Football and Lacrosse “The Perfect Match” October 27, 2010 By Tom Scordato Football and Lacrosse “The Perfect Match” In Memory of Coach Tom Scordato , a football and lacrosse player.
“There are two ti mes of th e year th at sti r th e bl ood . I n the fall for football, and in the spring for lacrosse.” The Love of Football The Love of Lacrosse
That is why we are here tonight. Proponents of play ing bot h sports. For the good of the participant, and the mutual benefit of each sport. Goals of Presentation
1. High school & youth football players consider spring lacrosse on its own merit and for the benefits it brings to your football game 2. High school & youth lacrosse players consider fall football on its own merit and for the benefits it brings to your lacrosse game 3. High school & youth football coaches consider lacrosse on its own merit and for the benefit it brings to your players’ football game 4. All Coaches of lacrosse & football will come away convinced of these merits and suggest players take part in each game 5. High sch oo l l&ftbllhlacrosse & football coaches working t ogeth er coordinated weight room and other practices for off season and on season success. King – Scordato Lacrosse-Foo tba ll Connec tion State College-Bellefonte
• Both played high school lacrosse and football • King played for NCAA college lacrosse power house Hobart • Scordato played NCAA college football and lacrosse, Mass. Maritime Academy • Both coach the Nittany Keystone State Select Team together • Both coach and lived through starter high school lax programs, King since 2000 at State High , Scordato since 2007 at Bellefonte • Both can attest to how one sport helps the other…we lived it • Both attribute success in lacrosse to what was experienced on the football field and visa versa • Both are high school multi sport proponents • Both proponents of “seasonal boundaries” • Both agree, football players should pick sticks up early. History of the Games
• Lacrosse been played on American soil for 1,000 years; Native American origins. • Mo dern lacrosse men 's ru les 1935 • Lacrosse now fastest growing field sport in USA • Football roots from soccer and rugby and has grown to be the most popular fan based sport in the country • Princeton and other Schools played “ballown” as early as 1820 • Walter Camp father of modern football game 1880. What Makes These Sports Mesh?
• Both are steeppy in rich history • Both are played on same size field and in all weather • Football eleven; Lax ten players - per side on the field at once • Both reqqgguire a high degree of teamwork and a gygility • Both are the only PIAA “field” sports which allow legal body contact • Played in opposite seasons, fall & spring • Both require emotion and intensity, appeals to players of that nature • Both require extreme conditioning and practice. WhWhy Pl ay B oth?
• Both are extremelyypy fun to play • Many of the attributes, needs, tools and abilities that make you a football player are the same for lacrosse • Communication agility, athleticism, team work, intensity, emotion, love of game, body contact these are things that drive a lacrosse player. These happen to be the very things that drive a football player! • Dedication, hard work, part of a special “fraternity” that is lacrosse and ftbllfootball. Lacrosse Gaining Steam Western PA (Wha t are the oth er f olk s sayi ng i n one of th e l argest f ootb all h otb ed s i n th e U .S ?)
Clair Altemus, Pine-Richland's athletic director: • "It's a newer sport, and it's like football with a stick." • "It's got running, hitting and passing," Altemus said. • "I allow my kids (football players) to play lacrosse ."
Chris Stiles, Franklin Regional head lacrosse coach : • "What yyppyou learn in other sports helps you in lacrosse," • "Lacrosse is a fairly simple game. It's fast and fun and there is very little standing around. There’s also a decent amount of hitting, too."
Chris DeMichie ,i player on Talbot High lacrosse team and football team: • "Even the college opportunities have grown tremendously," "Especially the D-II and D-III schools." • "Lacrosse is a combination of all sports,…I have the most fun playing lacrosse, and all my friends are out there too.
Published on YourSewickley.com Same story in 2010, 54 years later!
May 28, 1956 “Sports Illustrated” Article Asked Coaches And Players “How Would You Compare Lacrosse To Ftbll?Football?”… Same storyyy 2010, 54 years later!
