The Naval Academy lost two veteran coaches on Monday, both coming as a bit of a surprise.
Billy Lange
First, it was announced that Billy Lange resigned as head basketball coach to become associate head coach at Villanova.
While it’s not out of left field–Lange served under Jay Wright from 2001-2004– it did comes as a shock. Lange told The Capital that he wasn’t forced out and he felt it was the best career move for him right now. He had just finished his seventh season leading the Midshipmen, finishing with a 92-115 record.
Richie Meade
Shortly thereafter, another press release was issued announcing the resignation of men’s lacrosse coach Richie Meade, who was 142-97 in 17 seasons at Navy.
This one came as a bit of a jolt because Meade had built quite a successful program, leading the Mids to the NCAA Championship game in 2004, where they fell 14-13 to Syracuse.
According to the The Capital, he was forced out, but would remain as a professor in the physical education department.
Here are links to the two official press releases.
Lange Resigns As Head Men’s Basketball Coach At The Naval Academy
Meade Resigns As Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach At The Naval Academy
