A former standout for the Drew University men's lacrosse team, Dan Leidl C'97 will enter his fifth season as the Rangers' head coach in 2026.
Leidl has guided the Rangers to vast improvement since taking over the helm in the summer of 2021. In his first season, he guided the Rangers to a 9-7 record, the team's best overall mark since 2012. In addition, Leidl coached a player who captured Drew's first, First-Team All-Landmark Conference award since 2017 and one Ranger who broke the Landmark record for points in a season.
In 2024, Leidl steered Drew to an overall record of 10-8 - the program's first 10-win campaign since 2012. The team also went 5-4 in Landmark Conference play and qualified for the conference's postseason tournament for the first time in a non-Covid season since 2017.
One year later, Leidl was honored as the Landmark Conference Men's Lacrosse Coach of the Year after directing the Rangers to another appearance in the Landmark Conference Championships, marking the program's first repeat postseason appearance since 2005-10. The team finished 10-7 and 6-3 in Landmark Conference play, good for third place in the conference standings, which earned the Rangers their first postseason home game since 2012. It also marked the most Landmark victories in team history and the highest conference victory total since 2007. At the individual level, four Rangers earned All-Landmark Conference honors in 2025, including one who was named the Rookie of the Year and went on to become the seventh USILA All-American in team history.
Prior to his return to the Forest, Leidl worked as the head boy's lacrosse coach and as an English teacher at St. George's School, an elite boarding school in Middletown, R.I., for three years. He provides the Rangers a rich and varied background, having coached and played at the sport's highest levels, building a successful career in leadership development, and co-authoring a book.
At St. George's School, Leidl recruited nationally, bringing in players throughout the United States and even Canada. He had players go on to attend Kenyon College and Rhodes College - programs that were coached by Drew alums. During his time at St. George's, while disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Leidl worked with a variety of national clubs and showcases, including coaching with True National, Juniors Open, and both the CONNY and New England regions through Under Armour.
Leidl has also coached at multiple collegiate levels, including a one-year stint as a volunteer assistant men's coach at Stevens Institute of Technology. He was also an assistant women's coach at C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, helping the Pioneers reach the NCAA Division II semifinals three times. In addition, Leidl was an assistant men's coach at Colby College and a graduate assistant men's coach at Tufts University.
As a student-athlete, Leidl was an All-Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) performer and MAC Player of the Year for the Rangers. After graduating from Drew, Leidl became a professional lacrosse player when he competed for the New Jersey/Anaheim Storm of the National Lacrosse League from 2001-04. He went on to represent the United States as a member of the National Indoor Lacrosse Team, helping the squad capture a bronze medal at the 2003 World Indoor Championships in Toronto.
From 2002-15, Leidl served in multiple capacities for the Irish National Lacrosse Team. He initially joined the team as a player and went on to compete at the FIL World Championships in 2002, 2006, and 2010. He was a team captain on the 2006 squad before moving into a role as head coach of the Women's Team that competed in the European Championships in 2008 and the World Cup in 2009, when the squad posted a fifth-place finish. Leidl also served as an assistant men's coach for three teams that competed in World Championships.
Leidl has also worked to assist the development of lacrosse in numerous capacities throughout the region. Most recently, he has assisted Glen Rock Lacrosse Association with the advancement of their youth program, and Patriot Lacrosse with the development of their indoor box program.
Leidl began his career in leadership development as a managing partner for Meno Consulting from 2008-14. He later became the director of organizational development and human capital at Production Resource Group, the world's leading supplier of entertainment and event technology, from 2014-18.
In 2012, Leidl co-authored the book Team Turnarounds: A Playbook for Transforming Underperforming Teams.
At Drew, Leidl was a versatile performer who competed at multiple positions throughout his career under legendary Head Coach Tom Leanos. As a freshman, he was one of the team's primary face-off specialists for a team that would capture the 1994 MAC title. He became a starting midfielder over the next two seasons and gained All-MAC status in 1996, when he posted career-highs for goals (29), assists (18), and points (47).
As a senior, Leidl took on more of a defensive role but still posted 11 goals and 10 assists on his way to earning MAC Co-Player of the Year distinction. He finished his career with 56 goals, 35 assists, and 326 ground balls, which ranks seventh in school history, while winning 53 percent (148-279) of his face-off attempts. He helped the Rangers qualify for the ECAC Championships in 1994, 1996, and 1997.
Leidl graduated from Drew with a bachelor of arts degree in English and philosophy before earning his master of arts degree in child development from Tufts in 1999. He went on to pick up another M.A. in counseling and his doctorate in sport psychology from West Virginia University in 2008. He was inducted into the Drew University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.
