Bill Tierney stands alone in lacrosse history.
The Philadelphia Waterdogs dominated the Denver Outlaws in the 2026 Premier Lacrosse League championship on Sunday in New Jersey, making Tierney the first lacrosse coach to win a title at both the NCAA and the professional level.
Tierney, who led the University of Denver to the and also won six championships at Princeton, didn’t have to sweat it at Sports Illustrated Stadium as the Waterdogs dominated the Outlaws. League and title MVP CJ Kirst scored four goals in the first half in the Waterdogs’ 14-4 win, the most lopsided professional field lacrosse championship since 2012.
Denver — the PLL touring team named after the former Major League Lacrosse franchise that was actually based in the city — suffered its second consecutive defeat in the title game after losing 14-13 to the New York Atlas last season. The MLL Outlaws won three championships in that league.
On Sunday, Tierney’s defense was stingy and prevented the high-powered Denver offense from ever finding a rhythm. The Outlaws featured four Tewaaraton Award winners, the college lacrosse version of the Heisman Trophy, but Denver turned the ball over 20 times and only shot 12.9% in the game. Meanwhile, and two assists.
When DU won the 2015 championship under Tierney, it made the Pioneers the first western program to win the Division I title. An emotional Tierney, 75, told ESPN that the Waterdogs winning the championship just two years after finishing last in the PLL was due to “a mixture of young and old (stars), and experience, and you saw it (Sunday) that they all wanted this badly.”
