2012 National Lacrosse Hall of Fame Class

Now National Hall of Famer Tim Nelson playing back in SU's first National Championship in 1983 

Here is letter I just emailed to my teammate Tim Nelson and copied to several other SU teammates upon hearing that he is now a member of the 2012 class of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame!  

Dear Nellie

I am both thrilled and extremely proud to learn about your induction into the national lacrosse hall of fame. As you may or may not know, this most likely would have happened earlier but an application that someone submitted on your behalf, a required part of the consideration process, had mistakenly been misfiled. It was only after Phil Sanders diligently followed up on what happened that I learned about this misfortunate mishap.  Perhaps it was fitting that the delay happened so that you would be inducted in the same class as fellow Yorktown High School and Syracuse alum Roy Colsey.  All I can say is wow! I remember Roy as a young camper at the West Point lacrosse camp following my junior year at SU. I would later watch Roy help his teammates win two national championships at SU when I returned to graduate school there in the early 1990s.  In closing let me share a link to several stories I have done on my lacrosse blog in which I talk about my now long relationship with you--dating back to the carpool we did to the old Freeport Summer League on the Island: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=Tim+Nelson

Best wishes, 

Fred


The other inductees this year include: 

Brian Dougherty

Jesse Hubbard

Jen Adams

Missy Foote

Kelly Amonte Hiller

Cindy Timchal 

One Big Reason Why Syracuse Recruited Me

Tim Nelson against Army at West Point, 1985 

Perhaps the person that the Lord used the most to turn the attention of the Syracuse Lacrosse coaching staff was the big 6' 2" 200 pound attackman Tim Nelson (Yorktown High School). Our high schools played against each other back in Westchester in Section 1. We also played together on a Manhasset summer league team in the old Freeport Summer League after my first year in college. As a result of our shared history, Tim (Nellie) knew my game and knew it well. When I went to Herkimer as a virtual unknown player, he went as a highly recruited two-time high school All American who had played in two New York State title games to NC State. In the late 1970s and early 1980s the Wolfpack had a great lacrosse program that included Tim’s older brother Scott. At the end of his first year, State dropped their program and Syracuse offered him a scholarship. In his first season at Syracuse, SU won its first national championship in 1983, Nellie earned first team All American honors and he won the Turnbull Award as the best attackman in the country that year. During that championship season, I visited SU and ran into Nellie. He told me about the teams need for defensemen and then lobbied the coaching staff to recruit me based on what he knew of me as a high school player and my summer league performance. That’s the story of how I became a Syracuse Lacrosse recruit when most other programs and coaches showed no interest. 

The Nelsons of Yorktown Lacrosse: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/2010/09/college-lacrosse-recruiting-series-part_18.html

Was He the Best Player On Your Team? Part 3

Tom Nims 1983 

Tim Nelson 1983 championship game

Kevin Sheehan  28  hoisting the 1983 championship trophy at Rutgers Stadium 

I am rifting off of a question a reporter asked me about Tim Nelson who was just inducted into the National Hall of Fame. Was he the best player on the team? We had very talented Syracuse teams in 1984 and 1985 with lots of players making important contributions including Tim. There was All American goalie Tom Nims (West Genesee) the father of All American attackmen Kenny. In the goal, Nimmer, as we called him, operated like a Clint Eastwood character without the aggression. And his passing skills facilitated our fast break transition style in which defensive men and mid fields pushed the ball up field and scored goals. On defense we had big Kevin Sheehan (Baldwinsville, NY) who the team called Sheedog or just dog for short. I called him Chewie because he was so big and thick and had long hair like the star wars character Chewbaka. Kevin’s physical play, ability to dislodge the ball from an opponent’s stick, ground ball ability, and offensive threat made him a 3 x All American.  Jeff Desko (West Genesee, Camillus, NY), the younger brother of head coach John Desko a 79 SU All American and assistant coach during my years and Dave 2 x who All American, also played defense. Baby D [Desko], as some called him, ran like a gazelle and played tremendous position defense. I recall when he shut down Carolinas Hall Fame attackmen Mac Ford which earned Jeff first team All-American honors is sophomore year an honor repeated the rest of his career at SU. 

