Woodbury's Rich Limpert: Excellence In Coaching And Community

When Rich Limpert started the Woodbury boy’s lacrosse program in 2005, he could not possibly have known how fast the sport would grow locally or how far his influence would reach.

A collegiate hockey and lacrosse player at the University of St. Thomas and Minnesota State University, Mankato, Limpert drew upon the influence of local coaching icons Rob Graff, Dave Palmquist and Terry Skrypek when building Woodbury’s fledgling program that grew from 13 players in 2005 to 75 today.

For Limpert—creator and chairman of the annual Mr. Lacrosse Minnesota Award—coaching is about “creating the best quality environment” for his players and ultimately building high school kids into productive and responsible members of the community.

“My coaching philosophy is all about the kids,” Limpert told Patch. “We want them to understand what its like to have their own role within an organization, whether that’s in lacrosse or backgammon or whatever. We’re trying to make better young men out there.”

Limpert’s success in building a program that is solid both on and off the field is seen not just in the spike in player numbers over the past seven seasons but also in their classroom success.

In the fall of 2011—just like he has done every year since 2005—Limpert met individually with each of his 30 returning players to go over their grades and talk about areas for improvement by the time lacrosse season begins this spring.

The aim of these meetings is to motivate his team to be responsible for themselves and proactive in life.

“I don’t want to have parents come talk to me about playing time issues or any of that stuff. Who is going to perform that role for them in the real world?” Limpert said. “I like to empower them to be part of a team.”

It is an approach that is obviously working.

When he began Woodbury’s lacrosse program in 2005, his team’s cumulative grade point average (GPA) was 1.87—the 73rd percentile—across 13 players. Last year, Limpert said, it was 3.19—the 87th percentile—with 75 kids.

“Varsity is a prize,” Limpert says. “It doesn’t matter if you can shoot or pass really well, if you can’t keep up your academics, you’re not well-rounded enough to be on the varsity field.”

Former player and current assistant coach Justin Kapaun echoes this sentiment: “School always comes first for (Limpert) … you’ve got to get the grades if you want to play.”

The success of Limpert’s approach to the game and the program he built is further demonstrated in the depth and breadth of his "coaching tree."

Former Limpert assistant and lifelong lacrosse player Patrick Donaghy is also the current head coach at Cretin-Derham Hall.

Having grown up in the lacrosse-rich atmosphere of New York state, Donaghy admits he knows Xs and Os but learned something far more valuable from Limpert.

“What I personally learned from Rich is how to run a program from top to bottom—how to deal with parents, administrators, coaches and other teams. He does that as well as anybody.”

According to statistics provided by Donaghy, Limpert’s proteges are evident everywhere:

• Eight current high school coaches
• Six summer league coaches
• Eight Division I college players
• Up to 115 Division II and III college players
• Two state lacrosse referees
• 41 years of cumulative coaching experience for the Woodbury High School coaching staff

“Rich has had a huge influence on a lot of these kids and so as they get older they want to give back because they know Rich gave so much,” Donaghy said.

Being a husband, father of three young children and the head of a burgeoning athletics program in one of the east metro’s largest schools is admittedly a challenge, Limpert said, but he cites “communication” as the key to both personal and professional happiness.

On the lacrosse field, Limpert is not a fan of posting lists of those who made the team and those who fell short. Instead he meets with every potential player who tries out to “tell them where they’re at and what they need to work on.”

At home, Limpert’s strength, perseverance and drive come from his wife, Heidi. 

“My wife is wonderful. She’s a great mom and she’s a perfect wife for me,” Limpert said. “We maintain an open line of communication. We keep a balance by prioritizing everything. If it’s not on the calendar, it’s not real.”  

He added: “Obviously being there for the kids who are playing lacrosse is of huge importance to me so I make time and my wife understands that.”

Limpert was surprised in 2010 when, while in attendance at a Minnesota Swarm game, the team recognized him with a Coaching Excellence award during a halftime presentation.

Perhaps the biggest part of the surprise was that Limpert didn’t even know he was in the running. “The parents of my players nominated me,” Limpert said with his trademark humble demeanor.

And while Limpert admits to having received “tons” of letters from parents over the years thanking him for motivating their child to get better grades or go to college, he deflects the praise.   

“Parents can tell their kids the exact same thing I tell them but because I’m coaching what (the kids) view as a cool sport, they listen a little more,” Limpert said. “But I appreciate the parents and their involvement. They helped build this program just as much as me and the other coaches.”