Downes Added to Staff as Video Coordinator
9/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Bobby Downes
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's lacrosse team has announced the addition of former Virginia Military Institute assistant lacrosse coach Bobby Downes to the staff in the position of video coordinator, head coach John Paul announced Friday (Sept. 25).
"Bobby has been working our camps for a few years now, so we know his character and work ethic, and we're thrilled he's joining us in this very important role," said Paul. "We want to be the best at the way we process and distribute video and data to our coaches and athletes, and Bobby will help us improve our standards even more."
Downes was named VMI's assistant coach in the fall of 2014 after spending the summer as a volunteer assistant coach under Brian Anken. He worked with the faceoff unit and coordinated practice and game film.
Prior to his position at VMI, Downes served as an assistant coach at the Florida Institute of Technology for the 2014 season. Before joining the FIT team in 2014, he finished up a playing career for Florida Southern College, a NCAA Divison II school in Lakeland, Florida.
In terms of coaching experience, he was a volunteer assistant lacrosse coach at East Catholic High School in Manchester, Connecticut, and has a wide range of camp experience, working for some of the top lacrosse schools in the country including: North Carolina, Johns Hopkins, Michigan, Ohio State, St. John's, University of Denver, West Point and Princeton.
"First I would like to thank Coach Paul, Coach Broschart and Coach Ford for the opportunity to join the Michigan lacrosse staff," said Downes. "Michigan is a university that strives for excellence in everything they do, and the lacrosse program is no different. It is a privilege to be a part of the Michigan lacrosse family, and I look forward to doing my part to help this program build towards the future."
Michigan will open up preparation for the 2016 season with a pair of exhibition matchups against Robert Morris on Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. in Oosterbaan Fieldhouse and will host Bellarmine on Oct. 24 at Michigan Stadium at a time that will be released at a later date.
Follow Downes on Twitter: @Bobby_Downes_
Communications Contact: Scott Kemps
