Meade had just gotten Navy to the Division I Final Four for the first time since the NCAA Tournament expanded from eight teams. After 28 years in the business, including 14 as a head coach, Meade would also be making his first trip to the mecca of college lacrosse.

"When I was a young coach, I'd probably be jumping up and down and singing our praises," Meade said. "But I've got a wife and three kids now. I've learned to put this stuff in perspective."

Indeed, Meade has a lot of mileage under his belt. For the 50-year-old Long Island native, the road to M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore has wound through Chapel Hill, West Point and Annapolis twice. It's a journey that started in promising fashion then stalled amidst disappointment.

"I'm not going to lie. Making it to the Final Four is very meaningful to me. It took me a long time to get there," Meade said.

For Meade, it all goes back to Mineola High and the middle class community of Williston Park, located in the Nassau County area of Long Island, N.Y.

Meade was the youngest of three sons reared by a strict but caring New York City traffic cop. He was a three-sport standout at the local public
school - a hard-nosed defensive back in football, a scrappy guard in basketball and a determined attackman in lacrosse.

"Where I come from, almost all the fathers were policemen or firemen. Their sons tended to be tough kids," Meade said.

It was during a Christian Youth Organization basketball game at Our Lady of Mercy that Meade realized he might have the makeup for coaching. When the team's star player committed a fifth foul, Meade instinctively raised his hand to fool the referee.

"My coach came up to me afterward and said, 'Wow, that's a pretty smart move for a seventh grader.' I guess I've always been a heady sort. I studied the game and tried to think it through," Meade said.

Meade says his three high school coaches made a huge impact and as a teenager he dreamed of one day being just like them.

"I just wanted to come back and coach at Mineola or some other high school. I wanted to be the guy that rolled the basketballs out and blew the whistle during gym class," Meade said.

Meade was a good enough lacrosse player to earn scholarships to Nassau County Community College and North Carolina. At Nassau, he was a starting attackman on a 16-0 national championship squad that featured current Johns Hopkins athletic director Tom Calder, former Penn State football player Rich Maurti and former North Carolina head coach Dave Klarmann.

"That was the best team I ever played on. We scrimmaged Rutgers when it was fifth in the country and won 8-0," said Meade, who was named Most Valuable Player of the NJCAA Tournament.

A severe knee injury hampered Meade during a two-year stint at North Carolina, and ironically his playing career came to an end with a loss at Navy in the 1976 NCAA Tournament.

Graduating with a degree in Parks and Recreation Administration, Meade immediately became an assistant lacrosse coach at nearby Duke University. He worked full-time for the Chapel Hill Recreation Department and caught his first break after North Carolina head coach Paul Doty stepped down.

Meade interviewed at his alma mater, but lost out to Johns Hopkins assistant Willie Scroggs. Fortunately, the athletic director recommended Meade as an assistant to Scroggs, who hired the young coach over the phone.

"Willie took a chance on me. He wanted a Carolina guy on the staff and I was in the right place at the right time," Meade said.

Scroggs, of course, would become one of the greatest college lacrosse coaches of all time, leading North Carolina to 11 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and three national championships.

"I learned an awful lot about coaching from Willie Scroggs. He taught me organization and how to utilize assistants, he taught me to always be totally prepared and do things the right way," Meade said.

It was Scroggs who recommended Meade for the head coaching vacancy at the University of Baltimore. Lo and behold, he was hired by the two-year school and was a head coach at the age of 25.

"We were like the Oakland Raiders of college lacrosse," Meade said of University of Baltimore, which only had juniors and seniors. "If you had 56 transferrable credits, I wanted you."

Meade enjoyed success, leading the 1982 team to an 11-2 record that included a stunning upset of Maryland and equally impressive wins over Towson and Loyola.

So the up-and-coming head coach was stunned in 1983 when the University of Baltimore dropped its athletic program in 1983.

"The Navy job came open that same year and I figured I was the hot, young coach so I would get it," said Meade, who instead lost out to Bryan Matthews.