•F. MORRIS TOUCHSTONE, Lacrosse coach U.S. Military Academy at West Point: “Both appeal to the athlete who enjoys rugged competition. Both are highly developed team efforts, but the skills of the two differ. In football, the emphasis is on blocking and tackling. In lacrosse, ball handling with the stick, dodging and accurate shooting are vital.”
•CAPTAIN ROBERT J. STROH, Captain U.S.S. Saratoga: “There's great similarity. Both are body contact sports requiring great physical vigor. Good team work is a prime requisite in each sport.”
•FERRIS THOMSEN, Lacrosse coach Princeton University: “Unlike football, with its break between plays, lacrosse takes more stamina due to continuous running. Like in football, speed, general athletic skill and the ability to give and take pppunishment is important. Fans who know both g ames like lacrosse better because it's more open.”
•HOWARD MYERS Jr., Lacrosse and football coach Hofstra College, N.Y. : “Lacrosse helps develop speed and maneuverability and is every bit as exciting as football. Lacrosse practice sessions are more fun than football practice and therefore lacrosse comes off the favorite. Men who play both both sports prefer lacrosse almost unanimously.” Same Story in 2010 Two Great Games Respect Seasonal Boundaries “Isn’t That a Fall Sport?”… “Isn’t That a Spring Sport?”
•Orggpanized sports should resp ect traditional US seasonal boundaries •That is why we have seasons! Respect Seasonal Boundaries “Isn’t That a Fall Sport?”… “Isn’t That a Spring Sport?” •PIAA and Youth Lacrosse ~Spring seasons runs approx. March 7- May 25 (minus post season) •PIAA and Youth Football ~Fall season runs approx . August 15 - Nov. 6 (minus post season) •Summer approximately June 10-August 1st ~That is the Time for Camps, Tournament Play, Off Season Training. Bob Scott, Player/Coach ThhhkOhe Man Who Wrote the Book On Lacrosse
The great athletic director and great coach of John Hopkins when asked about favorites and multiple sports, football and seasonal boundaries: Seasonal Boundaries “In each season, you know… •I'm not big on watching fall lacrosse or, we don't have spring football, but were we to have had spr ing football, I don 't ca re about what happens at spr ing football… • During the fall I like to watch football… •Come spring, I'm ready for lacrosse. • I had as much fun and enjoyed coaching freshman football just as much as I did coaching lacrosse.” My Coach Does Not Want Me Playing Other Sports
• It is the students ’ choice not the coaches • Coach should not put a player in a position of feeling guilty/threatened if he is a multi-sport athlete • OhOn the contrary t hey s hldlhould always encourage/ emb race mul liti-sport involvement •The “athlete hording” philosophy flies in violation of PIAA and schlthltihdbkhool athletic handbooks • Coaches can’t “save” his player from other sports for fear of injury or lack of time allotment detrimental to “his” sport • No TEAM - No sport - No coach’s will to win - Is greater than the student’s right to participate. My Coach Does Not Want Me Playing Other Sports Cont.
• The interest of the student athletes’ high school experience and development as a man should be at the forefront of every coaches mind • There was a time when the multi letter high school athlete was held in high esteem…that time never left this coach’s heart • Question any coach who does not see the advantage of multiple sports for the development of that player as an individual and an athlete! • Big reason Joe Paterno was convinced Evan Royster was such a good recruit was because of his ability to play another sport well. Those that Experienced Both Football in the fall, and Lacrosse in the spring…what a deal!
