Coffman one of best for Carthage, SU

For members of the Lowville boys lacrosse team, at least one thing is for sure: They'll never have reason to doubt the expertise of their coach, Josh Coffman.

A success at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of lacrosse, Coffman carries a treasure of knowledge on the Red Raiders sidelines. It's hard to imagine a situation he couldn't handle.

Coffman's rise started at Carthage, the longtime Frontier League power in the sport. He scored 404 points over his career with the Comets, winning a Section 3 title in 1996. He made the Times' All-North lacrosse team three times and was selected as an MVP twice, finishing his high school career in 1998 with a 149-point season. He earned All-America honors in each of his last two years with the Comets.

Coffman also played basketball and football at Carthage. As an all-state quarterback in 1997, he led the Comets to the Section 3 Class A football crown, scoring the winning touchdown on a 6-yard run in a 14-7 triumph over Whitesboro. That season, he was also the Section 3 MVP on the All-North football squad.

After graduating from Carthage, Coffman moved on to play lacrosse at one of the nation's most storied Division I programs, Syracuse University. A starter for the majority of his four-year career at SU, Coffman tallied 194 career points on 118 goals and 76 assists. He also picked up 119 ground balls.

Perhaps more importantly, he played in four national championship games for the Orange, securing NCAA titles in 2000 and 2002. Syracuse went 55-11 overall during Coffman's stay, and he made the All-America team three times. He was a first-teamer in 2001 (midfield) and 2002 (attack), and a second-teamer in 2000 (midfield).

Coffman co-captained the 2002 squad that beat Princeton, 13-12, in the national championship.

Coffman also participated on the United States team that registered an 18-15 victory over Canada for the 2002 International Lacrosse Federation World Championship.

The Rochester Rattlers selected Coffman with the first pick in the 2002 Major League Lacrosse draft. He later played with the New Jersey Pride and Chicago Machine in an MLL career that spanned five seasons. Coffman also played one year of pro indoor lacrosse with the Albany Attack of the National Lacrosse League.

Coffman, 29, resides in Carthage and is in his third season as the varsity coach at Lowville. He also serves as offensive coordinator for the Red Raiders football team.

His brother, Jason, was a standout lacrosse player at Salisbury State, and their late father, Terry, was a longtime football coach at Carthage.

To read about previous selections to the Times' list of The North Country's Greatest Athletes of All Time, log on to www.watertowndailytimes.com