Head Coach Bill Dunn is recruiting new talent to NYIT's lacrosse program.

By Sabrina Polidoro

What's the toughest part about taking over for legendary lacrosse coach Jack Kaley? It's not just trying to meet everyone's expectations; it's also about recruiting the best NYIT student-athletes and serving as the head strength and conditioning coach for the university's entire athletic department-all while being a cancer survivor. 

"[Cancer] really changes your outlook on life," says Bill Dunn, NYIT's second-year head lacrosse coach, who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (which affects plasma cells in bone marrow) in 2002. "Sometimes, you get caught up in it. But at the end of the day, I think to myself, 'I am the luckiest guy in the world. I'm doing something I love, and I'm alive.' "

To this day, Dunn and his doctors are surprised at his recovery. Most multiple myeloma patients experience tumors that return within three years of their first diagnosis. Since 2007, he has been tumor free.

"Nine years ago, I didn't think I would be standing here," he says. 

A native of Hicksville, N.Y., he began playing lacrosse in high school. At the State University of New York at Cortland, he played for the Red Dragons and helped the team to the 1980 NCAA Division III National Championship game. 

Dunn's passion for lacrosse evolved into a career. After graduation, he began coaching at his high school alma mater, and in 1987, he moved to Kellenberg Memorial High School in Uniondale, N.Y., where he founded the lacrosse program with 25 players. Twelve years later, when he left, that number had grown to 178.

"I was proud of that," says Dunn. "We sent players on to many levels of college lacrosse, and although we never won the championship, we were in the finals four times."

At Kellenberg, he became friendly with Kaley, who coached for East Meadow High School as well as served as a recruiter for St. John's University and, eventually, NYIT. In 1999, Kaley recruited Dunn to become the Bears' assistant coach and defensive coordinator.

During Dunn's tenure, the Bears compiled a 114-21 record, advanced to the NCAA Division II tournament five times, and won national titles in 2003, 2005, and 2008. Nine of his defensive players have received United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association First Team All-American honors, six have received Second Team honors, and six have received honorable mention. In 2008, Dunn was named the Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association Division II Outstanding Assistant Coach of the Year. 

It seemed fitting then that when Kaley announced his retirement in 2009, Dunn took the reigns of the storied NYIT athletic program.

"People expect a lot, and Jack did a tremendous job here," says Dunn. "There is a lot of pressure when you're taking over for such a legend."

It's a challenge he and his staff are more than happy to take on.

"The game of lacrosse is changing," says Dunn. "It's not the same as it was in 1992, when Jack resurrected this program."

Today, youth lacrosse is the fastest-growing sport in the country. For decades, areas such as Long Island and Maryland have been the traditional lacrosse hotbeds. But now other areas, such as California, are offering club and high school programs with talented players who want to compete at the collegiate level. 

"Teams are getting stronger, more experienced, and more confident," says Dunn. "They are all able to bring in talented players."

Dunn has responded by doing the same at NYIT. His first recruiting class boasted 21 rookies. And, in the first two games alone this season, at least eight players were freshmen. For next year, Dunn has 15 commitments signed and is forming a solid nucleus, which he hopes will bring home another national championship for the Bears.

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