Mercer University’s men’s lacrosse coach Kyle Hannan resigned Aug. 6, making Chad Surman the new head coach, according to Mercer University.
Hannan was with Mercer University for the past eight seasons and has been coaching college sports for 34 years.
In those 34 years, Hannan has led his teams to 287 wins. He has also seen 35 players earn All-American Honors, had nine scholar All-Americans, appeared in six national tournaments, won three national championships and received three Coach of the Year Awards.
"The time has come for me to begin an exciting new chapter of my life in the business sector of lacrosse,” Hannan told Mercer University. “This is an amazing opportunity for my wife and two children."
Hannan started at Mercer University in 2013 with a lacrosse program that had two wins in the first two years. In his first two seasons as a head coach, Hannan turned the program around and had 11 victories. Hannan is the winningest coach in program history.
Last year, the Bears reeled off five consecutive victories to finish the season early with a 6-1 record. In 2020, the lacrosse team had 31 conference honor roll members with six student-athletes earning a 4.0 GPA. The Bears also spent 450 hours last season with volunteer opportunities.
"While establishing Mercer lacrosse highs last season in both team GPA and winning percentage, I feel like I am leaving the program in a strong position for continued success," Hannan told Mercer University. "It has always been my goal to leave a program better than when I arrived. I am confident that this has been accomplished."
In his first season on the sidelines, new head coach Surman helped the team compile a 5-8 record. Mercer defeated three of their Southern Conference opponents that year.
Surman helped the Bears compile another 5-8 record in Southern Conference play in his second season in 2017. The Bears were ranked ninth in turnovers per game and 11th in man-up offense.
“Working alongside him the past few years, I definitely learned a lot,” Surman said. “He was very instrumental in making this program.”
The Bears will return back to the field in the spring of 2021.
Mercer lacrosse coach Kyle Hannan resigns after eight seasons
