SUNY Cortland Athletics

As the Cortland men’s lacrosse coach from 1965-69, Al Pisano was the architect of the Red Dragon program’s growth into a national powerhouse, while also guiding several student-athletes who would become some of the top lacrosse coaches in the country.

Pisano, who graduated from Mineola (N.Y.) High School, had started all four years as a defenseman on the lacrosse squad at SUNY Cortland, where he majored in physical education. An honorable mention All-American and two-time all-state selection, he captained the team and won the Red Letter as a senior. The house president of Beta Phi Epsilon fraternity, Pisano won two letters as a football guard and linebacker.

After graduating in 1961, Pisano earned a master’s degree in physical education at The Pennsylvania State University, where he coached the freshman lacrosse squad. He returned to Long Island as a lacrosse and football coach at Massapequa High School for two years.

In 1964, Pisano became a physical education instructor, assistant football and head gymnastics and lacrosse coach at SUNY Cortland. Over the next five seasons, he put Cortland lacrosse on the national map. His teams went 45-12-1, including one-loss campaigns in 1967 and 1969, a pair of wins over Syracuse University, and moved from 33rd nationally to eighth in the country at a time when there was only one division.

He coached several All-Americans and participants in the North-South game, in which he was both an assistant and a head coach in 1969 and 1970, respectively.

Pisano launched Cortland’s well-deserved reputation as “The Cradle of Lacrosse Coaches.” His former Red Dragon charges include: Tony Seaman ’65 (Towson, Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins, C.W. Post), Mike Messere ’66 (West Genesee High), Dave Urick ’70 (Hobart and Georgetown), Rich O’Leary ’70 (Notre Dame), Mike Waldvogel ’69 (Yale), Rich Speckmann ’67 (Nassau Community College) and the late Paul Rose ’67 (Geneseo, Colgate, Morrisville).

Pisano joined the U.S. Military Academy staff in 1970 and directed Army men’s lacrosse to a 53-19 record, including an appearance in the first-ever NCAA final four in 1971, over the next seven seasons. Six of his former Cortland and Army players are members of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

From 1976-83, he was physical education director and head football and lacrosse coach at Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy.

Since 1983, Pisano has been at Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa, Fla. He joined the staff as a physical educator and football coach. His teams went 70-35 between 1983-93 with two undefeated seasons and a district and regional championship. He was the 1985 Florida Athletic Coaches Association District Coach of the Year. Pisano has served as athletic director and, since 1993, has been dean of the students in the upper division.

A 2000 inductee in the Berkeley Hall of Fame, Pisano has received both its Pro-Communicate Award and The Berkeley Shield for contributions to the school community. In 1988, Berkeley renamed its softball field for Pisano and his wife, Marguerite “Peg” Mottola Pisano ’66, a teacher and coach there. They have four children, Alfred, Laura, Michael and Ronald.

UPDATE- March, 2015: Pisano passed away on April 9, 2014, at age 74. He had retired from Berkeley Prep. School in Tampa, FL in June of 2010 and was awarded an honorary diploma as a member of the Class of 2010.