The following few slides show players who added to their abilities and life lessons by playing both sports. Rhamel and Shamel the Bratton Brothers, Players
• Huntington (N.Y.) High School, both excelled at football, lacrosse and basketball • Top scholastic lacrosse players in the US • Both playing for University of Virginia. Jim Brown, Player/Coach
• Massapequa (N.Y.) High School lacrosse and football stand out • Top scholastic lacrosse player in the US • Syracuse University football and lacrosse All American • One of the few inducted into both the Lacrosse Hall of Fame in Baltimore and the Football Hall of Fame in Canton • All Pro football player considered by many to be the finest back there ever was. Nick O’Leary, Player
• Dwyer High Florida State Champs in Lacrosse and Football • Top football player in the United States • Looking to play football and lacrosse in college • Football Nick’s “main” sport but… • Lacrosse helps him stay in condition for football • One of the top rated lacrosse players in Florida • Being heavily recruited by Maryland for both sports. Will Yeatman, Player
• Notre Dame football and lacrosse player • Football tight end and Lacrosse attack • Transferred to Maryland • Will play one more year of football at Maryland in 2011. Dr. Miles Harrison, Player/US Lacrosse Boar d
• Lax was introduced to him his sophomore year at high school by his football coach • Asked, what are you doing in the spring, “I think I have something you will love as a football player!” • 1964 fell in love played three years in high school • 1968 as a student athlete helped create a Division I lacrosse program at a traditionally Black College, Morgan State University • 1971 played in the North-South Allstar Game • Life long advocate and author on the game of lacrosse • Father of Hopkins All-American and MLL lacrosse player, Kyle Harrison “There is a spirtual element to lacrosse that I do not find in other sports.” How Do You Want to Spend Your Springs?
Do This? or Do This? How Do You Want to Spend Your Springs?
Do This? or Do This? How Do You Want to Spend Your Springs?
Do This? or Do This? Spring Training for Football Many believe lacrosse the best way
• Most football coaches recognize it is far better to be running up and down a field in the spring than to be stuck in a weight room or running skeleton plays • Lacrosse will do more for a football player by working the core/legs and creating, perfecting field vision, than weights will in the spring • Lacrosse and football can work together to share off season regiments to help obtain optimum training to help players in both sports • A summer lifting/training/plyometrics regiment can be utilized. Summit Higg,h School, NJ Marriage of Lacrosse and Football
~ The Summ it Success Story
• 40+ players involved at some level in both programs • Two such highly successful teams, NJ State lacrosse / football champs: football 2009, lacrosse 2010 • This would create conflicts at most schools, not at Summit • Just the opposite seems to be true at Summit, where: • Football coach John Liberato and lacrosse coach Jim Davidson work closely together • Scheduling team functions 1st day after school is over • Developing a common year-round strength and conditioning program. Summit High School=Results! WhtWhat ab out tth the regul ar athl thlt?ete?
• NCAA College playing opportunities abound in lacrosse • Even if no scholarship money, lacrosse can help those academically borderline get into college • College football coaches like athletes who play lacrosse. Joe Paterno and EREvan Royster i s an exampl e • Positive life lessons. To be able to commit and play two sports so rich in tradition and in many was so similar • Learning a game that , in many football rich areas of the US , is recognized as the best spring sport option to help football • Lacrosse players should play football as well • Your sporting experiences are much richer the more activities you share . Football is a GREAT GAME TEAM, both sports can only win when the good of the TEAM is at heart! Youth Lacrosse in the Spring
• Youth lacrosse in Centre County since 2008 - Centre Lacrosse • Like baseball, lacrosse skills of stick handling are vastly improved if learned young (How many players make varsity baseball squads who never threw or batted before playing high school baseball?) • 3&4; 5&6; 7&8 grade teams are playing every spring • Bellefonte will be sponsoring two teams to practice/play in Bellefonte in 2011 5&6;;g,p 7&8 grade, as part of Centre Lacrosse • Open to expansion county wide. Our Guest Speakers
• Evan Royster
• Coach Tambroni Evan Royster , Player EanRosterEvan Royster Accolades
As a PSU Running Back… Successive1,000 yard rushing seasons All American and *Doak Walker Candidate and Winner First Team All Big Ten Recipient Lacrosse Player… Westfield (Virginia) High School All State Highly recruited by power houses John Hopkins and Virginia among others Luckily for PSU he is here on the grid iron As a Man… Working on a Degree in Management Information Systems 3.4+/- GPA Mature, hard working, no nonsense,TEAM player Here tonight to promote the love of both football and lacrosse.