Syracuse Lacrosse Community Mourns the Lost of John Schimoler (1962-2012)

Reunion of the 1983 Syracuse Championship Team at the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four in 2008  Above of #21 Paul Schimoler from top to bottom in 1984 and 1983. (photos courtesy of Derek Maltz)

My former Syracuse University (SU) lacrosse teammate John Schimoler (Class of 1985) died unexpectedly in his sleep at his home in Anne Arundel, Maryland on Sunday August 12, 2012. He had a fever and upset stomach the night before but the cause of death his yet undetermined.  Born in 1962, Schimoler grew up in Glen Head, New York in Nassau County, Long Island. “Schimolls” as his friends and teammates called him, was a 1981 graduate of St. Mary's high school in Manhasset where he was captain of the lacrosse team his senior year. He entered Syracuse as a member of a talented freshman class which included Fred Cambria, Brad Kotz (National Hall of Fame), Frank Lanuto, Derek Maltz, Emmett Printup, and Eric Jeschke. Kotz and Schimoler remained roommates during their four years at SU. Tim Nelson (National Hall of Fame) would transfer into that same class from North Carolina State (NC State) after that ACC school disbanded its lacrosse program following Nelson’s freshmen season. As a freshmen in1982 Nelson led the country in assist. “I'll never forget how nice he was to me when I arrived at Syracuse” says Nelson.  “It wasn't until August of 1982 that I knew I was going to Syracuse and had no idea where I was going to live . . .  the coaches brought me to the Sky Top apartments and I was told that I would be sharing a room with John Schimoler.” He adds, “John had no idea who I was but he unselfishly gave up his privacy to allow me to have a bed in his room and we laughed for the rest of the year!” Nelson says, “That's the type of guy John was, easy going and a friend to all.” A member of the second midfield in his sophomore year Schimoler contributed 12 goals and two assists when SU won its first national championship in 1983. Teammate Derek Maltz (his son is currently a starting SU attackmen), recalls that Schimoler a 6-2 190 pound midfielder “pushed members of the first midfield to be better players during practice” Kotz, recalled that “John’s nickname was Mr. P” because he enjoyed practice as much as games. He was a teammate that kept the team in rolling in laughter and therefore loose and relaxed because of "his ability to find humor in just about everything" says Eric Jeschke who ran on second midfield with Schimoler in 1984. Teammate Christ Burt, who like me arrived at SU in 1983, insist that Schimolls "was one of the funniest men I have ever" known.  I transferred to SU from Herkimer in the fall of 1983 and played two seasons together with John sharing locker rooms, icy cold world pool after practices and games, and lots of meals.  We talked regularly on those bus rides to and from class and away games. We also shared the agony of defeat losing three games between 1984 and 1985: two national championships and one regular season game all against John Hopkins. John's younger brother Paul was a standout goalie at St. Mary’s High School, Cornell, and the US national team. “John was extremely proud of Paul's accomplishments,” says Kotz, and played a role in helping Paul to develop into one of the best goalies of his era. “John would tell me stories about how they spent hours in the basement of their Long Island home with John pounding Paul with shots using tennis balls and small makeshift goal. When Paul made the 90 team that went to Australia, John felt like he made it as well” Today Paul Schimoler is the defense coordinator for the Dartmouth College men’s lacrosse team. A marketing major at SU Schimoler married and settled in Anne Arundel, Maryland becoming a committed and devoted husband to wife Jane. John was also a loving father of daughter Heidi (a college undergrad) and son Gunnar (a high school sophomore).  Schimoler worked in the construction industry in the Baltimore and Washington area. Perhaps only locals can testify to how he helped increase the quality of youth lacrosse in Anne Arundel County. His family, friends, and many teammates have too many great memories and funny stories to ever forget him. “John was an incredible friend, husband, father, and guy who loved the game,” said Kotz. "Every year he drove from Maryland to the Canadian boarder with New York to play on a SU alumni team in the over forty bracket and watch his son Gunner play on a U 15 team in the Lake Placid Lacrosse tournament. SU’s Kyle Fetterly wrote upon learning of Schimoler’s passing that he was “too young to go so soon, [and] God’s Speed [to you] John.” In the words of one of the program’s Hall of Fame Coaches, Roy Simmons Jr., Fetterly said one last time to John, “Head, Heart, and Hustle.” 

From the Schimoler Family: "In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the educational fund established for John's children. Please direct to "Schimoler Family"  c/o Ellen Schimoler Kelly, 82 Lewis Point Road, Fair Haven NJ 07704.

