(Rochester, NY)… The Rochester Knighthawks announced today that two-time National Lacrosse League Coach of the Year Troy Cordingley has been hired as the team’s head coach.
“Troy Cordingley is a proven winner in the NLL,” said Knighthawks President and General Manager Dan Carey. “He is exceptionally prepared, holds his teams to a high standard, and consistently has them ready to compete. We believe he’s an outstanding fit for our organization and are excited to welcome him as our head coach.”
Cordingley arrives in Rochester after serving as the Calgary Roughnecks’ Associate Coach & Player Personnel Coordinator this past season. The Oakville, Ontario, native has compiled a career record of 107-97 and won two NLL Cups, also making coaching stops in Toronto, Buffalo and Vancouver along the way. He is currently seventh in NLL history in coaching wins and seventh in games coached with 204.
The 59-year-old returns to the city where he ended his NLL playing career in 2001. Cordingley played nine seasons in the NLL, beginning his career with the Buffalo Bandits in 1993. He won two championships with the Bandits (1993 and 1996), before moving on to the Albany Attack, and then the original Rochester Knighthawks.
“It’s come full circle. I enjoyed my first stop in Rochester as a player,” he said. “I’m excited about this opportunity. It’s a good challenge, and I’m looking forward to it. I’m joining a team with a talented core already in place. Winning in this league is difficult, but that’s the goal. Ultimately, we want to win, and that’s why I accepted the position.”
Cordingley made the jump from player to head coach in 2003 with the Buffalo Bandits, working as an assistant coach. In 2008, he became the head coach of the Calgary Roughnecks. He served as the Calgary bench boss for two seasons, guiding the Roughnecks to a 12-4 season in 2009. He capped it off with an NLL championship en route to winning the Les Bartley Award as the NLL Head Coach of the Year.
Cordingley moved back east the following 2009 campaign to coach the Toronto Rock. In four seasons, he led the Rock to back-to-back Finals appearances (2010-11) and compiled a 38-26 regular season record and a 6-3 postseason mark. In 2011, he guided Toronto to an NLL championship. In 2013, he earned his second Les Bartley Award after a 10-6 season.
In 2014, he accepted the head coaching position with the Buffalo Bandits, serving in that role from 2014-18. Cordingley was 46-44 over five seasons and took Buffalo to the postseason three times, which included a berth in the 2016 NLL Finals. He moved into the front office in 2019, taking over as the Buffalo Bandits’ Assistant General Manager & Director of Scouting.
Cordingley returned to the bench for the 2022-23 season as the head coach of the Vancouver Warriors. The following season, he returned to Calgary to serve as the Associate Coach and Player Personnel Coordinator.
He has been enshrined in two halls of fame. In 2022, he was inducted into the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame, following an impressive playing career in the NLL and in summer ball. Cordingley played 12 seasons of Senior “A” lacrosse with Brampton, Six Nations, and Coquitlam, posting 440 goals and 711 assists. He won four Mann Cup championships in a five-year span as a player, hoisting the Cup with Brampton in 1992 and ’93, and then winning back-to-back titles with Six Nations from 1995-96. In 2023, Cordingley was inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Cordingley won a pair of Mann Cups as a coach, guiding the Brampton Excelsiors to championships in 2008 and 2009. He is also a seven-time national champion head coach with Team Ontario and a three-time Provincial Champion in the Ontario Minor Lacrosse Association. In 2022, he coached the Team Ontario women to the first-ever gold medal at the Canada Summer Games. On the international stage, he has coached the men’s teams of Scotland in 2003 and 2007, and the Czech Republic in 2015, at the World Box Lacrosse Championship. Most recently, he coached the Canadian women’s team at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships.