SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – After earning more than 500 collegiate victories and affecting the lives of hundreds of student-athletes on and off the field, Union College head men's lacrosse coach Paul Wehrum has announced his retirement, Union Director of Athletics Jim McLaughlin '93 announced on Tuesday.
 
"The 13 years spent at Union have been some of the greatest years of my life," Wehrum said. "My daughter [Lyndsay '09] went here, my godson went here and it's been a great run, but it's time. I want to enjoy my years of healthy living with my wife and we are going to enjoy it together. It was a family decision, not just mine."
 
"Paul is such a legendary figure in college lacrosse and I thank him for his many years of service to Union Athletics and the College as a whole," said McLaughlin. "He has been the driving force in returning Union lacrosse to national prominence and we are so grateful for his time on campus. But so much more than wins and losses, Paul has built a program with outstanding young men who achieve in the classroom and in the community as well. The effect he has had on the team and our department cannot be understated and will be greatly missed."
 
Joining Union in 2007 as the first full-time coach in the program's long and storied history, Wehrum helped to bring the Dutchmen back to respectability, posting a 138-74 (.651) record in his 13 years at the helm of the program. He led the team to the only five NCAA Tournament appearances in school history, winning the program's first Liberty League Tournament title in 2011 to earn its first NCAA berth. The six highest single-season win totals in program annals have come under his watch, including a school-record 15 wins and an NCAA quarterfinal berth during the 2014 campaign.
 
His 138 wins are the most of any coach in Union's long varsity history, and his .651 winning percentage is the highest in school history for a coach with more than one season at the helm. Individually, he has coached 18 All-Americans, 16 Scholar All-Americans, two national Goalies of the Year, 84 All-Conference honorees and 142 All-Academic Team selections among the more than 200 student-athletes to play under his watch.
 
Appropriately, Wehrum ended his coaching career with one of his best teams, as the Dutchmen surprised many on the way to a 14-4 record, a top-15 national ranking, and a berth in the third round of the NCAA Tournament in 2019. The team, which was picked to finish fifth in the Liberty League preseason poll, started the season with 12 wins in its first 13 games and finished with the second-highest win total in school history. Wehrum's work was recognized with conference Coaching Staff of the Year honors, neatly bookending his tenure with the honor in both his second and 13th seasons.
 
"I honestly think that this team can compete for a national championship next year, they are that good," Wehrum added. "Most coaches wouldn't step away from a position like this at this time, but I know that we have pieces in place that can help to make that happen. The future of Union lacrosse is outstanding and I won't be too far from the team watching them succeed."
 
Wehrum had established his coaching legacy well before even stepping on the Schenectady campus, serving 24 years as head men's lacrosse coach at Herkimer County Community College from 1980-2003 and guiding the Generals to an unbelievable 403-62 (.867) record, including a collegiate record 59 straight wins. The team earned 21 consecutive Region III titles, eight NJCAA national championships (including five in a row) and 14 title game appearances during his tenure to go with four NJCAA National Coach of the Year honors. He then went on the start the women's lacrosse program at Herkimer, quickly building up the Generals from scratch and delivering the team to the NJCAA national championship game by year three.
 
"I coached for many years at Herkimer and we were the undefeated national champions my last year, which is what propelled me to Union," Wehrum continued. "I had been there for many years, but I was looked at as a junior college coach and I wanted to take the next step. I was very fortunate that Jim chose me for that role at Union."
 
Wehrum experienced success at every level beginning with his time as a player at SUNY Cortland, where he was a three-time first-team All-American and captained the 1972 team that was the only small college team ever invited to play in the All-Division NCAA Lacrosse Championship. He is still the school's single-game scoring record holder with a 10-goal effort against Brockport in 1970.
 
Wehrum retires as a member of countless Halls of Fame, including the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame (1999), the Long Island Lacrosse Hall of Fame (1995), the Upstate New York Lacrosse Hall of Fame (1994), the Adirondack Lacrosse Hall of Fame (2015), the NJCAA Men's Lacrosse Hall of Fame (2009), Herkimer CC Athletics Hall of Fame (2015) and the SUNY Cortland Hall of Fame (1997).

A national search for the program's next head coach is already underway.