Mindy McCord

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Seasons

• 2011-12 - Head Coach
• 2010-11
• 2009-10 - Head Coach

As the first-ever coach for the women's lacrosse program, McCord has quickly led the Dolphins to contender status in the National Lacrosse Conference. In just their second year, McCord guided the Dolphins to a regular season NLC championship in 2011, posting a 7-0 record in league play and a 14-5 overall mark. The Dolphins also won two NLC Tournament contests, advancing to the conference championship game against High Point.

JU led all Division I teams in scoring average, posting 308 goals in 19 games for a 16.21 goals-per-game average. McCord’s team joined Stanford, Maryland and national-champion Northwestern as one of just four programs to crack the 300-goal mark. The Dolphins also thrived in the classroom, recording a collective 3.34 grade-point-average.

In 2010, McCord's team finished first nationally in ground balls in finishing its inaugural campaign 8-11. That season also included the first victory in JU history when the Dolphins beat Detroit-Mercy, 15-13. In building a program from scratch, McCord earned co-NLC "Coach of the Year" honors after JU advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament.

As a women's lacrosse and field hockey coach, McCord has accumulated 224 wins in two sports at all levels. Her teams have earned either first-place championships or runner-up status10 times during her 21 seasons as a head coach. McCord has recruited and developed 11 All-Americans, 23 regional All-Americans, and four conference players of the year.

McCord’s coaching career began while studying for her Masters Degree in Counselor Education at Virginia Tech. While attending the school, she coached the women’s lacrosse club team for two years, helping them to earn Division I status in the ACC.

Her full-time coaching career began as a 23-year old head coach at prestigious Oberlin College in Ohio. As one of the NCAA’s youngest head coaches, she hit the ground running winning consecutive lacrosse conference titles in 1997 and 1998. During the 1997 season, her squad boasted an undefeated conference record (11-0), leading to North Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors. The two titles were the only two championships won by any program at Oberlin College during her four-year tenure.

She continued her career at McDaniel College as head field hockey and lacrosse coach. While in her hometown (Westminster, Md.), McCord won the school’s first and only conference title in field hockey, where she is the all-time winningest coach (61) and has the school’s best winning percentage (.640). For her efforts during the 2002 season, McCord was named Centennial Conference Coach of the year in field hockey.

She rebuilt the lacrosse program at McDaniel, helping the program to a 10-6 record in 2002 and establishing recruiting in-roads that have led to McDaniel becoming a consistent top-25 program.

McCord moved to the First Coast in 2004 and immediately began spreading her joy of lacrosse in the community by building and consulting with youth leagues, high school programs and officials groups. She took over a fledgling program at Nease High School in 2006. The program had won only 3 games in their first 3 seasons combined, but in her first season at the helm, Nease won 4 games and climbed to a top-20 ranking in the State of Florida. Nease went on to win consecutive district titles, and back-to-back #8 rankings in Florida in '07 and '08. During the 2008 season, Nease finished with a record of 13-5 and a ranking of #16 in the southern United States. During her final season at Nease, McCord earned her 100th win as a lacrosse coach (102-73). For her efforts at Nease, Mindy was named by her peers as US Lacrosse-Orlando’s Coach of the Year.

McCord co-founded with her husband a national travel lacrosse club called the Lax Maniax Elite. This club has helped more than 80 young women from Florida go on to play lacrosse in college and has boasted 22 high school all-Americans.. The program won the 2007 and 2008 Southeastern Lacrosse championship and is recognized as the leading national club in the south.

As a player, McCord has national and international playing experience. She was a four-year starter at Lynchburg (VA) College; earning rookie of the year, team captain, all conference, regional All-American, and North/South Senior All Star game honors. Coach McCord also played while studying abroad in Australia.

McCord was born in Westminster, Md. and attended Westminster High School where she played field hockey, lacrosse, and ran track, earning honors in all three sports. In her senior year, she founded and implemented the first lacrosse club in Carroll County, Md. for middle and high school girls. Her husband Paul, is an assistant coach under McCord at JU. Their daughter Taylor, is set to play for the University of Florida, where she is part of the class of 2015. The family lives in St. Augustine, Fla.