History
Brief History of Lacrosse
With a history spanning centuries, lacrosse is the oldest sport in North America. Rooted in Native American religion,
lacrosse was often played to resolve conflicts, heal the sick, and develop strong, virile men. To Native Americans,
lacrosse is still referred to as "The Creator's Game." Ironically, lacrosse also served as a preparation for war. The
Cherokees called the sport "the little brother of war" because it was considered excellent military training. Legend tells of
as many as 1,000 players per side, from the same or different tribes, who took turns engaging in a violent contest.
Contestants played on a field from one to 15 miles in length, and games sometimes lasted for days. Some tribes used a
single pole, tree or rock for a goal, while other tribes had two goalposts through which the ball had to pass. Balls were
made out of wood, deerskin, baked clay or stone. At that time, some type of lacrosse was played by at least 48 Native
American tribes scattered throughout what is now southern Canada and all parts of the United States. French pioneers
began playing the game avidly in the 1800s. Canadian dentist W. George Beers standardized the game in 1867 with the
adoption of basic rules. New York University fielded the nation's first college team in 1877, the nation's first high school
teams came in 1882. There are 440 college and 2,872 high school men's lacrosse teams from coast to coast today.
Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing team sports in the United States. Youth participation in the sport has grown over
500% since 1999 to nearly 250,000. No sport has grown faster at the high school level over the last 10 years Lacrosse is
also the fastest-growing sport over the last six years at the NCAA level, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
A Bit about the Modern Game
Lacrosse is a combination of soccer, football, hockey and basketball. It has been called the fastest game on two feet and
is a grueling test of stamina. Like soccer, lacrosse is played on an open field with goals at both ends; like hockey, the
players carry sticks and can roam behind the net; like basketball, the offensive players set picks and run patterned
offenses and fast breaks, while the defenses are man-to-man or zone; in fact, basketball inventor James Naismith was a
lacrosse player in the late 1800's.
Glen (Pop) Warner, famed football coach, substituted lacrosse at the Carlisle, PA, and Indian School for baseball
because, "Lacrosse is a developer of health and strength. It is a game that spectators rave over once they understand it,"
he said. Lacrosse, a contact sport, helped prepare his grid warriors for the fall season. In 1956, the game got a boost
when a superior athlete from Syracuse University, Jim Brown, scored six goals for the North in the North-South
Lacrosse game. Brown, one of the greatest running backs in the history of the National Football League, admitted he
would rather play lacrosse than the grid sport.
Men's lacrosse is a contact game played by ten players: a goalie, three defensemen, three midfielders and three attack
men. The object of the game is to shoot the ball into the opponent's goal. The team scoring the most goals wins. Each
team must keep at least four players, including the goalie, in its defensive half of the field and three in its offensive half.
Three players (midfielders) may roam the entire field.
Men's lacrosse begins with a face-off, also conducted at the start of each quarter and after a goal. The ball is placed
between the sticks of two squatting players at the center of the field. The official blows the whistle to begin play. Each
face-off player tries to control the ball. Players must use their crosses to scoop the ball, pass, catch and run with the ball.
You can dislodge it from an opponent's crosse with a stick check. Body checking is permitted and preferred if the
opponent has the ball or is within five yards of a loose ball. All body contact must occur from the front or side, above
the waist and below the shoulders.
Chaminade Lacrosse history from Ryan Covert
Chaminade lacrosse was started by Ryan Covert, Brian Horneyer, and Joe Slattery in 2003. After gaining support from
then AD Tom Fiola, the team had its inaugural season as a JV squad. Many players gave up starting positions on other
area varsity programs to help form the new team. That first year, we posted a winning record. The team was coached
by Mike Patschorke and Jason Lange.
In 2004, CCP lax had it's first varsity season in what would prove a difficult season for the fledgling program. (I think we
only won like one game that year.) However, we played our first game in the stadium and the rowdy red army came out
and supported the team…….