"I was devastated. That was like a punch in the stomach," said Meade, who reluctantly accepted an offer to become Matthews' top assistant.

Meade thoroughly enjoyed his first stint in Annapolis, soaking up the atmosphere of the Naval Academy while working as defensive coordinator from 1983-87. Meade quit abruptly because he thought his coaching career was going nowhere.

"I was 33 years old and I was like, 'Is this it? Am I going to be an assistant coach my whole life?' I decided to go back to Carolina and make some money," Meade said.

Yet those plans to get into business never materialized as Meade didn't find the right job and instead rejoined Scroggs at North Carolina. He was out of work again by 1990 after Scroggs retired and Carolina chose Klarmann the successor.

It was another life-changing moment for Meade, who found himself living in a Chapel Hill apartment with nothing but a sleep sofa and an answering machine.

John Lamon, the Severna Park native and former Maryland star, hooked Meade up with a job with Josten's, a company that specializes in selling class rings.

"I went through the Josten's sales program and that was enlightening because it taught me that there was a scientific way of talking to people. That was another side skill I learned along the way," Meade said.

Meade would serve one more apprenticeship, under Jack Emmer at Army, before finally getting his big break. He was hired as head coach at Navy in 1995 and has steadily grown into the job during a solid 10-year tenure.

There have been ups and downs - a pair of losing seasons (1996, 2003) balanced by an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1999 and a 9-4 record in 2000. Meade now owns a 75-56 career record at Navy with this magical season by far the highlight of his tenure.

A 28-year career mixed with good fortune and bitter disappointment has taught Meade to take this Final Four run in stride.

"When I first got to the University of Baltimore in 1980, I figured I'd be just like (Willis) Bilderback," said Meade, referring to the great Naval Academy head coach. "I'd win a bunch of national championships then retire and go crabbing. I've learned that coaching is hard work and that it requires a lot of toughness and determination. You have to be willing to face adversity and push through it."

Meade encountered adversity last season when Navy suffered a stunning upset at the hands of service academy rival Air Force. Some alumni were calling for Meade to be fired, but he regrouped and nearly led the Mids to an upset of highly ranked Georgetown five days later.

"I truly believe that something good always comes out of bad," Meade said.

Meade also believes strongly in the mission of the Naval Academy. He's a tenured associate professor who teaches boxing and martial arts to Midshipmen.

"I'm honored that I get an opportunity to impact the lives of other students at this institution. I understand the purpose of the Naval Academy better because I interact with kids who aren't just lacrosse players," Meade said. "I embrace everything this place stands for. It's important to win lacrosse games, but the greater challenge is to develop leaders."

Meade constantly wears hats given to him by former Navy lacrosse players now serving aboard ships. He corresponds constantly with graduates serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. He weaves war time themes into his pregame speeches and practice rhetoric.

"Coach Meade is the greatest motivator I've ever played for," Navy senior midfielder Ben Bailey said. "He's a tough, hard-nosed guy who knows how to push the right buttons. You have to respect how passionate Coach Meade is about Navy lacrosse. He just cares so much."

Bailey admitted Meade is somewhat of a character and said his pregame speeches are legendary. Earlier this season, Meade talked about "storming the target with overwhelming force."

"I remember before one game he walked into the locker room and said, 'All I want you to remember are three letters: VOA,' " Bailey said. "We're all looking at each other wondering what the heck coach is talking about and he says, 'That stands for Violence of Action. That's the way we have to play today.' "

Such gung-ho spirit and military attitude is why associate athletic director Carl Tamulevich thinks Meade is perfect for the Naval Academy. Tamulevich played for the great Willis Bilderback in the late 1960s and served on the search committee that hired Meade.

"Richie would be a great asset at the Naval Academy in any capacity. He bleeds Blue and Gold, he understands the mission and he loves working with future Naval officers," Tamulevich said.

"I would have loved to have played for Richie because he has tremendous energy and enthusiasm. I think Richie has been right for the academy since Day 1 and I think this season is a great reward for all the hard work and effort he has put forth."

Published May 28, 2004, The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
Copyright © 2004 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.