Sienna Lacrosse Coach, Liam Gleason, Tragically Dies At 41
There are moments in sports that stop the clock entirely. Wednesday was one of those days in Loudonville, New York. The Siena College community is reeling after the loss of Men’s Lacrosse Coach Liam Gleason, who passed away at 41 following a fall at his home.
It feels impossible to square the stats with the reality. Just this past spring, Gleason was on top of the world (or at least the MAAC), leading the Saints to a conference championship and punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. It was his seventh season at the helm, and he earned Coach of the Year honors to boot. But talking about Gleason only in terms of wins and losses feels like describing a masterpiece by the frame it sits in.
A Legacy Beyond the Box Score
To understand the weight of this loss, you have to look at the scene in the hospital hallway on Wednesday afternoon. Dozens of people, players still in their jerseys, colleagues, and even folks from rival UAlbany, lined up to pay tribute as Gleason was wheeled into surgery to donate his organs. Even in his final act, he was giving back. That’s the kind of teammate he was, whether he was holding a clipboard or a lacrosse stick.
Siena President Chuck Seifert put it best, calling it a “senseless loss” that “defies understanding.” And he’s right. How do you process that a man who just turned 41 on Friday is gone by Wednesday? It’s the kind of gut punch that leaves an entire campus gasping for air.
A Capital Region Legend
Gleason wasn’t just a Siena guy; he was woven into the fabric of Albany-area lacrosse. He played his college ball at UAlbany, Siena’s arch-rival down the road, before hopping the fence to coach at Siena, then back to Albany, and finally home to the Saints in 2018. In a rivalry that can get heated, Gleason was the bridge, respected on both sides of the line.
He leaves behind his wife of 12 years, Jaclyn, and their three kids: Kennedy, Penn, and Tate. If there’s a silver lining in a cloud this dark, it’s seeing the community rally. A fundraising effort for the family has already surged past half a million dollars, proving that while Gleason was a great coach, he was clearly an even better human being.
Saying Goodbye
We often talk about coaches “building programs,” but Gleason built people. He treated his players like sons, and this week, those sons have to say goodbye to a father figure way too soon.
A funeral service is set for Saturday morning at the UHY Center on campus. It’s going to be a tough day in Loudonville, but if we know anything about the culture Gleason built, they’ll face it together.
