Tarring goes out on top

Doug Tarring, the winningest high school lacrosse coach in state history, has ended his illustrious career after 37 years at St. Anne’s-Belfield.

During his 31 years as the Saints’ head coach, Tarring compiled an eye-popping record of 407 wins against only 132 losses, including seven state championships. He has won national coach of the year honors and has coached numbers of high school All-Americans that have dotted the rosters of storied collegiate lacrosse programs across the country.

While coaching the St. Anne’s program, he has also influenced the growth of the sport locally and across the state, while still keeping contact with his alma mater, the University of Virginia, where he was a member of the 1972 NCAA championship team. Tarring has worked as the radio color analyst for UVa lacrosse for several years.

“It was a decision I had made coming into the year for all the right reasons — no health issues or anything like that,” said Tarring, 59. “I felt like I wanted to step away from the varsity job.”

Old coaches will tell you there’s nothing like walking away while at the top, which is exactly what Tarring has done. His St. Anne’s teams have won back-to-back state titles.

“People have asked me if I would have still made the decision if we hadn’t won it all this year and I tell them that’s a question I don’t have to answer,” chuckled Tarring, who will stay on as the school’s athletic director, a role he has held for years.

Dave Riddick, who has been Tarring’s right-hand man since 1987 as assistant coach, is also retiring, but Tarring has already named he and Riddick’s successors. Bo Perriello, the son of the late Dr. Vito Perriello and brother of U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello (D.-Ivy), will take over as head coach and Western Albemarle’s Hunter Price has been hired as the assistant. Bo Perriello, who played for Tarring (Class of 1989) before playing at Notre Dame, has been on Tarring’s staff for the past five years.

“I feel that in terms of the coaching staff, it is a great transition where there’s no change in philosophy or expectations of the kids, academically and athletically,” Tarring said.

While the longtime STAB mentor has resigned as head coach, he will still have a presence with the school’s junior programs.

“I won’t ever be able to totally step away from it,” he said. “One of the things I really want to do is stay involved with the program and I plan to help with the middle school and J.V. teams. My love for the game started as teaching, something I really enjoy. So, rather than the day-to-day duties, I can involve myself with the kids throughout the program, something I’m looking forward to doing.”

Tarring grew up in lacrosse-crazed Baltimore in the 1960s and was recruited to play for Virginia. After the Cavaliers captured the 1972 national crown, he was hired by the late Jay Taylor, head of St. Anne’s Lower School, as junior varsity coach.

“I was the J.V. coach from 1973 to 1978 before I took the varsity job in ’79, after Tom Duquette left for Norfolk Academy,” Tarring recounted. “My first J.V. team was 0-10. I thought maybe I should choose another profession.”

After the Saints won their most recent state title last Saturday, news of Taylor’s death that day was delivered to Tarring, who called it a poignant moment.

“I thought a lot about him after the game and the opportunity he had given to me,” the coach said.

While Tarring had already decided to resign, he kept it a secret until the team banquet on Monday. He didn’t want to announce anything before the season or before the state playoffs and add any burden or distraction to his squad’s goals.

“I had a long conversation with the athletic director and he said, ‘That’s it, you’re gone,’” joked Tarring, who is his own boss. “I’m the AD, so I could hire or fire myself at any time.”

He told the parents at the banquet that “you never go into something believing you’re going to do it as long as you did when you finish.”

Tarring has produced successful teams for more than three decades, so it would be unfair for him to pick a favorite, but one squad does have a special meaning to him because of what it accomplished.

“In terms of championships, you always look back to the first one,” he said. “The 1980 team, my second year as a varsity head coach, went 16-0. I was never expecting to have that kind of success that early. They’re not so much my favorite team, because if I pick one team, I’m going to have the other six mad at me, and that doesn’t even count the other 24 that didn’t win a championship because they’ll think I don’t like them.

“But the 1980 team created what I consider the legacy of STAB lacrosse and I use them as a comparison to all other programs,” Tarring said. “That team set the foundation for the program’s success. That team has always been a close team and had a tremendous turnout for their 20th anniversary a few years ago.”

Several of those team members have already called and e-mailed their old coach to thank him for all he has done for them, the program, and the sport in the state. No doubt it’s going to take all of Tarring’s spare time to reply.