Terps again finished with a perfect conference mark, 3–0. In 2001, he retired from coaching due to a non-life-threatening health issue, inclusion body myositis. The 57-year-old Edell said, "My mind and heart want to do this, but my body won't." In 2011, first-year Maryland head coach John Tillman led Maryland to the national championship game, and he contacted Edell for advice. Edell, whose teams lost their three championship game appearances, told The Washington Times"I said 'John, I tried practicing on Sunday. I tried not practicing on Sunday. I can't give you any help for Monday' ... We thought long and hard after the first one [a 13–9 loss to Syracuse]. I don't know if we made mistakes. I don't have the answer. Whatever he does on Monday, he's on his own.I will counsel people on the semifinals. I don't have a useful thing to say about the final." Records and honors At the time of his retirement, Edell, with 282 wins, was the fifth-winningest all-time head coach in terms of wins, and the sixth-winningest active head coach in terms of winning percentage. He was also the second-winningest active head coach by wins, behind Jack Emmer of Army with 289, and the winningest all-time ACC coach, with 171 wins, ahead of Jim Adams of Virginia with 137. Edell had the second-most NCAA Division I tournament appearances, with 17, behind Roy Simmons, Jr. of Syracuse who had 18. He was the seventh head coach to reach the 400-game benchmark and the first ACC head coach to reach the 150-win benchmark. The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) twice named Edell the National Coach of the Year: in 1978 with Army and in 1995 with Maryland. The Atlantic Coast Conference named him the ACC Coach of the Year three times: in 1989, 1992, and 1998. In 2004, Edell was inducted into the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the US Lacrosse Potomac Chapter Hall of Fame, the US Lacrosse Greater Baltimore Chapter Hall of Fame, the University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame, the University of Baltimore Athletic Hall of Fame, the Towson University Hall of Fame and the Army West Point Athletic Hall of Fame. Personal life Edell and his wife, Dolores, had four children. Two of his daughters graduated from the University of Maryland, while their son graduated from Dartmouth College after a successful college lacrosse career.