Related Links:

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/23/sports/lacrosse-cornell-goalie-gets-his-shot-at-a-title.html [New York Times Article]

http://www.facebook.com/john.schimoler.9 [photos]

http://www.fanbase.com/John-Schimoler

Brad Kotz

Brad Kotz and Tim Nelson, a dynamic duo from the class of 1985

You know your good when you have a Wiki page! Brad Kotz aka “Kotzy” has one.  Brad is a West Genesse product who would go on to be a 4 x All-American midfielder at Syracuse, the 1983 college player of the year, and two time National team player in 86 and 90. I roomed with Brad my first semester at SU in the fall of 1983.  We also played together on Maryland Lacrosse Club, and the 1990 US National team.  He had great speed and strength (The guy worked hard in the weight room), and he almost never caused turnovers. Brad had tremendous eye hand coordination; he would joggle a ball on the top of the head of his Brine superlight II; a trick akin to what Tiger Woods does with a golf ball and an iron (Brad, we need you to video tape that for my blog and YouTube channel!). For me, Brad's shooting accuracy represented his greatest attribute. For example, I saw him shoot an amazing 4 for 6 in a World Cup game in Australia when he played virtually on one leg to do a knee injury.  Kotzy played with a pocket no deeper than a women's stick which allowed for his quick release. Players today should learn from him and get rid of all those grapefruit holders! The guy consistently shot hip high opposite the goal’s stick which is the toughest shot in the game to stop. Perhaps most heart warming to me was witnessing Brad's anger and disappointment the year Todd Curry was inducted, that Tim Nelson had not been inducted yet.  

The Nelsons of Yorktown Lacrosse: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/2010/09/college-lacrosse-recruiting-series-part_18.html

Brad Kotz:

http://www.foodasalens.com/2009/10/syracuse-lacrosse-memories-and-eating.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Kotz

http://www.fanbase.com/Bradley-Kotz

http://apps.uslacrosse.org/museum/halloffame/list_by_school.php?school=Syracuse%20University

Tiger Woods Golf Ball Dribbling Commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpHdrpwA9Ag

A Coaches Endorsement Means Allot

Me covering UNC’s Pat Welsh in game in the Carrier Dome in 1985  

The summer of my junior year at Syracuse University, I worked my butt off on just squaring up and playing solid defense. I would go to the Snowden Ave Park in the African American section of Ossining, a village that bordered my hometown, to play basketball. I’d try and match up with the better offensive players and work on my defense. I imagine people started taking noticing my ability to play defense and pass because I people picked me when they had next game. When I returned to Syracuse in the fall my senior year in 84, I had dropped down from 205 to 178lbs. Thanks to drills and lower body workouts with weights from then SU strength coach Mike Wocik, I had a tremendous quickness and great footwork. I had a great fall ball season and excelled in several scrimmages including a tournament down at Rutgers University. I didn’t know that John took Desko had noticed until in our season opener in the Spring against Hopkins. John is naturally an introvert in my opinion who doesn't freely share his thoughts like coach Simmons did. So John can be more challenging to read. It was wasn't until he assigned me to cover returning first team All American Del Dressel that I came to see he had confidence in my play. I was scared and went to Tim Nelson for his take on how I should cover Dressel. Tim gave me a vote of confidence that I will forever remember. “Op,” he said, “just play your game, you can handle him.” That’s when my confidence had totally returned following a poor showing my junior year. John next assigned me to cover UNC's Pat Welsh in our second or third game of the season on close defense. I was shocked but again understood that John now believed in me. I really had a great senior year defensively and continued to improve as a post-collegiate player at the club level. So in short, winning John Desko’s endorsement meant a lot to me as a player because John has always been a great coach in my opinion with a great mind for the game. He's a no nonsense guy and a straight shooter. I have been impressed at how he has taken on the job as head coach coming out of his comfort zone to be the spokesmen of the SU lacrosse program something that as a introvert must not be easy for him but he's doing a great job handling interviews etc. John is most in his element talking Xs and Os on a chalk board and breaking down films. So his comments in the form of a casual conversation, gave me the confidence I needed to tryout out for the 90 team. The lesson here is coaches, be careful what you say, even in casual conversations to your players. And players, laziness is the enemy of excellence and discipline is a consistent movement toward excellence.

