Former St. Lawrence men’s lacrosse coach Don Leet died Monday, the University announced.

The IMLCA paid tribute to Leet Tuesday morning on Twitter.

The IMLCA is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Don Leet who embodied all the characteristics of what we think of when we hear the word "Coach". Our coaches send a collective hug to his family, former students, and the entire St. Lawrence community. pic.twitter.com/w1EPOzBe6I

— IMLCA (@IMLCACoaches) June 23, 2020

Leet was a three-sport athlete at Adelphi who began as a football coach at St. Lawrence in 1968. He was the head men’s lacrosse coach from 1970-1997. In those 28 seasons, his teams won 253 games and made eight NCAA tournament appearances. In 1979 — the same year he earned NCAA Division III coach of the year honors — the Saints appeared in the NCAA Division II-III semifinals.

In 1993, Leet was inducted into the Upstate New York Chapter of the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the St. Lawrence Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004 and inducted into the IMLCA Hall of Fame in 2019.

“Don was an outstanding teacher of the game, but more importantly, he was a master teacher of life’s lessons,” St. Lawrence athletic director Bob Durocher said before Leet’s induction into the IMLCA Hall of Fame. “Whenever I am talking with alumni, I hear story after story about the impact Coach Leet had on his teams. He was tough, fair and never gave up on his students.”