North Carolina men’s lacrosse assistant coach Dave Pietramala has earned a spot in the 2026 Intercollegiate Men’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Hall of Fame class.
Pietramala is one of five honorees set for induction. The group also includes Keith Bugbee of Springfield College, J.B. Clarke of the University of Tampa, Jeff Long of Ithaca College and Erin Quinn of Middlebury College.
UNC named Pietramala its defensive coordinator in the summer of 2023, adding a coach whose résumé stretches across several major programs. His assistant coaching stops include the Gilman School in 1990, Johns Hopkins in 1991 and again from 1995-97, Penn from 1992-93, Loyola in 1994 and Syracuse from 2022-23.
Before joining the Tar Heels, Pietramala spent 20 seasons as head coach at Johns Hopkins from 2001-20. During that run, he guided the Blue Jays to 18 NCAA Tournament appearances, two national titles in 2005 and 2007, seven Final Fours and the most wins in program history with a 207-93 record.
A former three-time All-America defenseman, Pietramala returned to his alma mater before the 2001 season and quickly put Johns Hopkins back on the sport’s biggest stage. The Blue Jays reached Championship Weekend four times in his first five seasons.
From 2002 through 2005, Johns Hopkins went 55-6, with only three regular-season losses in that stretch. After the 2005 championship, Pietramala became the first person in college lacrosse history to win a Division I national title as both a player and a head coach.
His first head coaching job came at Cornell, where he led the Big Red to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in five years during the 2000 season. That same year, he was named National Coach of the Year. Pietramala became the first coach in college lacrosse history to earn that honor after previously being named National Player of the Year during his career.
As a player, Pietramala helped Johns Hopkins win the 1987 NCAA Championship and reach the 1989 title game. He won the Schmeisser Award twice as the nation’s top defenseman and claimed the Lt.
Raymond J. Enners Award in 1989 as the country’s most outstanding player.
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