*Doak Walker Award:The prestigious Doak Walker Award was created in 1989 to recognize the nation's premier running back for his accompp,lishments on the field, achievement in the classroom and citizenshi pyyjp in the community. It is the only major collegiate football award that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing and on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of th same classification. Evan Royster AldAccolades cont.
College stats PSU- 2007 to 2009
College •2007 season he was named to "The Sporting News" Big Ten All-Freshman Team •2008 name d to the All-Big T en •Semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award •One of the finest college football players in 2008 when he ran for 1,236 yards •He helped lead the Nittany Lions to the Big Ten Football championship and the Rose Bowl •Royypyster announced in a press release by Penn State that he'll be returning in 2010 to ffginish his degree and play football. Evan Royster Accolades cont.
High Sc hoo l Footba ll : • Westfield High School in Chantilly, Virginia where he totalled 6,384 yards on 750 carries (8.5 avg.) • Won three Concorde District Championships • Sophomore, 1 ,690 yards and 22 touchdowns • Juinor, 2,160 yards and 30 touchdowns • Senior, 2,200 yards and 30 touchdowns. • First-team all-state selection • Washington Post first-team All-Met. High School Lacrosse: • One of the most coveted lacrosse prospects in the country • Scored 33 goals as a senior • Played in the prestigious North-South All-American Lacrosse all-star game • Heavily recruited by Virginia and Johns Hopkins • First team all-state for Westfield High School in Fairfax, Virginia. Welcome Coach Jeff Tambroni, Player/Coach/Advocate and Lover of the Game
“He is the perfect person to take our lacrosse program to the next level and establish Penn State as a national presence in one of the country's fastest growing sports.” - Penn State Director of Athletics Tim Curley
• 10 superb seasons as head coach at Cornell University • Awarded the 2009 Morris Touchstone Award as the USILA Coach of the Year, D1 • Led Cornell to three NCAA semifinal appearances in the past four seasons (2007, 2009 and 2010) and one NCAA title game (2009) • Currently ranked fifth among active Division I coaches in winning percentage (109-40 for .732) • 10th-fastest coach in men's lacrosse history to reach the 100-win mark when he did it in his 134th career game in March of 2010 Welcome Coach Jeff Tambroni
• An assistant at Cornell from 1997 to 2000. • Assistant coach at Loyola College during the 1997 season • Assistant at Hobart for three seasons, helping the Statesmen to the 1994 NCAA Division III championship game. • A 1992 graduate of Hobart with a bachelor of arts degree in American studies • 1992 first-team All-America as a senior, after scoringgg 33 goals and 24 assists • Second-team All-America selection in 1990 and 1991, Hobart Statesmen won the NCAA Division III championship • Most valuable player of the 1990 championship game • Left Hobart tied for seventh on the school's all-time scoring list with 202 points • He left Hobart ranked sixth in assists (99) and 12th in goals (103)
Thank you! State College High Football / Lacrosse Bellefonte High Football / Lacrosse State College Bulldog Youth Football Bellefonte Youth Football Centre Lacrosse Penn State Football / Lacrosse The Parents All Our Other Guests Coaches will be around to answer questions Invitation to: FOOTBALL AND LACROSSE “The Perfect Match” Dear Players, Parents, Athletic Directors and Coaches, If you are receiving this you are personally and cordially invited to attend a presentation on the game of men’s lacrosse, its advantages and the beneficial relationship lacrosse players and football players share to add to their enjoyment of sport, athleticism, success and expansion of life lessons at the youth and high school level.
DATE: Wednesday October 27, 2010; 7:00PM-8:30PM WHERE: PSU University Park East Area Locker Room Lecture Hall (Across from Holuba Hall Entrance) GUEST SPEAKERS: •PSU Running Back Evan Royster •PSU Head Lacrosse Coach Jeff Tambroni •PSU possibly others from football staff. No charge for admission