Dick Edell dead at age 74

Lacrosse Hall of Famer

Dick Edell, the Hall of Fame lacrosse coach who guided Maryland for 18 seasons, has died. He was 74.

Edell had a debilitating muscular disease and died Wednesday of pneumonia, daughter Krissy Kelley said.

Edell spent 29 seasons as a college coach and had a record of 282-123 in stints with the University of Baltimore, Army and Maryland. His 17 NCAA Tournament appearances ranked second behind the 18 of Roy Simmons Jr. of Syracuse. He retired in 2001.

Edell was twice named national coach of the year by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association and was Atlantic Coast Conference coach of the year three times.

To the Terrapins, the 6-foot-5 Edell was simply “Big Man ,” a moniker that not only referenced his height but the respect his players had for him.

Edell’s Maryland record was 171-76, with three ACC titles and 13 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The Terps made it to the title game in three of four years in the 1990s but never won the championship. In 1997, Maryland upset perennial power Syracuse in the national semifinals in a bid to become the first unseeded team to win the title but lost the championship to Princeton.

Edell, who was born in Maryland, was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2004.

He is survived by his wife, Dolores, four children, six grandchildren and a sister.

Plans for memorial services are incomplete. The family asks that contributions be made to Shootout For Soldiers , a lacrosse benefit for veterans.