SU Lacrosse Turns 100 — But ESF Deserves Points for Starting it

Before lacrosse became a cornerstone of Syracuse University's athletic program, the sport was brought to SU by students from the small state college across the street.

As SU celebrates 100 years of lacrosse this year, it should be noted that the lacrosse tradition began in 1916 when Laurie Cox, head of the Landscape Architecture Department, put together a team consisting mostly of a small group of students from the College of Forestry.

Two Forestry seniors, Orville Spicer and Howard Yaw, served as manager
and captain respectively,  according to the SU College Archives. By 1923 the team was strong enough to travel to England and win the World Lacrosse Championship, according to "Forestry College: Essays on the Growth and Development of New York State's College of Forestry 1911-1961."

In an article in the 1919 Empire Forester, it was reported that "the twelve made a splendid showing in its first season's exhibition; and this spectacular and fascinating game became so popular that next year it was adopted by the Athletic Governing Board as a minor sport in the University. … We predict a brilliant future for Lacrosse at Syracuse."

Cox, a member of the Lacrosse Hall of Fame, felt the sport was a "gentleman's game" that could rise to a prominent spot in collegiate sports.

ESF students played on the Syracuse University lacrosse team until the NCAA ruled that Division I intercollegiate rosters could not include students enrolled at another institution. So despite the close ties between the University and the College, ESF students could no longer play on Division I teams after the late 1980s. Tom Nelson LA '89 was the last ESF student to play lacrosse with the SU team.