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Sid Jamieson, the only head coach the Bucknell lacrosse program had ever known, retired from active coaching following the 2005 season. One of the true coaching legends in collegiate lacrosse, in particular as a cultivator and spokesman for the Native American influence on the sport, Jamieson's final season was his 38th with the Bison. Jamieson, who was inducted into the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 1, 2005, has remained in the department, where he assists in the area of athletics fundraising. "Quite obviously, Bucknell has been a very special place for my family and me," said Jamieson. "The friendships with so many alumni, faculty, staff and department colleagues are simply immeasurable. These friendships will not go away, of course, but rather they remain the real reason for staying on these `three hundred acres set apart' for my entire professional career." "Sid Jamieson is truly an institution in the sport of lacrosse, and he certainly has to be considered among the top handful of coaches that we have ever had at Bucknell," said Hardt. "Sid has enriched the lives of literally thousands of Bucknell students since he arrived on our campus 40 years ago. It is hard to imagine an individual having a more fulfilling career when you take a moment to think about the number of people he has impacted here as a teacher, coach and friend." Jamieson's Bucknell teams captured seven championships in three different conferences - the Patriot League, the East Coast Conference and the Mid-Atlantic Conference. His Bison squads won or shared four straight Patriot League titles from 2000-03 while producing a 21-3 conference record over that span. Last year he guided Bucknell to an 8-5 record and a No. 14 final national ranking. One of the eight wins was an overtime victory over second-ranked Navy, the highest-ranked opponent Bucknell has ever beaten. "After such an illustrious career, I am saddened to see Sid leave the coaching ranks," said Hardt at the time of his retirement, "but it is wonderful that he has elected to continue to impact all 27 of our varsity sports programs through his future work with the Bison Club. Given his tremendous rapport with several generations of Bucknellians, I am extremely excited that Sid will remain a valuable asset to Bison Athletics." In 38 seasons, Jamieson compiled a coaching record of 242-232 (.511). At the time of his retirement, he ranked 10th in NCAA lacrosse history on the all-time list for coaching wins. In 1996 Jamieson led the Bison to the greatest season in program history, as Bucknell finished 12-0 and captured the Patriot League championship. Jamieson was named Patriot League Coach of the Year and USILA Division I National Coach of the Year. The Bison ranked ninth in the final USILA Top-20 poll after turning in the first undefeated season in Bucknell history. While the 1996 team was controversially snubbed for an NCAA Tournament berth, Jamieson guided the Herd to their first NCAA appearance in 2001 after capturing another Patriot League crown. The Bison met fourth-seeded Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, falling 12-7 at West Point's Michie Stadium. Jamieson coached 17 All-Americans and had 14 Bison invited to play in the illustrious North-South All-Star game. An impressive total of 116 of his players earned all-league distinction. Two players were named Most Valuable Player in the MAC and one in the ECC. In the Patriot League, the Bison have had two Players of the Year, four Defensive Players of the year, four Offensive Players of the Year and three Rookies of the Year in Jamieson's tenure. In addition, the Bison coaching staff has been honored as the Patriot League's top staff three times, including 2005. "What was originally a struggle for playing space, goals and equipment has now become a nationally recognized program that competes at a Top-20 level each year," said Jamieson. "None of this could have happened had we not been blessed with so many terrific student-athletes and their families through the years." Jamieson has won the prestigious Burma-Bucknell Bowl, given for "outstanding contributions to intercultural and international understanding." In 1994, he took his team on a two-week tour of Japan to compete in the International Lacrosse Friendship Games. Bucknell played the Japanese National Team and participated in lacrosse clinics. That trip led to a young player from Japan, Taro Yoshitome, coming to the United States to study at Bucknell and play on the Bison lacrosse team, where he became a two-time First Team All-Patriot League selection. Jamieson has also been a dynamic force on the international lacrosse scene through his involvement with the Iroquois National Team. Himself a Native American - his parents were both raised on the Six Nations Indian Reservation in Brantford, Ontario -- from 1983-86 Jamieson served as head coach of the Iroquois Nationals, a team made up of Native North Americans from both the United States and Canada. Jamieson led the team to the 1984 World Lacrosse Games, a part of the pre-Olympic cultural events of the Los Angeles Summer Olympics. In 1985 he coached the team on a 10-day tour of England with the English National Team. Jamieson took the team to the World Lacrosse Championships in Perth, Australia, in 1990 while serving as the team's executive director, and he is currently an emeritus member of its executive board. Jamieson has given numerous lectures for Native American youth on education, self-motivation and self-esteem. He is also called upon to speak in classrooms on campus and in the community regarding Native American issues. At all Bucknell home lacrosse games, Jamieson flew the flag of the Haudenosaunee, the six-nation Iroquois confederacy, and in October 2003 he participated in a ceremony with longtime friend Oren Lyons, faithkeeper of the Onondaga Nation, in which a Tree of Peace was planted in front of the Kenneth Langone Athletics and Recreation Center. He is a past member of the university's Committee on Substance Abuse, the Discipline Review Board, Gender Equity Committee and the Task Force on Diversity. He has also been a member of the Athletic Department's Advisory Committee and was on the search committee to hire current director of athletics John Hardt. Many of lacrosse's most prominent honors have been bestowed upon Jamieson. He won the highly esteemed Gen. George M. Gelston Award in 1985, as the person who most represents the symbol of the game of lacrosse. He received the Howdy Myers Memorial Award as college lacrosse's "Man of the Year" in 1986 and again in 1996. And in 2005 he received the special Spirit of Tewaaraton Award, presented by the Tewaaraton Foundation to an individual who has honored the traditions of the sport. Also in 2005 he was awarded the Frenchy Julien/USILA Service Award by the U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. The award is presented in honor of former chief referee Joseph R. "Frenchy" Julien, and it is given in recognition of outstanding service to the sport of lacrosse. Jamieson was a featured speaker at the National Coaches Association meetings and clinics in both 2001 and 2003. He coached the North team to victory in the 1998 North South All-Star Game, and from 1993-96 he served as secretary of the U.S. Lacrosse Coaches Association. In February 2003, Jamieson was inducted into the Pennsylvania Lacrosse Hall of Fame in Philadelphia, and in October 2005 he joined seven of his former student-athletes in the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame. A native of Youngstown, N.Y., Jamieson landed at Bucknell in 1964 just after graduating from Cortland State. His first job was as a graduate housefellow and physical education teacher. Shortly thereafter he became Assistant Dean of Men, and in May of 1967 he was picked to be the head coach of the Bucknell men's lacrosse team, which was still a year away from becoming the school's 11th full-fledged varsity sport. Jamieson, who had coached the club lacrosse team for two years, was also named coach of the freshman football team, and he remained with the grid program as an assistant coach until 1988. Sid and his wife Linda, are the parents of three sons, Kevin, Steve and Mark, all of whom are avid supporters of the Bison lacrosse program. Kevin is in his fifth season as the head women's golf coach at Bucknell, as well as assistant golf professional at the Bucknell University Golf Club. |
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