Lees-McRae Hires John Grant Jr. as Head Coach

Lees-McRae College, a Division II school in Banner Elk, N.C., made a splash Tuesday by announcing the hire of John Grant Jr. as its next men's lacrosse coach.

Grant Jr. was last seen as a college coach as the offensive coordinator for Johns Hopkins under Peter Milliman (2020-22). Since leaving Hopkins, Grant Jr. has had several other coaching jobs in the high school and club space but is most known for his role as offensive coordinator for the California Redwoods.

“I look forward to getting to work right away and begin building a legacy of excellence both on and off the field,” he said.

As a player, Grant Jr. has one of the most illustrious resumes in the history of lacrosse. He belongs to three Halls of Fame — the National Lacrosse League, Major League Lacrosse and University of Delaware — and is a five-time MLL champion, NLL champion and five-time world champion. He won five career MVP awards, three in Major League Lacrosse and two in the NLL.

In his career, Grant, Jr. played in the NLL for 17 years and in the MLL for 14 years. In the NLL, Grant, Jr. collected 668 goals and 778 assists for 1,446 points in the regular season. He deposited 388 goals in the MLL and collected 634 career points.

In his coaching career, Grant, Jr. is a two-time world champion with Canada, an MLL champion with the Denver Outlaws (2018), a two-time Colorado high school state champion, Colorado state coach of the year and Division I Southern Conference co-champion.