Tom Hayes, the all-time winningest men’s lacrosse coach in program history with 194 victories and Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame member, passed away at the age of 82 on Monday. He led the Scarlet Knights to five NCAA Tournaments, 21 winning seasons and a final top 20 national ranking for 24 straight years during his tenure from 1975 to 2000.
Firsts for Rutgers men’s lacrosse under Hayes included the first 11 win season and first NCAA Tournament win in 1986, as well as setting a program best nine game winning streak in 1982. Hayes was the head coach at Drexel prior to RU and won 243 overall in his 32 year coaching career.