(Rochester, NY)… Rochester Knighthawks President and General Manager Dan Carey announced this morning the signing of former original Rochester Knighthawks captain Randy Mearns as interim head coach.
“Randy Mearns is a true professional who brings a tremendous amount of energy, experience, and a deep wealth of lacrosse knowledge,” said Carey. “We are excited to add his leadership and passion for the game to the organization.”
Mearns takes over the reins from Mike Hasen, who led the team to a 5-6 record this season. The Knighthawks will travel to play the Las Vegas Desert Dogs on Sunday, March 15.
“I would like to thank Dan Carey and the entire Knighthawks organization for this incredible opportunity to join a group of men trying to accomplish something amazing: Winning an NLL Championship,” said Mearns. “I am humbled and excited to build on the foundation set forth by Mike Hasen and (former assistant coach) Pat O’Toole, and can’t wait to get started. It feels good to be back home.”
Mearns brings a wealth of experience and knowledge as a former player and coach. During his playing career, he spent seven seasons with the original Rochester Knighthawks (1995-2001). While in the Flower City, the St. Catharines, Ontario, native helped the Knighthawks to four title game appearances (1995, 1997, 1999, and 2000). He captained the 1997 Rochester Knighthawks to their first franchise championship before finding his stride as a college lacrosse coach in 1999.
Mearns spent 26 years as a head coach at the Division I level. He started at Canisius University and coached his alma mater for 19 years. During his tenure with the Golden Griffins, Mearns led the program to a pair of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships and NCAA tournament appearances in 2008 and 2012. During his tenure, he coached six first-round NLL draft picks, including Knighthawks captain Dan Coates, Dan Carey, and Buffalo Bandits’ goaltender Matt Vinc.
“I was fortunate to be coached by him in college and with Team Canada,” said Coates. “He’s a guy who cares about his players. He is a leader of men. He has a championship pedigree. He has won Minto Cups and Mann Cups, and is a world champion head coach. He was also the captain of the Knighthawks when they won in ’97. He bleeds lacrosse, and I know he is going to run with this opportunity.”
Following his tenure at Canisius, Mearns was named the inaugural coach at Division I St. Bonaventure University on June 20, 2017. He led the Bonnies for their first seven seasons and coached, recruited, and developed players such as Buffalo Bandits defenseman Zack Belter, Halifax Thunderbirds defenseman Austin Blumbergs, Calgary Roughnecks defenseman Kyle Pepper, Las Vegas forward Sean Westley, and Georgia Swarm goaltender Brett Dobson.
Mearns’ experience with professionals also reached the world stage, serving as the head coach of Team Canada through the 2010s. He was an assistant coach on the gold medal team in 2006 and an assistant in 2010 before taking over as head coach for the 2014 Federation of International Lacrosse World Championship, where Canada won gold. He also coached the 2018 silver medal squad.
In the last year, Mearns has coached all over the world. Following the 2025 collegiate season, he traveled to Jeju, South Korea, to serve as general manager for the U20 Canadian team at the World Lacrosse Championship, where they won their first gold medal. Since then, he has been coaching the Greece sixes team as they try to qualify for the 2028 Olympics.
This summer, he is on the coaching staff for the Junior “A” St. Catharines Athletics. As a player, Mearns won a Minto Cup in 1990 with St. Catharines. He also captured Mann Cup championships with the Brampton Excelsiors (1992-93) and the Six Nations Chiefs (1994-96).
For his efforts on and off the field, Mearns has been enshrined in five Halls of Fame: Canisius University, the first Rochester Knighthawks franchise, Western New York Lacrosse, Ontario Lacrosse, and Canadian Lacrosse.