Siena men’s lacrosse coach Liam Gleason has died at age 41, the school announced Wednesday, three days after sustaining a traumatic brain injury in a fall at his home.
Gleason, who led the Saints to a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship and an NCAA tournament appearance this past season, was in his seventh year as head coach at Siena in Loudonville, New York.
“A sudden, senseless loss carries a kind of pain that defies understanding,” Siena President Chuck Seifert said. “It’s hard to imagine anyone more universally loved and admired than Liam. Our community was blessed by Coach Gleason’s life.”
He is survived by his wife and three children, and a fundraising effort has been launched to support the family.
Siena officials said dozens of people — including players in uniform, school administrators, and members of the University at Albany athletic community — lined a hospital hallway Wednesday afternoon to honor Gleason as he was being wheeled into surgery to donate some of his organs. His death was announced a few hours later.
Gleason was a standout player at Albany, one of Siena’s top rivals, before beginning his coaching career as a Siena assistant. He later returned to Albany as an assistant coach before taking the head coach position at Siena in 2018.
His funeral is scheduled for Saturday on Siena’s campus.