Bobby Downes

Bobby Downes

In June 2014, Bobby Downes was named volunteer assistant coach by Brian Anken, who concluded his fourth season at the helm of the program. In the fall of 2014, Downes was elevated to an assistant coach.

The newly-minted assistant coach joins VMI after a serving as an assistant coach at the Florida Institute of Technology, working with head coach Ryan McAleavey and the Panthers for the 2014 season.

Downes’ duties will include working with VMI’s storied faceoff unit and coordinating video, including practice and game film.

Downes joined the Florida Tech coaching staff in May of 2013 after a stellar playing career at NCAA Division II Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida.

During his year in Melbourne, Florida, Downes worked primarily with faceoff specialist Travis Wunder and was vital in the freshman earning All-SSC Honorable Mention honors. Wunder set Florida Tech records in single game faceoff wins, single season faceoff wins and faceoff percentage. Against Belmont Abbey College, Wunder recorded 22 faceoff wins and has the top seven marks in a single game in school history. His 131 faceoff wins are the most by any Panther and his 56 percent faceoff wins percentage is also tops in Florida Tech history. Against Brevard College, Ben Abell transitioned to faceoffs and went 2-for-2 at center field.

In the summer of 2013, he instructed attack fundamentals for the University of Denver Pioneers Camp, instructed midfield fundamentals for Princeton University’s Lacrosse Camp and coached a team in the Top 205 Lacrosse Camp.

Downes was a game day intern for the Boston Cannons in the summers of 2008-2012. The Cannons, a Major League Lacrosse organization that plays all home games in Harvard Stadium in Boston, Mass., hosted the 2011 MLL All-Star Game. There, Downes assisted with game statistics, shot clock, player autograph sessions pre/post game and fan zone set ups. He also assisted with statistics for the 2008 and 2010 MLL All-Star games and the 2012 MLL Championship Weekend.

He was a volunteer assistant lacrosse coach at East Catholic High School in Manchester, Conn. and has extensive camp experience working for several 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. At these camps, he instructed attack midfield and faceoff techniques. Overall, he has worked over 40 camps.

He received his bachelors of science in sports management in 2013 and a minor in coaching. The Tolland, Connecticut native was named to the SSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll twice in his playing career, 2012 and 2013.