If it were up to Bob Shillinglaw, the announcement of his pending retirement would not have come during the preseason.
Shillinglaw would have preferred the news became public following the final horn of the 2017 campaign so he could ride off into the sunset without little fanfare.
However, the University of Delaware athletic administration had other ideas and a press release was issued on Feb. 2 stating that Shillinglaw would step down after 39 years as the Newark school's head men's lacrosse coach.
"Coach Shillinglaw's contributions and commitment to this university, to Blue Hens Athletics, to the lacrosse program, and to the sport have been truly extraordinary," Delaware athletic director Chrissi Rawak said in a statement.