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John Doe
Ms. Burrows
Composition 1
4 May 2016
The History of Lacrosse
What is lacrosse? Is it game humans created for pure entertainment? Could it be
a career for a determined athlete? To answer both of the questions, yes. It is played by
people of all ages ranging from young children to full grown adults. Lacrosse is a sport
that has been around for centuries; it is a game played with heart, determination, and
has the ability to connect cultures and people from all across the globe.
The game of lacrosse that we know today has been around since 1913.
However, it was originated from many different forms of stickball played by the Native
Americans. The game was first seen by Europeans in the 1630s, by French Jesuit
missionaries. (US Lacrosse). Jean de Brbeuf, one of the missionaries working in the
St. Lawrence Valley, wrote about this encounter with the Huron Indians in 1636. It is
also he who first coined the name of the game as lacrosse.
Over the years the game of lacrosse has stayed with its basic principles. Today
the game is played with ten players, one goalie, three defensemen, three midfielders,
and three attackmen. However a team is allowed to suit up nineteen players in case of
substitutions or injuries. The game is played on a field that is one hundred and ten yards
long and sixty yards wide. In the center of the field is where the game starts with what is
known as a faceoff, and it occurs every quarter and every time a team scores a goal.
There are two goals at each end of the field; they stand six feet tall and six feet wide. To

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prevent the opposing team to just run right up to the goal, there is a nine foot radius
around each goal called a crease. Players are however allowed to have their crosses in
the crease as long as no part of their body crosses the line (Charlotte Hounds).
Coupled with, depending on what level the athletes are competing in, there is a
sixty second shot clock or a restraining box. The shot clock is used in the professional
level while the restraining box is used from the college level down. Also depending on
the level of play is how long each quarter lasts. For the college and professional level,
the game is scheduled for four quarters that last fifteen minutes each. If the score is tied
at the end of regulation, the game adds a ten minute overtime period beginning with a
faceoff. A high school game of lacrosse is a total of forty-eight minutes in increments of
twelve with two minutes between each quarter (Lacrosse 101). All levels have a halftime
at the conclusion of the second quarter; it usually is scheduled for ten minutes unless
otherwise permitted.
Next are the rules. John Wileys For Dummies describes lacrosse as, a similar
game to both hockey and basketball. Being said they have many of the similar rules.
An example would be the penalties such as slashing, tripping and an illegal body-check
or cross check; similarly to the rules of hockey. Slashing is when a player uses his
crosse to strike an opponent in an area not permitted. A cross-check is when a player
uses his crosse to strike an opponents body in a non-ball situation. A body check is the
same thing as a cross check but a player uses his/her body. While the game is more
closely associated with hockey, its basketball connection comes in with the plays to try
and score and defenses used to stop the opposing team from scoring.

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Furthermore, lacrosse may have its similarities, but it is its own sport. There are
many different terms the players and fans use for the different Lax Lingo. Examples
include: the goal is referred to as the cage, an assist is a feed, and a post is the metal
side pipes of a goal (Lacrosse 101). Many different terms make the game unique in its
own way and give players, coaches, and people alike a way to describe parts of the
game.
With this in mind, let us transition to the great players and legends of the great
game of lacrosse. Jack Turnbull, Jim Brown, and the Gait Brothers are all players that
revolutionized the game. Coaches also have made a great impact on the sport of
lacrosse. Specifically speaking of the great Roy Simmons and Roy Simmons Jr. Each of
the following had a great impact on the game and continues to influence athletes
everywhere.
Jack Turnbull is said to be one of the greatest lacrosse players ever to play the
game. He is often referred to as the Babe Ruth of lacrosse and for good reason.
According to Lois Nicholson, he started playing the game at age ten. He would later go
on to play at John Hopkins in every position on the field but goalie, in the process
becoming a four time All-American. John would continue his career for thirteen more
years for the Mt. Washington Club of Baltimore. He would be inducted into the Hall of
Fame in 1963 (47-48).
In 1987, two brothers, Gary and Paul Gait, would come out of the Canadian
Northwest to play for the already famous team Syracuse. The brothers would have
success early making it to the semifinals their freshman year. This wasnt good enough
for the Gait Brothers. According to Mr. Nicholson, They would lead Syracuse to three

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straight national championships, including an undefeated season in 1988 (50). Gary

Gait would go on to become a four-time All-American and Paul would claim AllAmerican status three times. They both would set numerous scoring records and help
put lacrosse on the map; in which the participation of lacrosse nationwide would be
more than doubled.
Continuing on the trail of Syracuse, it would not have had near the success
without Coach Roy Simmons and his son Roy Simmons Jr. Roy Sr. came from Chicago
to play football at Syracuse in 1922. He thought a crosse was a crabbing net the first
time he saw one. After he led Syracuse to its first national championship in football, his
curiosity for lacrosse would take over. He would become a two-time All-American and
win two national championships in the process. Roy Sr. would retire in 1970. He would
have a combined lacrosse record of 251-130-1. He was always remembered for
respecting all his athletes no matter what race they were in a time when the opinion
was not popular. Roy Jr. would take over after his father to continue the dynasty (Lois
Nicholson 51-53).
Lacrosse is a game that has withstood the test of time and through the years has
become an intense game enjoyed around the world. From the Native Americans playing
for spiritual reasons, to the great Gait Brothers revolutionizing the game, lacrosse has
influenced hundreds of thousands of people through the years. It is one sport I have
never had the opportunity to play, but find it to be incredibly fascinating. One day I hope
I can get my hands on a crosse and play the wonderful game that is known as lacrosse.

Works Cited

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Nicholson, Lois. The Composite Guide to Lacrosse. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 1999.
Print.
Smith, S. Renee, and Vivian Hart. "Understanding How Lacrosse Is Played."- For
Dummies. Wiley Brand, Aug.-Sept. 2014. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
Errington, Lane. "NCAA Report: Lacrosse Is Fastest-Growing College Sport." NCAA
Report: Lacrosse Is Fastest-Growing College Sport. US Lacrosse, 2015. Web. 19 Apr.
2016.
Claydon, Jane. "Origin & History of Lacrosse | FIL." Origin & History of Lacrosse | FIL.
Federation of International Lacrosse, 2009. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
Culin, Stewart. "Games of the North American Indians." In Twenty-fourth Annual Report
of the Bureau of American Ethnology, 1902-1903, pp. 1-840. Washington, D.C.:
Government Printing Office, 1907.
Fogelson, Raymond. "The Cherokee Ball Game: A Study in Southeastern Ethnology."
Ph.D. dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1962.
Vennum, Thomas Jr. American Indian Lacrosse: Little Brother of War. Washington, DC
and London: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1994.