Tierney is the first college lacrosse coach to win an NCAA DI Championship west of the Eastern Time Zone.
[13] Internationally, Tierney coached Team USA to a Gold Medal with a 15-14 OT win over Canada in the 1998 World Lacrosse Championships[11] In 2002, Tierney was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame with the distinction of being "a truly great coach.
"[10] In 1998 and 2001, Tierney and his sons Trevor (a goaltender) and Brendan (midfield/attack), became the first father-sons combination to win an NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship together.
[14] Tierney began coaching the men's lacrosse team at the University of Denver on July 1, 2009.
IFS Coach Tierney called the change a "wonderful opportunity to start this new chapter in my life.