Watch John Crawley on the Lehigh sidelines or playing in the Premier Lacrosse League, and you can sense he was destined to be a coach.

It took a suggestion from his legendary college coach to start him on that path.

“I was an economics major and honestly had no idea what I wanted to do,” said the former All-American midfielder. “As a senior at Johns Hopkins, I went into Coach (Dave) Pietramala’s office one day late in the process of looking for jobs.

“I said, ‘You’ve seen so many players. We have a really special relationship. You know the kind of guy I am and the things I like to do.’”

Crawley proceeded to ask for advice.  

“He sat me down and said, ‘John, I think you would love college coaching.’”

As they say, the rest is history.

Crawley’s young coaching career (he just finished his third season) has featured a little of everything — three different places, three different staffs and three different ways of running a program — which has allowed him to develop his own unique style.

Combined with his experience as a player at Hopkins and in the professional ranks, it’s been the perfect recipe for a rising star in the coaching ranks.

Let’s start with some background.

Following his conversation with Pietramala, Crawley kept the idea of coaching in mind. After graduating, Crawley played in Major League Lacrosse for the Charlotte Hounds under head coach Jim Stagnitta. Stagnitta is close with Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan, who gave Crawley his start as a volunteer assistant for the Fighting Irish.

“While at Notre Dame in 2018, I had some really special relationships with the staff — Coach Corrigan, Coach (Gerry) Byrne, Coach (Matt) Karweck and Coach (Rob) Simpson,” Crawley said. “The more we got enveloped into the year, the more I started to fall in love with not only coaching, but also the lifestyle that coaching brings. The ability to show the way for college students is special.”

Crawley had found his calling.

That calling took Crawley elsewhere in 2019, as Karweck was named Colgate’s head coach and decided to bring Crawley along.   

“It was a completely different experience,” Crawley said. “It was [Karweck’s] first time being a head coach, so he was developing and building a culture. My experience at Colgate was tailored towards learning the cornerstones of culture.”

An important foundational mission of being a collegiate coach was reinforced that year.

“What I learned most from Coach Karweck was the ability to constantly help the players become the best versions of themselves,” Crawley said. “That’s on and off the field. The way he approaches practices, games and everything was so much based on the idea that in any contest, you’re developing. Every day is an opportunity to get better.”

Always striving to improve has defined Crawley’s playing and coaching careers. In 2020, Crawley transitioned to Lehigh under head coach Kevin Cassese. The Mountain Hawks’ program has a very different style, but hard work to get better remains consistent for any successful person or program.

“I’ve learned a whole lot from the coaching staff,” Crawley said. “Leadership styles are different; culture styles are different. The players on the team are different types of people.”

Crawley has fit in well.

“When I came to first meet Coach Cassese on my interview [I had never previously met him], right off the bat, the cornerstones of the program were things I identified with wholeheartedly,” he said. “We always preach PSDT — passion, selflessness, discipline and toughness. And without even knowing it, those are the things I’ve always had and always tried to exhibit when playing, and now while coaching.”

Crawley has always been that type of player and continues to carry himself that way with the PLL’s Atlas LC. The PLL Championship Series tournament begins Saturday at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah.

“I really believe the only reason I was able to play [at Hopkins] was due to thinking and making proper decisions, selfless decisions to dodge, draw a slide and move the ball,” he said. “Or if no one slides to me, shoot.”

Crawley finished his collegiate career with 70 goals and 30 assists. He knows developing his lacrosse mind helped him accrue those numbers back then, and it’s helping him to this day.

“John has an incredible mind for the game,” Cassese said. “He sees the game differently than most people I know in the sport. He has an unwavering commitment to the process, the details and the intricate aspects of his offense. His work ethic is off the charts. And his care factor for the players and all those he interacts with is undeniable.”

The offense Crawley implemented at Lehigh in 2020 was free-flowing. It’s not an offense he created himself. He adopted it from his college days at Hopkins with offensive coordinator Bobby Benson.

“It’s basically a basketball offense,” Crawley said. “It’s passing and cutting, passing and picking, passing and screening. It’s a lot of off-ball movement. You teach the players the little pieces about how to play. You basically try to steer them and mold the offense where players are playing to their strengths. Coach Benson taught me a whole lot about how the game should be played naturally, without being told exactly what to do and when to do it.”

“It is very humbling to hear that I’ve had the ability to influence John in a positive fashion,” Benson said. “John and his teammates took great ownership in the offensive system they created when I was with them, and they really enjoyed playing unselfishly together. 

“Hopefully, the guys now playing for John have as much fun as we did and I hope they see the same level of success.”

Crawley helps his players learn where to be in certain situations. It allows the student-athletes to develop an even stronger understanding of the game, much like Crawley did at Hopkins.

“On a given possession, I have no idea what the guys on the field are about to do,” he said. “It’s all on the players. To be honest, that’s why I think I loved it so much.”

The Mountain Hawks also loved it in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. It was only six games, but Lehigh’s offense averaged 14 goals per game (15th in the nation), up from 10.67 the year prior. The Mountain Hawks scored 14 or more goals in five of six contests after reaching that mark just four times during the entire 2019 campaign.

A scary thought for the Patriot League (and the nation) was that Lehigh’s offense was not even close to performing at its potential.

“The last game [against Holy Cross] was actually the first time we had everything all together,” Crawley said. “I don’t believe we saw a finished product because the way you get better is developing chemistry and developing a complete understanding over what you need to do and how you need to do it.”

A strong chemistry was in the works, due in large part to not only Crawley’s mind, but also his commitment to relationships, much like he learned from Benson.

“The best thing about Coach Crawley is his ability to connect with all the guys,” All-League midfielder Andrew Eichelberger said. “He’s not too much older than us, and he’s still playing at a very high level, so it’s easy to talk to him about anything.”

Any player-coach relationship goes two ways. It went from Benson to Crawley and now Crawley to his student-athletes.

“While John speaks on the impact I’ve had on him, he’s had a much greater impact on me,” Benson said. “I learned a ton about coaching, relationships, loyalty, competitiveness and how to succeed from my time with John. He has without a doubt helped me become a better coach and better person.”

Because of Crawley’s experience playing and coaching the free-flowing offense, it has only helped in his own playing experience with Atlas LC.

“I feel like I’ve exercised that muscle so much that it no doubt helps me when I’m on the field if something doesn’t go right,” he said.

Practice time is limited in the PLL, so it demands that the athletes “exercise that lacrosse IQ muscle” pretty often.

“I do believe playing at such a high level has helped make John a better coach and coaching has helped make him a better player,” Cassese said. “After spending a year in the trenches with John and also knowing the pro lacrosse landscape the way I do, I have no doubt that he is one of the most important players in the PLL, especially for his team. He is a 'glue' guy, a high-level leader who unifies a group and pushes everyone to be the best versions of themselves. John has done the same thing for our Lehigh lacrosse program.”

Crawley now looks to unify his Atlas LC team at the PLL Championship Series. The midfielder scored seven goals in nine starts for the team last summer.

“I honestly couldn’t be more excited,” he said. “With COVID-19 hitting and being in quarantine, I’ve been at my parents’ house in Long Island since it hit. Not much has been going on, so my focus has been very singular — to get in the best shape I possibly can and go win a PLL Championship.

“I really believe the product on the field is going to be special. A lot of people have put a lot of effort into this preparation cycle. I know I’ve put more time in than I ever have, probably since college.”

No matter the setting, whether he’s playing or coaching, Crawley works hard to get better every single day.

It’s been the perfect recipe for this rising star.

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