As the Executive Director of the Newport Beach Surf Dawgs, Coach G.W. Mix brings more than 40 years of coaching and executive experience to the organization. Throughout his career, he has coached at every level the sport has to offer. Mix has been a youth coach and director, high school coach, collegiate coach, Team USA staff member, and a coach and executive at the professional level.

​

In a cooperative effort with the Corona del Mar Lacrosse Boosters, Coach Mix established the Surf Dawg youth program in 2004. The youth program was created to teach this new sport to kids in the community and eventually provide experienced lacrosse players to the newly formed CDM and Newport Harbor high school and middle school lacrosse club programs. Coach Mix and the Corona del Mar Lacrosse Boosters have remained true to that mission ever since - grow and support the lacrosse community at Corona del Mar and throughout the Newport Mesa School District.

 

In addition to his involvement with the Surf Dawg program, Coach Mix has been a part of the Corona del Mar High School program since 2007 and began serving as its head coach during the 2009-10 school year. The 2021 season marked Coach Mix's twelfth year as CDM's head coach and his 15th year of involvement in the lacrosse program. Prior to becoming the program's head coach in the fall of 2009, he served as a coaching consultant with the Sea Kings. 

​

Since he took over the program in 2010, the Sea Kings have appeared in all 12 CIF post-season playoff tournaments. His teams have won a Southern Section Championship (2012) and two Southern Section Divisional Championships (2012 & 2016). They have made five appearances in the Southern Section Divisional Championship game (2010, 2012, 2013, 2016 and 2017) and ten trips to the semi-finals. His teams have compiled an overall record of 189-36, for an .840% winning percentage. Mix's 2012 Sea King team was the first in CIF lacrosse history to win the Southern Section championship with an undefeated record (24-0).

 

Perhaps more importantly for the program, over the past twelve years, Mix has been instrumental in assisting a number of Surf Dawg alumni and CDM players in achieving their goal of playing NCAA collegiate lacrosse. 

 

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition to his role as the school's head lacrosse coach, Mix is also the Student Advocate & Family Liaison at CDM. He works with students, faculty, families and administrators to seek sustainable solutions to the many challenges young people and their families face during the middle school and high school years.

 

In 2014, Mix created the Pacific Coast Shootout, a major college lacrosse event that brings two of the top Division I programs to the West Coast each spring to play a regular-season game. Past participants include Cornell, Denver, Maryland, Michigan, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Virginia, and Yale.

 

While residing in Southern California, Mix served as the president and general manager of Major League Lacrosse's LA Riptide, a professional outdoor lacrosse team that played three seasons (2006, 2007, and 2008) at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. Under his direction, the expansion franchise made it to the MLL's playoff "Final Four" twice in its three seasons (2007 and 2008).

​

A former NCAA Collegiate National Coach of the Year, Mix had his college teams (Penn and Franklin & Marshall) ranked consistently among the top twenty in the country, led teams to the NCAA tournament, and produced many Division I and Division III All-Americans. He was also part of the selection staff for Team USA's run for the gold in the 1994 World Championships. Some of Mix's former assistant coaches include Dave Pietramala (former head coach at Johns Hopkins) and All-Americans John McEvoy (Villanova), Bill Miller (Hobart and Team USA), Mike Pounds (Springfield), Peter Sheehan (UVA), and Tim O'Rourke (Navy).

​

In 1990, he established Champ Camp, the nation's original and most prestigious high school lacrosse team recruiting showcase. Champ Camp was the precursor to the hundreds of recruiting showcases and tournaments that aspiring young players compete in today.

He currently resides with his wife Mary in her hometown of Newport Beach, CA. Their oldest son Ryan played lacrosse at Notre Dame (2011-2014), middle son Casey at UCSB (2014 & 2017) and youngest son Kyle plans to play at Cal Poly SLO (2021-2024).