UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Glenn Thiel `66 and Gary Martin `84 mark the inaugural inductees for the Penn State men’s lacrosse Ring of Pride, Head Coach Jeff Tambroni announced Friday morning.
Selected by a committee of Nittany Lion letterwinners and Teammates For Life board, this honor recognizes “distinguished members of the Penn State Lacrosse family who have demonstrated excellence both on and off the field while making significant contributions to their communities, and a lasting impact on this historic program.”
“I am proud to announce our first-ever Penn State Men’s Lacrosse Ring of Pride Class,” said Tambroni. “The mission of this initiative is to honor distinguished members of the Penn State Lacrosse family who have demonstrated excellence on and off the field, made meaningful contributions to their communities, and left a lasting impact on the history of our program. have represented our program for decades with inspiration, dedication, and an enduring love for their alma mater. This recognition is richly deserved.”
Thiel and Martin will be inducted in the Penn State Lacrosse Ring of Pride in special ceremonies at the Michigan game on April 11, 2026.
INDUCTEES
Glenn Thiel – Class of 1966, Team Captain
Thiel was a three-year letterman for the Nittany Lions in a career that spanned from 1964 to 1966. In his senior year, he was selected for the North/South All-Star Game, after a season where he scored a career-high eight goals against Lehigh.
After college, he began his coaching career at the Community College of Baltimore, where he posted a 14-6 record across two seasons. He then moved into the head coaching role at the University of Virginia, serving from 1970 to 1977 and compiling a 68-30 record. His 1970 squad tied for the USILA national title, and his 1972 team won the NCAA Championship.
Thiel returned to Penn State as head coach in 1978, serving up until 2010 and compiling a 236-186 record. He led the Nittany Lions to its first NCAA Tournament appearances in 2003 and 2005 and was named the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Coach of the Year in 2005.
In his time at Penn State and Virginia, he coached 75 All-Americans. He was inducted into the Men’s Intercollegiate Lacrosse Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2022 and is a member of the Viriginia Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
The State College, Pennsylvania native was a former member of the executive board of the USILA and served on the organization's All-American and National Rankings Committees. He is a past member of the United States Lacrosse Coaches Association executive board and was involved in the selection of the 1982, 1986, and 1990 U.S. world teams.
He was also instrumental in bringing youth lacrosse to Centre County as a coach.
Gary Martin – Class of 1984, Team Captain
Martin, a native of Deer Park, New York, was a two-time All-American at Penn State, earning honorable mention honors in 1983 and 1984. He finished his four-year career with 96 goals and 156 assists, a record that still ranks second most in a Nittany Lion career. He totaled 252 points in his career. Martin’s 252 career points and 156 career assists stood for over 30 years until it was broken by Grant Ament in 2020. He shares the record for most assists in a game with nine and totaled 14 points, still the Penn State single-game record, in a game against Bucknell in the 1983 season. In 1982, Martin led the team in goals (42), assists (44) and points (86). In all of his four letter-winning years, he led the team in both assists and points and was selected for the North/South All-Star Game in 1984.
After college, Martin joined the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League, where they won five Major Indoor Lacrosse League Championships -- four with Martin as a player (1989, 1990, 1994 and 1995) and one as a coach (1998). During his 12-year career with the Wings, he was selected as an All-Star and MVP by his teammates and coaches. In addition, he was voted to the Wings “All-Decade” team by the fans.
After his playing career, he served as the Commissioner and Board Member of the Radnor Girls Youth Lacrosse League as well as a member of the board for the Radnor Boys Youth Lacrosse League. He was an active player in post-collegiate lacrosse clubs, participating and winning a gold medal in the 2002 World Games in Perth, Australia. In the 2006 World Games, Martin’s teams won gold and silver.
Martin was also a coach of the Philadelphia Fever Lacrosse Club and played club lacrosse with Eagle’s Eye Lacrosse Club, Philly Lax Club, and Philadelphia MAB Paints.
A co-founder of Penn State men’s lacrosse’s Teammates for Life, Martin was inducted into the Long Island Metro and Eastern Pennsylvania Chapters of the Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2015 and joined the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.