Club Lacrosse Then and Professional Lacrosse Now Part 3

Part of a 1990 USA Lacrosse program

Our Thursday nights the team did line drills, full field passing/clearing drills and then scrimmage for the lion shared of the time. The scrimmages helped me a great deal because I played with and against some of the best players in the world. You would see some incredible moves, shots, saves, checks, and goals, but for me I loved the great passes. As a former attackman and Magic Johnson fan, I’ve always enjoyed a great assist. Over my career I seen some also feeders most them attackman; I am thinking of Tim Nelson (Yorktown, SU) and Tim Goldstein (Wardmelville, Cornell, USA). But there are not allot of midfielders who get the reputation as great feeders. Our club had two great ones—Randy “Harpo” Natoli (Sewanhaka, UVA, 2x USA), and Norm Engelke (Sewanhaka, Nassau, Cornell, 2x USA, Hall of Fame). Both these guys had a nasty stutter step that broke ankles, drew slides, and left folks open. Then they had the ability to throw look away passes that thread the needle to the open man who would end up one on one with the helpless goalie. Both these guys come from Sewanhaka the same Long Island high school that produced the great attackman Eamon McEneaney (Cornell, USA, Hall of Fame). I believe that great players work hard during practice. As the saying goes, practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. I was one of the guys that loved going to practice and loved watching my teammates do amazing things on the field. I was just a straight up fanatic who worked hard in the weight room, regularly ran, and seldom missed a practice. My philosophy was and still is, I will out work my competitors and do the little extra to set me apart from the pack.

UNC Hall of Famer Tom Haus

UNC’s All-American Defensemen and Hall of Famer Tom Haus 

UNC's 1986 NCAA National Championship team

I don’t remember much from my first game in a Syracuse University jersey in March of 1984. I know we won and I held my own against UNC players. But I clearly remember the dominating play of Hall of Famer and UNC defensemen Tom Haus that day. Tom was a big thick guy, about 6’2’’ 195 and he ran like a deer. One of his college teammates tells me he was a “terrific athlete and ripped but I never saw him lift weights at UNC.”  Haus wore heavy sweat pants and a pair of blue canvass Converse high tops. Haus covered Hall of Fame attackman Tim Nelson (Nellie) and stripped him of the ball and started fast breaks—I believed he scored one or two goals that day. Hause was striaght up nasty as a player! He ended his career at Carolina as a three-time first-team All-American and three-time Defenseman of the Year—still the only person to do that; Nellie did the same at the attack position. “The guy didn’t care about lacrosse and never really worked hard at it” says a former UNC teammate. “He was great at lacrosse all his life but it didn’t mean the world to him. He did not go hard in practice but he was a gamer." When UNC won the championship in 86 it was Haus that shut down Hopkins Hall of Famer Brian Wood in the semi-finals and UVA Hall of Famer Roddy Marino in the finals. He was inducted in the National Hall Fame in 2005 and UNC retired his #13 jersey. 

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

Hall of Fame Series: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=Hall+of+Fame

Tom Haus' Hall of Fame Profile: http://apps.uslacrosse.org/museum/halloffame/view_profile.php?prof_id=288

UNC’s Tom Haus Hall Fame Induction: http://www.goheels.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&SITE=UNC&DB_OEM_ID=3350&ATCLID=205487165

Team of Rivals Part 1

Brad McClain (right) covering Brad Kotz in the 84 Hopkins championship win 

John DeTommaso (left) covering Tim Nelson in the 83 Syracuse championship win

Fred Opie # 34 (left) scoring on Larry Quinn in the 85 Hopkins championship win

In her book Team of Rivals, Harvard Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin argues that Abraham Lincoln became one of the greatest U. S. presidents because he made his political rivals members of this cabinet and his closet advisors. I didn’t have as much wisdom and foresight as Lincoln but the same scenario happened when I joined the Long Island Hofstra lacrosse club in 1987. I became teammates with Hopkins rivals John DeTommaso “Deto,” Larry Quinn, and Brad McClain. Deto played at Farmingdale High School on the Long Island which continues produce great players year after year. At the time he had enrolled in Hofstra’s master of education program. Keep in mind I just lost two national championships in a row to John Hopkins when I played at Syracuse in 1984 and 1985 and now I am playing next to these arch rivals! We felt each other out at the first practice of the season and it was awkward to say the least. But slowly we gained confidence and mutual respect for each other and I still consider these guys friends. I went from not earning All-American honors at Syracuse to making the US national team in 1990. How do you explain that phenomenal improvement in ones game? As I will share in this series, playing with Hopkins rivals for several years made me a much better player than I was at Syracuse. 

Author Interview, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Team of Rivals: [Listen 20 min 7 sec] http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93790272

My Club and US Team Coaches: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=%22Tom%22

Reflections on US National Team Tryouts

1990 exhibition game victory against the Syracuse All Stars in Liverpool, New York, a suburb of the City of Syracuse.

