Hall of Fame
With three All-America awards and three national championships, Tambroni ranks among the all-time greats in Hobart lacrosse history.
A potent scorer and deft passer, he was a dual threat attackman, finishing the 1989 season with 24 assists (second only to Hall of Famer William C. “Bill” Miller Jr. ’91) and nine goals. During the NCAA tournament that year, Tambroni had a goal and seven assists, including a pair of helpers in the national championship game win over Ohio Wesleyan.
Tambroni’s breakthrough season came in 1990, his first as a full-time starter, when he logged 38 goals and 31 assists and earned All-America second team recognition. During the NCAA tournament, he rang up 17 points, tied for the most that year, and garnered the NCAA Most Outstanding Player Award with an incredible championship game performance. Scoring five goals that day, he had a hand in eight of Hobart’s first nine goals in an 18-6 win over Washington College. In 1991, Tambroni helped Hobart return to the championship, with 23 goals and 20 assists. In that year’s title game against an unbeaten Salisbury team, Tambroni scored a critical goal with Hobart clinging to a thin lead in the fourth quarter. His tally kick-started a run for the Statesmen as the team held on for a 12-11 win. For the second straight season, Tambroni was named to the All-America second team and received Hobart’s William H. Dobbin ’40 Memorial Award as the offensive MVP.
As a senior, he was elected a team captain and produced a team-leading 33 goals. He added 24 assists that season for a team-high 57 points on his way to a spot on the All-America first team. Tambroni closed out his collegiate career playing in the North-South All-Star Game. At his final Block H Dinner, he was presented with the Crook Family Award as team MVP and the William C. Stiles ’43 Memorial Award for his leadership, determination and character.
After graduation, Tambroni began his coaching career in Stockport, England, with the English Lacrosse Union. The following year, he returned to Hobart, spending the next three seasons as assistant coach as the program transitioned from Division III to Division I. He joined the Loyola coaching staff during the 1997 season before joining Cornell University as assistant coach.
Named head coach in 2001, Tambroni led the Cornell team for 10 seasons, amassing a 109-40 record and at least a share of seven Ivy League Championships. His Cornell teams made eight NCAA tournament appearances, advancing to the national semifinals three times and playing in the 2009 championship game. Tambroni was named the 2009 USILA Division I Coach of the Year.
In 2011, Tambroni became the head coach of the Penn State lacrosse program, posting a 68-50 record and earning NCAA tournament bids in 2013 and 2017 through his first seven seasons. Twice named Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year, he served as assistant coach for the U.S. National Team that secured a silver medal at the 2014 World Championships in Denver.
