Brother Rice High School Taps New Head Lacrosse Coach

CHICAGO — Tom Haggerty has been tapped as the new head coach for Brother Rice High School’s lacrosse program. Haggerty is already planning special lacrosse camps for elementary schools and preparing for the spring high school lacrosse season which is expected to commence on May 3, pending the pandemic.

The new coach replaces Coach Chris Hilliard, who left the Brother Rice program this past spring after eight years.

“We’re extremely grateful for Coach Hilliard’s service, dedication, and commitment to the program at Brother Rice over the better part of the last decade,” Jim Prunty said in a news release, the athletic director for Brother Rice. “At the same time, we are absolutely thrilled that Tom has accepted the head coach position. He brings with him a tireless work ethic and an unmatched level of experience in developing and growing the sport of lacrosse on the south and southwest sides.”

Haggerty brings an extensive background coaching lacrosse for private youth leagues and high school teams. In 2004, he took over the Chiefs Youth Lacrosse program in Orland Park, the only youth club option south of Naperville at the time. He continued coaching Chiefs lacrosse at the junior varsity and varsity high school level from 2008 and 2017. During this same period, he was the inaugural coach of Lemont High School’s lacrosse program from 2010 to 2012.

His efforts to grow the sport led to forming other lacrosse programs in the area, including the Lemont Indians Youth Lacrosse Club and the Pelicans Youth/high school fall ball travel teams. Haggerty was the director of the United Southland Lacrosse League from 2009 to 2017, which grew into four divisions of youth teams from Beverly, Homer Glen, Tinley Park, Oak Forest, Lemont, Orland Park, Homewood-Flossmoor, Chesterton and Crown Point, Ind. in 2017, Haggerty assumed the regions as first head coach and program director for club lacrosse at Saint Xavier University.

Over 60 of his players have played or are currently playing at the collegiate level. He is committed to sharing his knowledge and bringing that same culture to 99th Street and Pulaski Road.

In the coming weeks, Haggerty will be hosting FREE Crusader lacrosse camps and clinics at Brother Rice High School. Haggerty hopes to extend the sport to local kids of all ages who’ve never played lacrosse before, as well as to help seventh and eighth graders develop their skills for a possible spot on Brother Rice’s lacrosse teams.