Aug 01, 2016
WASHINGTON, DC – University of the District of Columbia Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Patricia Thomas, has announced the hiring of Rodger I. Colbert as the new Head Men's Lacrosse Coach. Colbert, an Assistant Men's Lacrosse Coach at UDC since 2013, replaces Scott Urick, who was recently announced the new head boys' lacrosse coach at Georgetown Prep.
"Rodger Colbert is an experienced educator who was an outstanding student-athlete on the highest level," Thomas said. "He was instrumental in helping Scott Urick build our men's lacrosse program, and I am confident he will continue the momentum successfully."
Colbert served as a full-time assistant men's lacrosse coach and Defensive Coordinator at UDC the past two seasons, guiding a defensive unit that last year improved its goals allowed per-game average by over three, and assisting in the planning and execution of all practices.
Before UDC, Colbert gained extensive coaching, as well as academic and administrative experience throughout his career. Since Fall 2013, he has served as the Founder and Director of RCDC Lacrosse Prep, Inc. – a non-profit organization partnering with communities to expose quality mentoring and coaching to all potential lacrosse players. In that capacity, he works as the Elective School course leader for 6th and 7th grade students at City Neighbors-Hamilton in Baltimore, MD and as team trainer in the fall and winter for St. Peter's Prep HS in Jersey City, NJ and Moorestown Friends School in Moorestown, NJ.
On the academic side, Colbert served as a Principal Intern, while at Harvard's Graduate School of Education, at Dorchester Academy – a district public school in Boston MA – from 2011 to 2012. He also worked at St. Paul's School – an independent boarding high school in Concord, NH – as the Coordinator of Multicultural Programming (2007-2011) and a Math Instructor (2008-2011).
Colbert has also spent five years working at his high school alma mater – The Peddie School – an independent boarding high school in Hightstown, NJ. There he served as the Assistant Director of Admissions and the Coordinator of Multicultural Recruitment.
Colbert also managed to gain a myriad of coaching experience while working at these various high schools. He started out serving as the Defensive Coordinator for the Ridgewood HS Varsity Lacrosse team in Ridgewood, NJ. He helped guide the team to a 16-2 record and a NJ State runner-up finish.
At Peddie, he was a co-coach of the Freshmen/Sophomore Football team (2002-2003), Head Boys' Freshmen Lacrosse Coach (2003), Head Junior Varsity Basketball Coach (2002-03), Assistant Varsity Basketball Coach (2004) and Head Varsity Lacrosse Coach (2004-07). He also coached Varsity Lacrosse from 2008-2011 and was an assistant varsity football and junior varsity basketball coach at St. Paul's.
A former high school and college All-American at The Peddie School (1997) and Georgetown University (2001), Colbert was picked 12th in the 2001 Major League Lacrosse Draft and played for the Bridgeport Barrage, New Jersey Pride and Boston Cannons over a six-year career. He captained three sports teams at Peddie in 1997 and captained the Hoyas Lacrosse team his senior year in 2001.