Following making the US National Team in the summer of 1989, I decided to take the GA position at Gettysburg instead of Dartmouth. SU teammate Tim Nelson took the job at Dartmouth and within weeks coach Dave Urick left Hobart to become the Head Coach at George Town; he hired Cobleskill and Washington College lacrosse alum Ricky Sowell as his first assistant. Rick and I tried out that same year for the US National team which made the experience in more special for me. There were something like 6 African Americans at that tryout which had to be a record at that time. Sidney Abernethy received an invitation to tryout back in 1981 but he turned it down feeling just too burnout and in need of a break from the game. Thus perhaps we were the first African Americans to do so in 1989 but I am not sure. The group include Ricky, Dan Williams (Hempstead, Army) Aaron Jones (Hempstead, Cornell), and a midfielder from Penn State Chris (can't remember the last name)who was a very good. I was the only one among us who made the team. I've heard tale that one disgruntled white player, a defensemen from my home region, claimed I made it because I was black. I found that pretty comical. I do believe I surprised a lot of folks because I was not a D-1 All American and other than the "shot" people had never heard of me or thought much about my game. However I started for two years on one of the top club teams, and earned all club honors. In addition, I definitely played my best lacrosse during the tryouts and enjoyed every minute of the experience. Ricky, Aaron, and I would go on to play for MLC in 1992 I believe, wining a club championship that year. I asked Rick to serve as a guest blogger and he was gracious enough to reflect on his lacrosse experience. The next couple of days you will see post he has written. Rick is the only African American Division I coach in the nation and he’s the Assistant Coach on this year’s 2010 U. S. National Team.

How To Get Better During Practice and Improve Your Game

Yorktown and SU All American and 2012 National Hall of Fame Inductee Tim Nelson 

Former Syracuse Lacrosse Player and Tweener Fred Opie

My College, Club, and U. S. National Team Experience: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=%22Tom%22


Hard Work and Lacrosse Video Series: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=%22hard+work%22

How to Improve Your Stick Skills: [Watch 4 min 2 sec] http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/2012/06/how-i-developed-my-lacrosse-stick.html

"The Hinterland of the Game:" Michigan Lacrosse in the 1980s

Fred Opie scoring in a 1985 championship game
 loss to John Hopkins at Brown University

I played high school lacrosse in Michigan which, in the 1980’s, was the hinterland of the game. Back then, ESPN only showed the national championship on tape delay and that was all the DI lacrosse we’d see all year. With VHS tape rolling, I sat in front of the TV to watch the 1985 Syracuse vs. Hopkins NCAA Championship. Early in the game, an SU longstick named Fred Opie came down the field on a quick transition and passed it to attackman Tim Nelson. Instead of turning and heading to the box, he kept going toward the net. A quick pass to the crease and BANG! The longstick puts a behind the back shot in the net. Fred’s goal was an inspiration to me and countless other young lacrosse players. It showed creativity and courage. From that point on, I approached the development of my sticks skills as a defenseman in a different way. Gone was the premise that defenseman don’t really need to know how to handle the ball. With Hopkins winning the game, 11-4, Fred’s goal is somewhat lost to history. For at least one lacrosse player, it made all the difference in the world. Fred went on to represent his country and even wear the God awful bike shorts in the MILL. To me he will always be that SU longstick with the sick stick skills. Even today when I throw around with my kids in the yard, I shoot one behind the back in Fred’s honor.


Guess Blogger Sean Higgins.


*If you are interested in being a guess blogger, please send your story to me, Fred Opie, on Facebook I am especially interested in Syracuse lacrosse stories and photos during my playing days.

Recruiting and Lacrosse Networking

Hopkins Hall of famer John Detomasso covering SU Hall famer Tim Nelson in the 1983 Championship game  

You never know who is watching you so give your best effort during practice, at camps, summer league games, and tournaments. Coaches use their networks of friends, players, and alum to evaluate a player. As in my own case, many players that have come through Syracuse over the years were spotted obscure venues and recruited in non-traditional way by members of the Syracuse network that like most universities is extensive. Coaches generally trust the recommendation of alum because they have come through the system and know what it will take to play at a Syracuse. There is a place in college for most people play including some great Club teams.

