Liam Gleason (left with his wife and children).

By Michael Mashburn From Daily Voice

The Siena University community is grieving the loss of men’s lacrosse head coach Liam Gleason, who died Wednesday, Dec. 3, three days after suffering a serious head injury in an accident at his Saratoga County home. He was 41 years old.

News of Gleason's death has prompted an overwhelming outpouring of support from former players, colleagues, friends, and the wider lacrosse world.

The accident happened Sunday afternoon, Nov. 30, at his home in Halfmoon, as Daily Voice reported. According to information shared through a GoFundMe campaign, Gleason fell down a flight of stairs and sustained a traumatic brain injury.

New York State Police and paramedics responded, and CPR was administered as he was taken by ambulance to Albany Medical Center.

Siena confirmed his death Wednesday and invited the public to a funeral service honoring him on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 11 a.m. in the UHY Center.

Gleason was an organ donor. On Wednesday afternoon, he was escorted through the hospital in an “Honor Walk,” with his family behind him while staff members, the entire Siena team, and several UAlbany players lined the hallway to pay their respects.

Gleason spent the last seven seasons leading Siena’s men’s lacrosse program. In 2023, he guided the Saints to a MAAC championship and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in more than a decade. He was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division I Men’s Lacrosse Coach of the Year in 2025.

Before joining Siena, he was an assistant coach at the University at Albany, helping lead the Great Danes to multiple NCAA Tournament runs, including a Final Four appearance. His coaching path also included time at The College of Saint Rose, as well as an earlier stint as a Siena assistant from 2008 to 2010.

Gleason played defense at UAlbany after transferring from Adelphi and helped the team reach the NCAA quarterfinals in 2007.

Siena President Chuck Seifert said the community is “profoundly saddened” and described Gleason as someone “universally loved and admired.”

Former coach and longtime mentor Tom Rotanz wrote an emotional Facebook tribute, calling Gleason a “gentle giant” whose kindness matched his presence. He described Gleason as a player and coach who inspired loyalty, positivity, and belief—and as the type of person who made everyone around him better.

“He was the definition of a player’s coach,” Rotanz said. “You always walked away feeling better after spending time with him.”

Rotanz said the Honor Walk was a fitting final moment for someone who “radiated positivity” and whose heart, as an organ donor, will continue giving life to others.

Gleason is survived by his wife, Jaclyn—herself a former UAlbany soccer standout—and their three children: daughter Kennedy and sons Penn and Tate.

A GoFundMe campaign created to support the family has raised more than $470,000 as of Wednesday. Organizers described the loss as “unimaginable” and said donations will help the family face the emotional and financial challenges ahead.