Slate steps down as coach at Downingtown East after taking post with Wings

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/25/10

Just one day after accepting a position as the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League (NLL), Tom Slate has resigned as head boys’ lacrosse coach of Downingtown East.

Slate gave his notice Wednesday, saying he would not have been able to give enough time to the job at Downingtown East with his duties as the Wings’ top assistant. He will serve under newly-hired John Tucker, who was named Wings head coach 10 days ago.

Slate had a brilliant record at Downingtown East, where he launched the program when the district split into East and West in 2003-04. East has won or tied for the Ches-Mont League championship in each of the past six years and in 2007 the Cougars won the Keystone Cup championship after defeating La Salle in the Eastern Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association finals.

Slate, who helped Springfield-Delco win the 1992 state crown, became the first person to win a state crown as a coach after playing for a state title team.

His record at Downingtown East was 98-47. In that time he coached five All-Americans.

Slate, a West Chester graduate, starred at Essex Community College (Md.) and played seven years for the Wings, from 1997-2003. He once was named the NLL Defensive Player of the Year while helping the team win two championships, in 1998 and 2001.

In addition, he has served as head coach of the San Francisco Dragons of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) in 2008 and currently is the associate head coach of the Denver Outlaws. He was an assistant coach with the now-defunct Philadelphia Barrage from 2005-07. Slate coached against Tucker in 2008 when Tucker coached the Los Angeles Riptide of the MLL.

Slate also played for the Baltimore Bay Hawks Professional Outdoor Lacrosse Team, and represented Team USA in the Heritage Cup at the World Indoor Lacrosse competition.