
Boston Blazers' head coach Tom Ryan has recently stepped down from his general manager duties to focus solely on coaching, the team announced in a press release. The GM duties will now be overseen by team president Doug Reffue.
"We feel that the time is right for Tom to focus his energies on coaching as we enter our second season," said Reffue in a statement released by the Blazers.
In the statement, both Reffue and Ryan emphasized that Ryan will still have significant input on player personnel decisions. "I will continue to work closely with Doug to identify and acquire the best talent available, but I feel it is in the best interest of the Blazers for me to focus on the team," stated Ryan.
Reffue has been president of the Blazers since the April 2008. Before becoming Blazers president, he worked in the consumer products industry, with Brine, Polaroid and Yankee Candle. His athletic career included being a record-setting member of the Colgate University's men's soccer team.
Well-known for his distinctive personality within the lacrosse community, Ryan was a dominant player during the Blazers' first incarnation in the 1990s. He also played for the Baltimore Thunder and Philadelphia Wings, and Major League Lacrosse's New Jersey Pride. His coaching career has seen him coach Towson University and Loyola College's women's lacrosse and Connecticut College and Mount Ida College's men's lacrosse teams.