An Interview with Joe Breschi

Coach Joe Breschi as UNC player, Courtesy of UNC Sports Information 

Fred Opie interviews UNC Lacrosse Coach Joe Breschi about is food and playing days from youth lacrosse to US National team member.  The Tar Heels are the defending the national champions. [Listen Now 16min 20 sec] https://soundcloud.com/thestudytable/the-training-table-5-fred-opie-interviews-joe-breschi-about-his-playing-career

Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/FrederickDouglassOpie?ref=hl and Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/DrFredDOpie

UNC Lacrosse Stories: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=UNC

Listen to Our Podcasts and More: http://www.fredopie.com/

Big 10 vs ACC Lacrosse Championship Game

Head Joe Breschi left celebrating a win 

Today the Big 10's University of Maryland faces off against the ACC's  Univeristy of North Carolina to decide the 2016 NCAA College Lacrosse national champions. Fred Opie interviews UNC Lacrosse Coach Joe Breschi about how he entered the coaching profession and his journey to becoming UNC head coach. The Tar Heels have not won a championship since 1991. [Listen Now 26min 50sec] https://soundcloud.com/thestudytable/the-study-table-joe-breschi

Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/FrederickDouglassOpie?ref=hl and Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/DrFredDOpie

University Maryland Lacrosse Stories: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=University+of+Maryland

UNC Lacrosse Stories: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=UNC

Listen to Our Podcasts and More: http://www.fredopie.com/

Remebering The 1983 NCAA Lacrosse Tournament

Hall Famer Brad Katz

In 1983 I played lacrosse at Herkimer County Community College for Hall of Famer Paul Wehrum. I had earned first team Junior College All American the year before and thought that might help me gain the attention of the coaching staff at the University of Maryland where I wanted to continue my lacrosse career. I don’t believe one of my many phone calls to the Maryland lacrosse office ever made it pass the secretaries who screened calls; nor did any of the coaches return my calls. In contrast Coach Roy Simmons Jr. reached out to me. Coach's demonstration of genuine interest in me as person and not just an athlete made positive impression on me. I'll never forget seeing Syracuse beat Maryland in the NCAA quarter finals that year in the Career Dome. I went on to watch every one of the Syracuse playoff games in 1983 including SU's come from behind to win and first National championship. Shortly before the final game Coach Simmons sent me a scholarship offer which I gladly accepted. How the Lord orchestrated my scholarship to Syracuse, the defending national champions in 1983, is still a faith building memory to me.

Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/FrederickDouglassOpie?ref=hl and Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/DrFredDOpie

The 1983 NCAA Tournament: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/2012/05/why-i-will-never-forget-syracuse-win.html

Listen to Our Podcasts and More: http://www.fredopie.co

Hall of Famer Todd Curry

Todd Curry playing defense against John Hopkins' Hall of Famer Brian Wood in 1985

Todd Curry All Americans honors all four years at the cuse, midfielder of the year honors and was a 2 x national team player from West Genesee High school. We called Todd Bakey for his great head and shoulder fake. Todd came to cuse as a little skinny but he started lifting weights and gained definition and strength. Todd had great speed and a killer instinct you could see when he chased down an opponent on defense. In addition  Todd had a rifle for a shot and the ability to pick corners on the run with both hands. Todd made the National team his sophomore year, which I believe makes him the youngest player to do so. 

Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/FrederickDouglassOpie?ref=hl and Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/DrFredDOpie

Fred Opie Interviews Syracuse All American Todd Curry: [Listen Now 31min 36sec] https://soundcloud.com/thestudytable/the-study-table-hall-of-famer-toddy-curry

Syracuse Lacrosse Stories: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=%22Tom%22

Listen to Our Podcasts and More: http://www.fredopie.co

Managing Fear

Fred Opie covering UNC Steve Martel

I will never forgot the lesson I started learning back when I played in my  first game as a Syracuse Orangemen. The game was against UNC and it occurred in the spring of 1984 at Loyola College in Baltimore. About 5,000. people filled the stands and surrounded the astro-turf field.  I found out that day that I could work through potentially paralyzing performance fear and do what need to be done. The same nervous feeling comes across me now before: asking someone I am impressed with a question, teaching a class, and delivering a lecture as an invited speaker. I loved playing sports and at some point when I hung up my cleats, I transferred that how to manage fear and nervous feelings to my vocation as a talking head. I also learned to fake it until you make it because most folks can’t tell you are nervous unless you tell them.

Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/FrederickDouglassOpie?ref=hl and Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/DrFredDOpie

Syracuse Lacrosse Stories: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=%22Tom%22

UNC Stories: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=North+Carolina

Listen to Our Podcasts and More: http://www.fredopie.co

Navy's Syd Abernathy Part 3

West Point's Michie Stadium 

I had the honor to see Syd Abernethy play my senior year in high school in Croton and his senior year in college at the Naval Academy in a quarterfinal NCAA playoff game at West Point in 1981. Before that game, I had never heard of him. In addition, it was my first time seeing an African American in game, and one who clearly was one of the best players on the field and one who played my position too—attack. Many people don’t know I was an attackman in high school.

West Point Lacrosse History: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/army/sports/m-lacros/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/2012lacrosseguide.pdf

My Earliest Exposure to Lacrosse: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=elliot

Croton and Yorktown Lacrosse: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/2010/01/be-steve-mabus-in-your-lacrosse-world.html

Navy's Syd Abernethy Part 2

Me playing attack against Suffern High School in 1981 in Rockland County, New York 

When Syd Abernethy enrolled in the Naval Academy, the school had a reputation for great attackman including Hall of Famers Jimmy Lewis (Uniondale 64-66), Jeff Long (Irondequoit 74-77), Brendan Schneck (Syosset 77-78), and Mike Buzzell (West Genesse 77-80). Abernethy continued that tradition going on to start at the attack position as a sophomore. After Schneck transferred to Hopkins to play midfield, Abernethy, Buzzell, and Dickie Wheman developed into a triple threat on attack before Buzzell graduated two years later. Abernethy would earn honorable mention All American honors his junior year, “the next year I just outworked everyone, coming to practice early and leaving late,” says Abernethy, and his hard work paid off. I asked him if he ever experienced racism during his high school or college playing days. “No, people in Baltimore knew lacrosse and my performance on the field spoke for itself and I never experienced it on the lacrosse field,” says Abernethy. 

Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/FrederickDouglassOpie?ref=hl and Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/DrFredDOpie

Syd Abernathy Series: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=syd

Listen to Our Podcasts and More: http://www.fredopie.co