June 23, 2004

BALTIMORE, Md. -- Dave Pietramala, arguably one of the best defensemen in the history of lacrosse and currently the head coach at Johns Hopkins University, is one of 10 individuals who has been selected for induction into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, it was announced today by US Lacrosse. The 2004 class will be honored on Saturday, November 20 at a formal induction ceremony at the Hunt Valley (MD) Marriott.

One of the most decorated players in the history of college lacrosse, Pietramala guided the Blue Jays to the NCAA Tournament four times during his career from 1986-89. The Blue Jays won the NCAA title during Pietramala's sophomore year and advanced to the championship game during his senior year (1989). Johns Hopkins posted a 40-9 record during Pietramala's career with three trips to the Final Four.

Pietramala earned First Team All-America honors three times during his career (1987, 1988, 1989) and was twice presented the William C. Schmeisser Award (1988, 1989), which is presented annually to the top defenseman in the nation. In addition, he earned the Lt. Raymond J. Enners Award as the top player in the nation in 1989 and was named to the All-Time Johns Hopkins team at the end of his career. He was one of 10 Johns Hopkins players named to the NCAA's Silver Anniversary Team in 1995 and he was inducted into the Long Island Chapter of the Lacrosse Hall of Fame earlier this year.

Pietramala parlayed his success as a college lacrosse player into success at the international level as well. He was a standout on the 1990 and 1994 United States National Teams that won the ILF World Championship. He earned All-World honors at both tournaments and was selected as the outstanding player at the 1990 championship.

Few players of Pietramala's caliber have enjoyed a similar level of success in the coaching ranks, but Pietramala has made a seamless transition into the next phase of his career. He recently completed his fourth year as the head coach at Johns Hopkins and boasts a 47-10 (.824) record since taking over prior to the 2001 season. He has guided the Blue Jays to the NCAA Tournament in each of his four seasons and JHU has advanced to the Final Four in each of the last three years. He led the Blue Jays to the NCAA Championship game in 2003. He was honored as the USILA Coach of the Year in 2002 after he led what had to be the youngest team in the nation to a 12-2 record and a trip to the NCAA Semifinals. The Blue Jays are 39-6 since the beginning of the 2002 season.

Pietramala served as an assistant coach at the Gilman School, Penn, Loyola and Johns Hopkins before assuming the head coaching chores at Cornell prior to the 1998 season. He led the Big Red to a 23-17 record and an appearance in the 2000 NCAA Tournament during his tenure in Ithaca. He was honored as the USILA Coach-of-the-Year before returning to Hopkins in June of that year.

Pietramala is the only person in the history of college lacrosse who has earned NCAA Division I Player-of-the-Year honors (1989) and Coach-of-the-Year honors (2000 & 2002). In addition, he is one of just two people in history to earn Division I National Coach-of-the-Year honors at two different schools and one of just six to earn the award more than once.

A native of Hicksville, New York, Pietramala is a 1985 graduate of St. Mary's High School. He and his wife, Colleen, reside in nearby Timonium and are the parents of twin boys. Nicholas and Dominic Pietramala were born on September 1, 2003.

Details about the 2004 induction ceremony, including ticket prices, will be available at a later date.

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