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University of Montana’s Hanavan Steps Down

The 2009 coaching carousel is still going strong as the University of Montana announced they will be losing the services of head coach Ryan Hanavan.  Hanavan took over the Griz Lax program after a number of successful years at the University of Idaho, but has chosen to pursue a career opportunity earned by receiving a Ph.D. in environmental sciences.

“I am sad to step down but excited for this career opportunity for myself, and my family,” said Hanavan. “I have enjoyed many years as a coach in the PNCLL and will miss stepping on the practice field in the fall. I have been fortunate to be a part of so many great teams and have enjoyed working with everyone. I am confident that this program will do well next year and in the years to come.”

I had the opportunity to meet Ryan a couple of years back and was immediately a huge fan.  I’m sure the team will miss him greatly.  That said, I’ve always been fascinated with the Grizzly program and its ability to defy the natural obstacles that come with being a lacrosse team in their State.  It’s cold all season long, there are no high school programs to recruit from, and they are a relatively small school compared to the teams they compete against. 

I think a big reason they are able to do this is through their use of new media.  Not only do they have one of the game’s best photographers, but they are constantly putting out videos like the ones below to help attract new talent.

[fvplayer src=”https://youtube.com/watch?v=rWY37JKZuKI”]

[fvplayer src=”https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ch9k35K7wJ4″ splash=”https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ch9k35K7wJ4/hqdefault.jpg” caption=”Montana Grizzly lacrosse 2008″]

Ryan will be missed, but I think the Griz will be just fine.

Hanavan Steps Down [Grizlax.com]