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 Bob Sheridan Named US Lacrosse Man Of The Year

Bob Sheridan wanted to give something back to lacrosse. He didn’t expect the sport he loved so much to reward him in return.

Which makes a recent honor given to the former New Jersey chapter president all the more special. Sheridan accepted the scholastic “Man of the Year” award by the US Lacrosse Men’s Division Coaches Council during the organization’s national convention in Philadelphia.

The 38-year-old Morristown, New Jersey resident who has been involved in the game as an all-star player and a referee accepted the honor graciously and with a sense of appreciation. “Lacrosse has always been the love of my life”, Sheridan said. “The award is a nice way of saying thank you by the high school and college coaches. “I was delighted. It was a big honor for a New Jersey guy to get it. (Former Montclair coach the late) Gil Gibbs received a similar award in 1977 from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. He was a legendary coach. It makes me feel honored.”

“Knowing him within the scope of lacrosse, I believe his strength is in passion and perspective”, US Lacrosse Executive Director Steve Stenersen said. “He has the right passion and the right perspective to bring things together.”

It was a broken collarbone, he suffered as a freshman baseball player at the Delbarton School, that led Sheridan to the sport. The former aspiring shortstop was encouraged by his by his algebra teacher and lacrosse coach to give lacrosse a try in the spring of his sophomore year. He was so successful at it, he became the Green Wave’s single-season scoring leader. He still holds several school records, including most goals in a season (50) and in a game (7). Current Delbarton lacrosse coach Chuck Ruebling, who guided the Green Wave to the 1999 and 2000 scholastic state titles, was one of Sheridan’s teammates on the Green Wave teams of the late 1970s. He was a very good athlete,” Ruebling said. “He was the captain of  the soccer and lacrosse teams and was a really good shooter. He would have had a great collegiate career if he didn’t get hurt.” Sheridan graduated from Delbarton in 1981 and moved on to Gettysburg College, but four knee operations ended his playing days. After college, Sheridan began refereeing lacrosse games, and then got involved in the administrative end of the sport. .

The results have been spectacular. After four years as vice president, he served as president of the New Jersey Lacrosse Foundation, a chapter of US Lacrosse, from 1999-2001. His work has helped turned it into the largest chapter in the nation. Among the programs he’s helped champion include:

Ruebling credits Sheridan with making lacrosse more visible and popular by helping to create these programs and find funding for them. “He took a lot of this out of his own initiative”, Ruebling said. “A lot of this would not have happened without him. Bob is very giving of his time.”

Current chapter president Dean Witty has taken note of Sheridan’s organizational and management skills. Sheridan is a District Sales Manager for Automatic Data Processing (ADP) in Parsippany, NJ. “He has the knack of getting things done regardless of what tact he has to use,” said Witty, the current Montville high school lacrosse coach. “He’s a guy that has no vested interest. He’s certainly not making any money doing it.” Witty has seen Sheridan bring a lot of his business skills to the forefront while running the chapter. “He has a high level of intensity,” He said. “It’s not always evident, but it’s there. But there’s also an easiness about him that is also very apparent. What Bob has done is made my job a lot easier.”

Sheridan was chosen as the New Jersey Lacrosse “Man of the Year” last spring. His resume was sent to US Lacrosse’s headquarters in Baltimore, Md. A committee accepted as many as 48 nominations and chose Sheridan for the national honor. In his acceptance speech, which was given at the site of the 15^th Annual Lacrosse Convention at the Downtown Philadelphia Marriott, he thanked his family and praised his fellow members for emphasizing teamwork in their duties.

“There’s no question that any volunteer organization is as strong as its leadership,” Stenersen said. “There are different leadership styles. He is an incredible example of all the right things. He focuses on collaboration and equity. He’s a great leader. He has natural ability. There’s no secret what he gives to the game. He’s willing to make a difference.