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The outpouring of support for the family of Liam Gleason — the Wading River native and Siena University men’s lacrosse head coach who died Wednesday from injuries sustained days earlier in a fall at his home — has been immediate and immense.
A GoFundMe page created to support the Gleason family has surged past $615,000 from nearly 5,000 donations as of Thursday at noon, with messages describing the late coach as “the best father, husband, brother, son, brother-in-law, uncle, coach, and friend.”
Organizers of the fundraising effort wrote that Gleason’s wife, Jaclyn, and their children, Kennedy, Penn and Tate, face “a long road of emotional and financial challenges in the weeks, months, and years ahead.”
“His heart is as big as his 6’5” frame, and the love he gives to those around him is immeasurable,” the fundraiser reads, urging contributions to help the family “focus on healing and being together.”
Funeral service at Siena on Saturday
A public funeral service for Gleason will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. inside the UHY Center on the Siena University campus in Loudonville, near Albany. At the family’s request, donations in his memory may also be made to the Siena Men’s Lacrosse Coaches Discretionary Fund.
Gleason, who had turned 41 on Friday, died Wednesday evening after suffering a traumatic brain injury in an accident at his Halfmoon, New York, home on Sunday, according to multiple news reports and the university. He had fallen down a flight of stairs and was placed on life support at Albany Medical Center.
His organs were donated, his former coach Tom Rotanz said.
A ‘senseless loss’
Siena University announced his death earlier this week, calling it a “sudden, senseless loss.”
“We are heartbroken to share the tragic news of the passing of men’s lacrosse head coach Liam Gleason,” the Siena Saints posted on Facebook. “We love you, Coach.”
Gleason had been Siena’s head coach since 2018 and guided the Saints this past spring to an 11–5 record, a share of the MAAC regular-season title, and the program’s first national ranking in 14 years. He earned both MAAC and ECAC Coach of the Year honors.
A former standout defenseman at the University at Albany (following his transfer from Adelphi), Gleason graduated in 2007 and later spent seven seasons on UAlbany’s coaching staff. Albany is also where he met his wife, Jaclyn Rosada, then a standout on the university’s women’s soccer team.
Gleason also served as an assistant coach at Siena from 2008 to 2010, as well as head coach of Division II’s The College of Saint Rose in 2011.
Across his coaching career, Gleason maintained deep recruiting ties to Long Island, consistently tapping Nassau and Suffolk’s high school programs for players.
Siena’s upcoming 2026 spring roster lists 20 Long Islanders — a reflection of Long Island’s strong lacrosse pedigree and Gleason’s long-standing relationships with coaches and families across the island.
Coach’s ‘Hero’s Walk’
Rotanz posted a deeply touching message Wednesday morning on Facebook that explained the Albany Medical Center was preparing for what is known as an “Honor Walk” or “Hero’s Walk.”
“If you’re not familiar with the term, it is a solemn, deeply moving moment when someone on life support makes their final journey from their hospital room to the operating room where their organs will be removed and sent to save the lives of others,” Rotanz wrote. “Doctors and nurses line the hallways in silent respect, applauding the donor and their family as they accompany their loved one. Today’s “Hero’s Walk” will be different. Alongside the hospital staff, members of the Siena University men’s lacrosse team will stand in honor.”
Gleason is also survived by his parents, Kevin and Susan, and his brother, Brendan.
Top: Liam Gleason with his family (courtesy of GoFundMe).
