Darry Thornton, who boasts 13 years of collegiate head coaching experience, begins his third season as the head men's lacrosse coach at Plattsburgh State in 2025.
In 2024, Thornton coached his team to a 4-12 (0-7 SUNYAC) record, the program's best finish during his tenure as head coach. The Cardinals posted their best home record in the Darry Thornton era going 3-5. The Cardinals saw an increase in goals, ranking first in the conference in man-up goals with 24, and an in increase in assists as well. The special teams improved as well ranking second in the conference with a 33.3 man-up goal percentage. Thornton guided John Eiseman to a career-high in goals and points as the senior attacker eclipsed the 100-point mark to become 14th in total points in a career.
During his first year as head coach in 2023, Thornton guided his team to a 2-13 (0-7 SUNYAC) record.
Prior to Plattsburgh State, Thornton spent the 2022 season as the head coach at Marian (Wis.) University, where he coached four All-Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) honorees and the program's first-ever United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Scholar All-American. Prior to Marian, Thornton served as the head coach at Brevard College during the 2021 campaign, where he helped revive the Tornados' men's lacrosse program and mentored two All-Conference student-athletes.
He worked as the head coach at NCAA Division II Lees-McRae College for four years, where he helped the Bobcats earn their most wins in a single season in program history following the 2017 campaign. Thornton coached, mentored and developed Lees-McRae's all-time leading goal scorer, and he also mentored 15 All-Academic All-Conference student-athletes while helping the program achieve its highest GPA in program history on multiple occasions.
Thornton served as the head coach at Mohawk Valley Community College during the 2012 and 2013 seasons, helping five student-athletes earn All-Conference honors. His first head coaching position came at Mount Saint Mary College, where he was the inaugural coach of the Knights' men's lacrosse program from January 2009-August 2011. Prior to becoming a head coach, Thornton worked as an assistant coach at Division II Queen's University of Charlotte and Hartwick College.
Beyond coaching, Thornton spent a three-year period as a consultant for over 25 college lacrosse programs across 11 states. His assistance ranged from NCAA Division II to NJCAA schools where he aided in the evaluation of incoming student-athletes, scouting, video breakdown and player development.
During his undergraduate career, he competed for two years at SUNY Oneonta, helping lead the Red Dragons to a 22-10 record, a No. 11 national ranking and a runner-up finish in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) championship game his senior year. His collegiate career began at Hudson Valley Community College, where he competed for two seasons.
Thornton earned his Bachelor of Science in mass communications from Oneonta in 2003 and his Associate of Science in physical education from Hudson Valley Community College in 2000. He is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in coaching and athletics administration from Concordia (Calif.) University Irvine.
