PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers men's lacrosse program is saddened to announce the passing of former head coach and Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame member Tom Hayes. The all-time winningest coach in program history with 194 victories, Hayes passed away this morning.

Hayes coached the Scarlet Knights from 1975 to 2000 and led the team to 21 winning seasons and to final top-20 rankings for 24-straight years. During his 25-year tenure at the helm of the Scarlet Knights, Hayes guided 55 players to All-American accolades and had 30 North-South All-Star game participants. His teams competed in five NCAA tournaments, including back-to-back appearances in 1990 and 1991. Hayes also accomplished a number of firsts with the Scarlet Knights, including leading the first team to win 11 games in a season (1986), the first victory in an NCAA tournament game (1986) and the longest winning streak of nine (1982).

"One of the things I believe in and tried to pass on to my former players is that you're going to get a lot out of this sport, so make sure you put something back into it," Hayes said at the time of his Hall of Fame induction in 2017. "I think we've definitely done that and I'm proud of them for that."

Following his tenure as RU head coach, Hayes remained involved in the sport. He was a member of the Federation of International Lacrosse, established in 2008 to serve as the sport's international governing body and served as the organization's president from 1994-2002, also holding roles as vice-president, secretary-treasurer, general delegate, Marketing Committee Chair and Development Committee Chair.

Hayes was on the US Lacrosse Foundation board of directors, president of the US Lacrosse Coaches Association, USILA Rules Committee Chairman, USILA International Games Committee Chairman, general manager of Team USA and a Pre-Olympic Tournament Committee member among his many positions contributing to the sport. A two-time "USILA Man of The Year" and winner of the USILA Frenchy Julien Service Award and New Jersey Lacrosse Man of the Year Hayes was also inducted into the Sewanhaka High School, U.S. Lacrosse, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Long Island Lacrosse Halls of Fame.

"He's an icon," said Reid Jackson in 2017, as Hayes was inducted into the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame. "He is the Vince Lombardi of lacrosse. He's a giver and not a taker. He does everything to promote this game."
 
Jackson was one of two players to play for Coach Hayes that went on to play internationally and win world championships with Team USA, joining fellow Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2017 member, Bob Vencak.
 
"I've known Coach Hayes for a long time, and playing for him was very positive," said Jackson, who played for Hayes from 1991-1994. "He not only cared about you as an athlete or teammate, but he cared about you as a person. He cared about your life in general. He wanted you to succeed at everything. I really enjoyed playing for him and I think that's why we're still friends. He always cared about not only what you did on the field, but what you could do for your community and everything. It speaks to who he is."

Prior to his time at RU, Hayes led Sewanhaka High School to three championships. He played collegiately at Penn state, where he was a two-time All-American and led the team to a conference championship in 1962. His first collegiate head coaching role came at Drexel University, where he led the Dragons from 1969-1974 and made two USILA Tournament appearances, coaching three All-Americans. Between the two schools, he won 243 games as a head coach for a total of 32 seasons. 
 
"Coach Hayes had a tremendous impact on my lacrosse career and helped mold me into the person I am today," Keith Cromwell, who played for Hayes from 1998-2000 said upon his Hall of Fame induction in 2017. "He instilled confidence and afforded me an opportunity to compete at the highest of levels when others did not give me a chance. I am grateful for our relationship and admire all that he has done as a father, husband, grandfather and coach. He has been an ambassador for our great sport of lacrosse, and I owe a tremendous amount to him as lacrosse still to this day is a huge part of my life and my families' lives."
 
"Coming out of high school, when you heard Tom Hayes name, you knew that it meant something because of his involvement with USA Lacrosse and everything else he did," explained Ryan O'Shea, who played for Hayes from 1992 to 1995, upon Hayes' Hall of Fame induction in 2017. "It was a pleasure to play for him. He had a huge impact on my life."
 
Information on a Celebration of Life to honor Coach Hayes will be shared in the upcoming weeks.