Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/27/21 – From Press Release
Sunday was a day of celebration as the winningest coach in University of Delaware men’s lacrosse history, Bob Shillinglaw, was inducted into the IMLCA Hall of Fame at the MGM National Harbor Casino & Hotel in Maryland.
Shillinglaw arrived at Delaware in 1979 as the eighth coach in program history and went on to enjoy an illustrious 42-year career with a record of 334-319, including a 310-303 mark during his 39 years in Newark. A two-time USILA National Coach of the Year, Shillinglaw coached more games than any coach in college lacrosse history (654) when he stepped down from the helm of the program in 2017.
He made a lasting impact at Delaware after guiding the program to 15 conference titles, including seven in the East Coast Conference (ECC), three in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC), one in the America East, and four in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). He led the Blue Hens to NCAA Tournament appearances in 1984, 1999, 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2011, with the 2007 squad playing its way to an NCAA Final Four appearance.
Shillinglaw was named the league’s coach of the year six times, earning the award three times in the NAC, once in the America East, and once in the CAA during his final season in 2017. His teams posted 11 double-digit win seasons, tallied an undefeated record 10 times in league play and won 61 percent of their league regular season contests.
He was also named USILA Coach of the Year in 1979 and 1999. The 1999 team that featured the National Player of the Year, John Grant, won the America East and made it to the NCAA Quarterfinals with Shillinglaw leading the way.
To this day, he remains in exclusive company as one of just a few coaches in collegiate lacrosse to eclipse 300 career wins, a feat he accomplished during the 2012 campaign. Four years later, he reached another impressive milestone after securing his 300th victory at Delaware. Shillinglaw joined former Massachusetts coach Dick Garber as the only coaches in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse history to win 300 games at one school.
