Rutgers University Athletics

Hall of Fame Focus Feature

The winningest coach in Rutgers men's lacrosse history, Tom Hayes coached the Scarlet Knights from 1975 to 2000 and led the team to 21 winning seasons and to final top-20 rankings for 24-straight years. Under Hayes, Rutgers established a 194-156 record, including five NCAA appearances, two of which occurred in back-to-back seasons. Three of Hayes' teams earned national rankings of seven, occurring in 1975, 1982 and 1986, and in 1990 was ranked fifth. During the Hayes era, 55 All-Americans were selected from Rutgers and 30 North-South All-Star game participants, including two who played internationally and won world championships with Team USA (Bob Vencak (1986) and Reid Jackson (1998)). Scarlet Knight firsts which occurred under Hayes include the first team to win 11 games in a season (1986), the first victory in an NCAA tournament game (1986) and the longest winning streak of nine (1982). A two-time "USILA Man of The Year," Hayes was previously inducted into the Sewanhaka High School, U.S. Lacrosse, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Long Island Lacrosse Halls of Fame.