Are You a Tweener?: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/2012/06/are-you-tweener.html

College Lacrosse Recruiting Series: Part 4 Dealing With The Pressure

That's me with the red gloves on and Herkimer Coach Paul Wehrum Warming up Greg Kaplan at the old Coyne Field before the stadium received a face lift , Syracuse University 1982 

After the recommendation of Tim Nelson, coaches Roy Simmons Jr. and John Desko came to watch me when my junior college, Herkimer County Community College played the Syracuse B team. In those days schools who could afford them had B teams which included their new recruits and walk ons. The structure gave rookies playing time in scrimmages against other B teams and junior colleges in games that would not count against their four years of eligibility. Athletic department budget cuts have done away with most B teams. I remember the game well because we played on Coyne Field on astro-turf at night. That was my first time playing on a synthetic surface. I enjoyed playing on turf because it complemented my game which was based on speed and trick moves in which I would roll, flip, and bounce pass on the turf. I remember covering Frank Lanuto (Sachem) who would later go on to run first midfield as a team at Syracuse with future hall of famers Todd Curry and Brad Kotz (both West Genesee products). Frank was a very strong player who protected his stick extremely well. I apparently held my own defensively against him. More importantly I played my game which was forcing turnovers, getting ground balls, pushing the ball up field, and creating scoring opportunities with my stick skills and field vision as former attackman. I also did not come apart under the pressure of knowing a coach had come to evaluate me.

Going Deeper Then Goals, Assists, and Shutouts Part 1

Former Syracuse players from the 1983 team and coach from right to left: John Schimoler, Derek Maltz, unknown, Tim Nelson, Coach Roy Simmons Jr, Fred Cambria, Randy Lumblad. 

Last month I had the opportunity to address the Men’s US U-19 national team before they headed to Europe to compete in the 2012 world championships. What I said to them on that day on the turf at Bryant College in Rhode Island brings me full circle to themes I've been writing about the past couple of days—the importance of boys and men developing authentic and honest relationships with other boys and men. I recently wrote about how difficult it is for young boys to establish meaningful friendships and relationships with their peers and how lacrosse if used correctly can help that process along. Yesterday I spent most of my day researching the career of my Syracuse teammate John Schimoler who died unexpectedly this past Sunday. In my interviews with Syracuse teammates who knew John at the center of what they said about him was not is athletic attributes and stats but the importance he put on relationships. Long before the news of John passing, I told the U-19 team, “what I learned when I played on the Men’s 1990 US National Team, is that what you will remember about this experience is the relationships that you will develop, I still have and maintain them. I told them to cherish and nurture them in the years to come because when the competition is over it will be the most important and lasting memory they take away from the experience.” 

John Schimoler: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/2012/08/syracuse-lacrosse-community-mourns-lost.html

My College, Club, and U. S. Teams and Coaches: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/search?q=%22Tom%22

Building Male Relationship Through Lacrosse: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/2012/08/nurturing-healthy-male-relationships.html

Custom Sticks and Cuse Lacrosse Culture

That's Tim Nelson's 1983 season custom head with a classic Yorktown, most likely little brother Tom strung, Brine Superlight II with wide strong  traditional pocket.

Organized lacrosse head dying sessions using a white plastic head, Rit fabric dye, and downing dozens of hot Buffalo chicken wings in the process represented a part of lacrosse experience in the 1980s. There was definitely an unspoken competition over both who could eat the most wings and who could come up with the most aesthetic multi-colored design with your name, number, and somehow fit it all fit on a small surface. A Syracuse 80% of the team loved traditional pockets. The difference was over the size of the holes. Yorktown guys like big holes maybe 5 and West Genee players always used small holes say 8 or more. The island guys at SU, and we didn’t have a lot in those days, were right in the middle. Upstate players used Brine superlight II; about four of us however used STX. 

I grew up on Army lacrosse and coach Dick Edell. As an attackman in high school I patterned a lot of my game and gear after All American attackmen Frank Giordano (Port Washington, Army), Greg Tarbell (LaFayette, Cobleskill, Syracuse) and Mike O’Neill (Massapequa, Hopkins) In fact I wore # 7 after seeing both Tarbell and O’Neill play at West Point. I purchased a STX Barney with a traditional pocket and the same funky gold shaft that O’Neill used in game I saw at the point. I often wondered how many young players emulated my gear and game as they watched me play.

Yorktown Lacrosse Stories: http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/2010/09/college-lacrosse-recruiting-series-part_18.html

Mike O’Neil http://lacrossememoir.blogspot.com/2012/07/john-hopkins-all-american-attackman.html

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