Creating wins on and off the field

Earlier this month, the UM-Dearborn Men’s Lacrosse team dominated Alma College 19-1 in their season opener. It was a strong start to the 2026 season. 

But the total number of years Head Coach Jason Watts has led the team is even larger than the gap in that score — 21. Watts started as an assistant coach in 2005 and became the head coach in 2009. 

During Watts’ coaching career with UM-Dearborn lacrosse, the team achieved their first-ever playoff appearance (2013), they transitioned from a club program to an official UM-Dearborn varsity team (2014) and the they took UM-Dearborn Athletics’ inaugural Wolverine Cup award (2025) — a team-earned honor earned through volunteering, attending other teams’ games and high academics. 

But before any of these honors, Watts — a 2003 College of Engineering and Computer Science alum — had another important first. He played on UM-Dearborn’s inaugural lacrosse team.  In fall 2001, Watts saw a paper flyer distributed around campus. The sign read, “Lacrosse is coming to UM-Dearborn. Never played before? No problem. You’ll learn it and love it.” Watts took one — and still has it to this day. He played as a defenseman for the 2002 season and he’s been involved with the growth of the team ever since.

During the day, he’s a senior engineering manager at Denso, a global automotive part manufacturer. In the evenings, he spends much of his time with the 26-member lacrosse team. “When we started, we worked together to make the team happen — it felt like a family. That’s important to have, especially when you are a young adult,” he says. “I literally know every player that has gone through this program. And I want our incoming players’ families to know that they will have a home here — just like I did.”

Want to see the lacrosse team play? See the schedule.

Watts recently shared three pieces of advice he gives his players — and follows himself.

Try something new.

When Watts saw that flyer in fall 2001, he had never played lacrosse — and neither had most of the other students who showed up. They didn’t have any equipment. And Watts had only seen the sport on TV. “Lacrosse wasn’t big in the Midwest when I was growing up, but I knew it was fast-paced like hockey and that was enough to get my interest,” he says. “I figured, what did I have to lose by checking it out? Then, after I joined, I realized everything that I had to gain.”

Lacrosse was a club team at the time — which meant it was only loosely supported by the university. The team members bought their own equipment and team apparel. They rented vans to take them to away games. They found a practice location at the Taylor Sportsplex. 

“It was very do-it-yourself at that time. But it bonded us. We learned the game and loved it. It created life-long friendships,” Watts says. Today, two of the players on that early club team coach with Watts — Assistant Coach Mike Wagner was the inaugural team’s attackman and Assistant Coach Josh Simmons played as a goalie for the team’s first two seasons. There’s also a third assistant coach, Matt Laurinec, who played for Watts and Wagner from 2006 to 2010. Laurinec was a standout player who was named UM-Dearborn's Player of the Year twice and served as team captain for multiple seasons.

The coaches have celebrated and supported each other through marriages, children and career changes. They are committed to lacrosse, but emphasize the importance of academics, internships and life events to their players.

Watts and his wife, Pam, have two children — Callie, 16, and Lincoln, 14. The kids watched their dad coach since they were babies and both play lacrosse today. “It’s all their choice. I want them to do what they want and do what they love,” he says. “I had no idea that a sport that I learned in college would lead me to this point.” Since the kids chose lacrosse, Watts helps them train too — he even coaches Lincoln’s youth teams with The Premier Lacrosse Group and Downriver Lacrosse.  

Watts keeps that lacrosse recruitment flyer to remind him how much taking a risk can lead you down a road that will transform your life in positive, unexpected ways.

Know the value of support systems.

Watts accepted his lacrosse coaching position with the UM-Dearborn team not long after graduation. He lived with his father at the time and his love of engineering was sparked from working on cars with him. So he was excited to come home to share the good news. 

