BALTIMORE — The decorated career of Colorado lacrosse legend John Grant Jr. as both a player and a coach added another chapter on Monday.
The Denver Outlaws player-coach, as well as Air Force assistant coach was named Offensive Coordinator at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
The full release from the school is as follows:
Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse coach Peter Milliman announced the hiring of John Grant, Jr. as the team's offensive coordinator today. Grant, Jr. comes to Homewood from the United States Air Force Academy, where he spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach. His appointment rounds out Milliman's full-time coaching staff as he had previously named Jamison Koesterer as the team's defensive coordinator.
"While John's playing resume speaks for itself, he has also been a highly-successful coach at the professional, college, high school and club levels," Milliman noted. "He has demonstrated the rare ability to transition from being one of the world's greatest players into being one of the great teachers of the game. He has a natural coaching style that our players will very much enjoy and I look forward to seeing the development of our offense under his guidance."
In two seasons at Air Force, Grant, Jr. helped the Falcons to a 14-8 record, including a 10-5 mark in 2019. Air Force won the 2019 Southern Conference regular season title and the Falcons opened the 2020 season with a 14-13 win at fifth-ranked Duke.
Grant, Jr. coached at Air Force while simultaneously coaching the Denver Outlaws of Major League Lacrosse (MLL). He served as the Outlaws' offensive coordinator from 2017-19 and spent the 2019 season as a player-coach as he came out of retirement to play for Denver. The Outlaws won the 2018 MLL title with Grant. Jr. directing the offense and advanced to the championship game in 2019.
Prior to his stints with the Outlaws and Falcons, Grant, Jr. was the head coach at Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. There, he guided the Eagles to three consecutive appearances in the Colorado 4A State Championship game and the team claimed back-to-back-titles in 2016 and 2017; those were the first two state titles in program history.
"I am honored to have the opportunity to become a part of the historic Johns Hopkins Lacrosse program," Grant, Jr. noted. "I would like to thank Director of Athletics Jen Baker, Coach Milliman and the administration for having confidence in my abilities. I am very excited to start working with Pete and Jamison and to get to know the team. I cannot wait to step onto legendary Homewood Field and get to work."
Grant, Jr. began his coaching career in 2000 as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, the University of Delaware. From 2003-09 he was the head instructor of Pro Skills Lacrosse before becoming the Director of Coaching and Player Development of Evolve Elite Lacrosse. Grant, Jr. was the co-founder of both Pro Skills Lacrosse and Evolve Elite Lacrosse.
The only player in lacrosse history to win MVP honors in the MLL and NLL in the same year, Grant, Jr. enjoyed a record of achievement as a player that is matched by few. He won six MLL Championships, one NLL title and five Mann Cup crowns. In addition, he helped Canada to the 2006 FIL World Outdoor Championship and the 2003, 2007 and 2011 FIL World Indoor titles.
Grant, Jr. also helped guide Canada to the 2014 FIL World Outdoor Championship as an assistant coach.
As a player, Grant, Jr. ranks as one of the most accomplished in college, professional and international history. He helped guide the University of Delaware to the NCAA Quarterfinals in 1999, when he earned the Turnbull Award as the nation's top attackman and the Enners Award as the nation's most outstanding player. The first USILA First Team All-American in Delaware history, he totaled 96 goals and 81 assists in two seasons with the Blue Hens and set a UD record that still stands today with 110 points as a senior.
Grant, Jr. made a smooth transition to professional lacrosse after graduating from Delaware as he went on a 17-year career in the NLL and played 14 seasons in the MLL.
In 17 NLL seasons, he rang up 668 goals and 778 assists for 1,446 points in the regular season and added 60 goals and 51 assists in 20 playoff games. He guided the Rochester Knighthawks to the 2007 NLL title en route to earning league MVP honors and concluded his career ranked fifth in league history in goals and 12th in points; he also ranked third in assists per game.
Grant, Jr. joined the MLL in its inaugural season in 2001, later played from 2005-16 and returned as the Outlaws' player-coach in 2019. He ranks as the league's career leader in combined regular season and post-season goals (388) and points (634).
