By James Joseph
WSL Senior Features Writer

Stephen Dini knows there will be doubters. 

Dini recently was named the head coach of the NCAA Division II men's lacrosse program at Notre Dame de Namur. And despite an impressive resume, there is the matter of his place of birth.

California.

Dini is thought to be the first California-born head coach at an NCAA-sanctioned men’s lacrosse program.

“I don’t have an East Coast pedigree, and I didn’t play East Coast college lacrosse, so I assume a lot of people will question my Xs and Os,” Dini said. “But I’m looking forward to the challenge. I’m sure there will be a lot of naysayers, just like there were when the first California kids went out to the East Coast to play in college.”

But just like those players, Dini is making a big step for western lacrosse. And advancing the sport in the west is something he’s been doing for years.

Born in Berkeley, Dini was introduced to lacrosse when his brother played at the Robert Louis Stevenson School in Carmel. Dini then played at Dunn School in Santa Barbara and “fell in love with the sport.” He played throughout high school and then for three years at Colorado State before finishing college at Chico State.

He got into coaching almost by accident. Working in finance following graduation, he had his afternoons free and decided to serve as an assistant coach at Southern Marin High. When the head coach and most of the assistants quit, Dini was left “holding the bag,” he said.

And while he previously never thought about going into coaching, an answering machine message from a crying seventh grader who said the team wouldn’t have a season without a coach – and the promise of administrative help from the player’s parents – convinced Dini to give it a shot.

Quickly, it was clear Dini was doing something about which he was passionate. Dini started with just 16 players in a broken program. But within four years he had 250 players and a junior varsity team, two seventh/eighth grade teams and a “pups” team of fourth through sixth graders to go along with his varsity squad.

“I really got involved in lacrosse, and my passion for the sport grew,” said Dini, who founded USA West Lacrosse and Nor-Cal Lacrosse.

After coaching at Marin Catholic (1999-2000), Dini decided to make coaching his full-time profession and give the college ranks a shot. And like he did for the high school teams he coached, he revitalized a pair of college club programs – Chico State (01-03) and then California (04-08). 

Now he has his biggest challenge yet.

“My goals are to get (NDNU) into the top 10 again and keep it in the top 10,” he said. “And I hope with the growth of the game, we can be a force to be reckoned with.”

Making the program a success also would help Western lacrosse in general – something Dini has worked hard for years to do.

“I really think if we’re going to have Division I lacrosse on the West Coast, we have to have a successful Division II program,” Dini said. “We have to have this beachhead, and we have to hold it. It’s really important we don’t lose this program in these shaky economic times when anything can happen.”