The Philadelphia Wings today hired Lindsay Sanderson as their head coach and general manager, replacing Marty O'Neill and Adam Mueller in those positions.

Sanderson, who was the Toronto Rock's offensive coach last season, is the fifth general manager and sixth head coach in the Wings' seventeen-year existence.

He is the second man in team history to serve as head coach and general simultaneously. Michael French held both jobs in 1994.

"I'm very excited to be back in the league and joining what I consider the finest franchise in the NLL," Sanderson said.

"The history and tradition of the Wings is incredible and I look forward to continuing their winning ways for their fantastic fans. There are some concerns going into next season, but the foundation has been poured to develop another championship team."

This is Sanderson's fourth stop as an NLL coach. After a brief stint with the Montreal Express, as an assistant coach on brother Terry's staff, Sanderson was hired as head coach of the Ottawa Rebel in January 2002.

After guiding the Rebel from a 1-4 start to a 4-12 finish that season, Sanderson served as the Rebel's general manager, with Terry as the head coach.

When Terry Sanderson was hired as Toronto's head coach in February, Lindsay joined the team, too. The Rock then ran off eight straight victories, vaulting from last place (2-4) to first (10-6) in the Eastern Division.

Sanderson's coaching experience extends to the Ontario Lacrosse Association's Junior A circuit, where he has led the Orangeville Northmen to the 1996 Minto Cup and two other berths in the national junior lacrosse championship series since joining the club in 1993.

"Lindsay is a very successful coach and brings the right credentials to guide a very talented team to success," Wings co-owner and president Russ Cline said.

"He loves the concept of a mix of Canadian and American players which best suits our current team and philosophy. Our ownership group felt that he was the best choice for our organization and our fans."

O'Neill and Mueller were fired in April after a mediocre three-year tenure in which the Wings went 23-25 and missed the playoffs each of the past two seasons.