The following day, his father had a health emergency. While Watts was driving to the hospital, his dad passed away in the car. “I was 24. My dad had a massive heart attack. There was a snow storm and we couldn’t get to the hospital fast enough — I can’t even put into words how devastating it was. I grew up very quickly after that,” Watts says. “I kept showing up to practice and to work. But I didn’t talk about what I was experiencing until much later.”

Watts says coaching helped keep his mind busy — but when he was alone, grief, anxiety and panic would set in. When a friend lost a parent later that year, Watts began to open up to them.  “At that time, mental health wasn’t talked about as openly as it is today. Guys were supposed to hold it in. I know from experience that doesn’t work,” Watts says. “We needed to normalize discussing the hard things we are going through. So we created a space for that.”

On Watts’ team, incoming first-year players are paired up with seasoned team members as a way to help with the college transition. The coaching staff promotes UM-Dearborn’s Counseling and Psychological Services. And they take 15 minutes each week to stop practicing and connect.

“I want the guys to know it’s OK to openly talk about problems. Life is about more than just wins and losses on the field. During those 15 minutes, they talk about the rough things in life like breakups, stress with school, financial stress, whatever is on their minds — and they are often met with teammates who are dealing with something similar,” Watts says. “It’s to remind them that they are not alone.”

Outside of structured check-ins, Watts says the team members create their own family dynamic too. They do their own Friendsgiving team dinner, watch Saturday football games and volunteer to help organizations like Special Olympics.

The lacrosse team is also a partner with “15 For Life,” a nonprofit organization that promotes open dialogue about depression and mental health. It’s inspired by an outstanding New York lacrosse player named Rob Kavovit, who committed suicide in 2021. UM-Dearborn midfielder Joseph Atherall, who played from 2020 to 2024, went to the same high school as Kavovit and let Watts know about the organization.

“We were one of the first programs in the nation to partner with them,” Watts says. “It’s a great organization that offers mental health resources, dialogue activities and grants for UM-Dearborn students.” Other university partners include Syracuse University, the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University.

Live a balanced life.

When Watts was a UM-Dearborn student, he completed a co-op with an automotive parts supplier in addition to his classwork. His time on the lacrosse team changed his life, but he says the course lessons and career readiness opportunities set him up for success. Watts says students — including his younger self — see UM-Dearborn as a bridge to a successful career.

“Lacrosse is more of a passion. It’s a bonus, an activity that enhances your college experience," Watts says. “To the coaching staff, that means we don’t practice six days a week. We still expect our guys to play hard and be there for each other — but we don’t want our players to burn out. We leave flexibly in their schedules so our guys can do what they need to live a balanced life.” 

The team requires nine hours of team lacrosse activities a week — with the opportunity to scale up if a player’s schedule allows. That’s to leave room for internships, jobs, full-time course loads, time with partners, caring for parents and other responsibilities. Watts says the program has attracted NCAA Division I-recruited players because of this philosophy. 

The philosophy resonates with players and their families because it’s understood that college athletes are more likely to go on to a more traditional career than play professional lacrosse. “We let people know how we operate during the recruitment process. We are very upfront that we want to make sure our students have what they need to be successful in a holistic way,” Watts says. 

When Watts shares where his alumni end up after graduation, he lists companies like Google, Denso, Lockheed Martin, UL Solutions, Stryker and DTE Energy. “My time on the team enhanced my resume because I was a student-athlete who also had strong work experience in college,” he says. “I see the same for our players today.”

Watts says his college co-op led to him landing his first engineering job before he graduated. And, in a full-circle moment, the CECS advisor who helped Watts find the co-op — Tony DeLaRosa, who worked at UM-Dearborn from 2001 to 2024 — later cheered for UM-Dearborn’s lacrosse team as a parent. DeLaRosa’s son Leo played for Watts’ team in 2021.

“Tony remembered me — almost 20 years after I was a student. UM-Dearborn is a really special place where we are all looking out for each other,” Watts says. “Once you are here, you realize what a great community it is.”

Story by Sarah Tuxbury, Photos courtesy Jason Watts