Coach Bill Pilat
Entering his 31st season at the helm of the Roanoke College program, Bill Pilat has 341 career wins and his 70% win percentage is also the best in the history of the ODAC.
The Maroons are currently in the midst of 19 consecutive winning seasons, including a school record 13 consecutive with 10 or more wins.
When the Maroons punched their ticket to the NCAA Division III Tournament last season, the Maroons became the 13th team to do so under Pilat’s guidance.
In 2015, Pilat earned his 300th career win, becoming the 15th men's lacrosse coach in all of NCAA Divisions I, II or III to accomplish that milestone. During his tenure as coach, Pilat has led the team to 11 ODAC Championships and now 16 NCAA Tournament appearances after appearing in the NCAA Tournament yet again in the 2015 season. The Maroons finished the season with its program record-setting seventh consecutive 10-win season.
Pilat has been named the ODAC Coach of the Year in a vote of his league peers, the most of any ODAC coach. He has claimed nine Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championships, the latest coming in 2013.
Pilat is an integral part of Roanoke’s lacrosse excellence both as a player and a coach. As a player, Pilat was a three-time All-American, two-time ODAC Player of the Year, and the 1985 Roanoke Male Athlete of the Year. Also in 1985, Pilat received the C. Markland Kelly Award and the Hero’s Award as the nation’s top goaltender. With 710 collegiate saves, he has 29 more stops than any other keeper in school history. In addition to leading the program in career saves, Pilat has also coached six of the nine other players ranked in the top 10 all-time saves list at the school. Three of those goalies have earned All-American status.
In addition to coaching and recruiting, Pilat has been very active in the lacrosse community. A former member of the Division III Advisory and All-American committees, he has served as the president of both the ODAC and Division III Coaches associations. He has been the chairman of the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association’s Century Club and was a member of the U.S. World Lacrosse Team player selection committee. Pilat is also one of the nation’s most recognizable summer camp directors, running several camps in Virginia, Florida, Connecticut, Ohio, and New York. The Bill Pilat Goalie School is regarded as the nation’s best camp for goalies. Pilat’s latest venture is a new goalie video aimed at improving the skills and fundamentals of both novice and advanced keepers.
Pilat's Coaching Career
Head Coach: 31st Season
Roanoke ’85: 341 wins (70% win percentage) – best in ODAC history
- Head Coach – Roanoke College – 1989-present
- Assistant Coach – Roanoke College – 1988
- Assistant Coach – Washington & Lee University – 1987
- Graduate Assistant – Alfred University – 1986
Pilat's Playing Career
- Roanoke College – 1982-85
- 3 Time College All American Goalie
- C. Markland Kelly Award as “NCAA Goalie of the Year – 1985”
- 2 Time Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of the Year – 1984, 1985
- North South All Star – 1985
- Team USA Selected for Tryouts – 1985
Education
Bachelor of Arts Degree – Roanoke College – 1985