quakers. He will join second-year assistant Chris on Murphy’s staff and work with the defense and goalies.

“We are very excited to bring Brian to our staff,” said Murphy, who left Haverford College last month to take the head job at Penn. “He has a unique set of skills and will make significant contributions to our program. ‘Doc’ has been arguably the best player around at his position for the better part of a decade, and he is also fantastic at developing goalies.

“He possesses a great mind and eye for lacrosse, and will be an asset in all phases of the game. We are excited to have him serve as our defensive coordinator. Additionally, Doc is perhaps the most celebrated player to come out of Philadelphia, and he will play a key role in recruiting in our backyard. Doc’s combination of knowledge and enthusiasm will enhance everything we do, and we’re excited to have him on board.”

Dougherty has been one of the top goalies in Major League Lacrosse (MLL) in this decade and led the Philadelphia Barrage to a pair of MLL championships and the Long Island Lizards to yet another. He also was inducted into the University of Maryland Hall of Fame in 2008.

“I would like to thank the University of Pennsylvania and Mike Murphy for giving me this opportunity,” said Dougherty. “I am a local guy who has risen to the highest level of the game, and I am excited to bring my energy and passion for the game of lacrosse to the Penn family.

“Coach Murphy and I have worked together for nine of the past 10 years, and we feel like we have a good understanding of what it takes to run a successful program. I am excited to get started and look forward to the challenges of competing in the Ivy League.”

Dougherty – who was an assistant under Murphy at Haverford for each of his seven years as head coach – has played professionally in the MLL since 2001, earning that league’s Goalie of the Year award three times (2003, 2006, 2007).  A regular in the MLL All-Star Game, this past season Dougherty was the starting goalie for the Lizards.

Internationally, Dougherty was the starting goalkeeper on the United States team that won the International Lacrosse Federation (ILF) World Championships title in 1998, and he is on the 40-man U.S. roster for the 2010 World Championships that will take place this July in Manchester, England.

A 1997 graduate of the University of Maryland, Dougherty was the 1995 Lt. Raymond Enners Award winner as the nation’s outstanding player and a two-time recipient of the Ensign C. Markland Kelly, Jr. Award as the nation’s top goalkeeper (1995, 1996). He earned All-America honors both of those years and was also MVP of the 1995 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship, when Maryland advanced to the final before losing to Syracuse. In 1996, Dougherty ended his collegiate career by being named the Outstanding Player of the North-South All-Star Game.

Dougherty was a member of that school’s 1991 state championship team. His father, Dan, is a legendary basketball coach at Episcopal who has more than 500 wins to his credit.