BALTIMORE – One of the legends of the game, long-time Towson men's lacrosse head coach Carl Runk was given the Nike Lacrosse Creators Award by the Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IMLCA) during the annual convention in Baltimore last week.
 
The IMLCA Creators Award is bestowed periodically to an IMLCA member for their achievements in the core areas of advocacy, leadership, education, honor, spirit and service to the game of lacrosse. Runk becomes the 10^th winner of the award since its inception in 2006.
 
Runk, who guided the Tigers to new heights beginning in 1968 when he took over as the fifth head coach in program history. The Baltimore native was at the helm of the program until 1998, seeing Towson through its transition from NCAA Division II into the Division I ranks in 1980.
 
"It means a great deal," said Runk, who was named to the Greater Baltimore Chapter of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2000. "I've been out of coaching for a number of years and sometimes it feels like you don't belong and then you win an award like this… it's a tremendous award and let's people still remember their coaches."
 
While amassing an overall record of 262-161, Runk coached the Tigers to a College Division Championship in 1974, beating Hobart 18-17 in overtime, capping seven straight victories to end the season on top. Later, Runk guided the team to the 1991 NCAA Division I title game while earning a top-10 USILA Coaches Poll ranking. He is the only head coach to guide the same institution to College Division and Division I National Championship games.
 
"I just enjoyed talking to youngsters and playing a tight ball game, college or high school," Runk said. "The kids always expect some kind of strategy and I would tell them 'Remember this position, how you react is something you're going to remember forever. It's an important moment and not too many people will be in this position. Remember it.'"
 
The Towson University Athletics Hall of Famer is one of just 27 NCAA men's lacrosse coaches, regardless of division, to rack up over 250 wins, doing so at a .619 percent clip.
 
From 1980, Towson won five East Coast Conference championships, while earning NCAA Tournament Berths five times. Since moving to Division I, Towson finished ranked in the USILA Coaches Poll Top 20 on 12 occasions, including every season from 1989-1997.
 
After coaching at Towson, Runk went on to coach at nearby Herford High School, guiding the Bulls to Maryland state championships in 2003 and 2008.
 
"I've been very fortunate to be in coaching," said Runk. "The finances of it were tough when I started but I went to it because I was influenced and I thought I would have the opportunity to do something constructive as far as his personal development was concerned."
 
- TowsonTigers.com -