MIAA legends Keith Campbell, Bussy Adam take over at AIC

Coach Keith Campbell, right, guided Longmeadow (Mass.) High School to the MIAA Division 2 title in 2022 and '24. (Courtesy)

American International College announced the hiring Wednesday of a pair of MIAA coaching legends with more than 80 combined years of experience to lead its men’s lacrosse program.

Longtime Longmeadow High School coach Keith Campbell will serve as the program’s head coach. Longtime and former Newton North High School coach Bussy Adam will serve as his assistant.

“I am thrilled to add Keith and Bussy to our men’s lacrosse staff — two leaders poised to spark a transformational era for AIC,” said director of athletics Rob Kearney. “With decades of elite experience, they possess the vision and the lacrosse IQ to bolster our program’s success and initiate a complete cultural evolution.”

AIC competes in Division 2. Last season it went 2-11 overall and winless in Northeast-10 Conference play.

“We are setting a new bar for AIC Lacrosse, and with Keith and Bussy at the helm, we are ready to achieve a level of excellence this program has never seen before,” said Kearney. “The transformation starts today.”

Campbell spent the last decade as the head coach at Longmeadow. He has won 10 straight Western Mass. titles and two MIAA Division 2 titles, in 2022 and ‘24.

He has coached 30 USA Lacrosse All-Americans, 11 Academic All-Americans and a pair of Bob Scott Award recipients. Nearly 60 of his high school players have gone on to play college lacrosse.

“I am excited to fulfill our lifelong dream to coach at the NCAA level with Bussy Adam,” Campbell said.

Adam joins AIC after 41 years at Newton North, including 32 years as the head coach. With the Tigers, he posted a 441-179 record, winning 15 Bay State Conference titles, five Eastern Mass. championships and three MIAA championships, sending dozens of student-athletes to the NCAA level.

“Lacrosse is a game of passion, and that is exactly what I saw in this team during our first meetings,” said Adam. “Their work ethic and approach to the game made this an easy decision for me. Transitioning to the college level after four decades of coaching high school is a challenge I embrace, and I am thrilled to help lead a group of players whose values so closely mirror my own.”

Adam is familiar with Springfield as a graduate of Western New England, where he earned a Master’s degree in criminal justice administration.

He was inducted into the Newton North High School Hall of Fame in 2004, the UMass Boston Hall of Fame in 2006 and the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame (Eastern Mass. chapter) — in 2016.

The Yellow Jackets open up their new season on Feb. 7 against Holy Family.

feedback@laxjournal.com