Director of Athletics Erin Quinn ’86 to Retire at the End of the Academic Year

The following message from President Ian Baucom was sent to the Middlebury community on January 8.

Dear Middlebury Community,

I am writing to share news of an upcoming transition in the Middlebury College Department of Athletics. Director of Athletics Erin Quinn ’86 has let me know of his plans to retire at the end of the academic year—after an extraordinary 36 years with Middlebury. 

This is bittersweet news. Erin has been a pillar of Middlebury and a steady and engaged national leader in college athletics for the past three decades, with a strong focus on building a vibrant culture, driven by excellence, grounded in shared values, always focused on the best for our students. He has led with vision, humility, and passion throughout his career, first as Middlebury’s head men’s lacrosse coach for 15 years, then for the past 20 years as athletic director. Erin is also a Middlebury alumnus and former football player. We will miss him enormously.

I’d like to thank Erin for his many contributions to Middlebury College and the Athletics Department. Under his leadership as athletic director, Middlebury has celebrated 19 NCAA Team Championships, 69 NESCAC team titles, and 29 NCAA Individual Champions, including one in the fall of 2025. In 2012, Middlebury won the coveted Learfield Directors’ Cup, and has placed in the top-10 every year during his career. Erin was also named the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Division III Athletic Director of the Year in 2021.  

One of Erin’s defining traits is his deep commitment to both teaching and coaching. After graduating from Middlebury with a degree in economics, Erin went on to receive a master’s in teaching from Tufts University. He reflected on this time during a 2021 interview, sharing that he was initially unsure whether to become a teacher or a coach before realizing they are one and the same. 

Erin exemplifies this commitment by being present both as an athletic director and as a passionate supporter of all our teams and players. He attends nearly every home game and has traveled with almost every team that has advanced to the NCAA Championship weekend. He enjoys supporting our student-athletes at competitions and through their academic endeavors on campus. Erin also cofounded the Center for Social Entrepreneurship, has been a consistent guest lecturer for MiddCORE, and served as a co-chair for the Clifford Symposium. 

Often called “an AD for the coaches,” Erin has set an example, working closely with colleagues in Advancement to advocate and fundraise for many endowed coaching positions. Since 2019, Erin has helped engage thousands of alumni through the annual Panther Challenge. He has also worked continuously to improve and enhance athletics facilities, most significantly overseeing a comprehensive renovation of the 18,000-square-foot Bostwick Family Squash Center, the 110,000-square-foot Virtue Field House, and extensive upgrades to the Baseball and Softball Complex, Peter Kohn Field, South Street Field, Youngman Field, and the addition of a 12-court outdoor tennis facility. 

Erin served as captain of the football team as a student and later became an assistant coach for both football and men’s lacrosse after his graduation. He worked in a similar dual role at Tufts University from 1987 to1989 before landing his first head coaching job for the men’s lacrosse program at Lake Forest College in 1989. He returned to Middlebury in 1990 as a two-sport assistant before being named head men’s lacrosse coach in 1992. Erin led the team to three straight NCAA Championships from 2000 to 2002 and six NESCAC titles with an impressive 202-38 record. He was inducted into the New England Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2003. Previously, in 1996, Erin and other members of the Middlebury men’s lacrosse community cofounded the annual Vail Lacrosse Shootout, a coed multi-division tournament for youth and adult teams that will celebrate its 30th year this summer. 

Erin let me know he looks forward to spending time with his wife, Pam ’88, and their children Hannah ’16, Connor ’20, and Connor’s fiancée, Eliza Smallwood ’20. Of course, he expects to continue to be a fixture on the sidelines at Panther contests. We will be making plans for our community to gather, celebrate, and thank Erin later this year and will also be working on a transition plan for Athletics in the coming months. We will share more information about that celebration and our upcoming search as it becomes available. In the interim, please join me in thanking Erin for his tremendous service to Middlebury and in congratulating him on a well-deserved retirement. 

Sincerely, 

Ian B. Baucom
President