Football and Lacrosse
“The Perfect Match”
October 27, 2010
By Tom Scordato
Football and Lacrosse
“The Perfect Match”
In Memory of Coach Tom Scordato,
Scordato
a football and lacrosse player.
“There are two times
“Th
i
off the
h year that
h stir
i the
h blood.
bl d In
I
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 off playing
l i b
both
h sports.
For the good of the participant,
and the mutual benefit of each sport.
Goals of Presentation
1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5
5.
High school & youth football players consider spring lacrosse
on its own merit and for the benefits it brings to your football game
High school & youth lacrosse players consider fall football on
its own merit and for the benefits it brings to your lacrosse game
High school & youth football coaches consider lacrosse on its
own merit and for the benefit it brings to your players’ football
game
All Coaches of lacrosse & football will come away convinced of
these merits and suggest players take part in each game
Hi h school
High
h l lacrosse
l
& football
f tb ll coaches
h working
ki together
t th
coordinated weight room and other practices for off season and on
season success.
King – Scordato
L
Lacrosse-Football
F tb ll C
Connection
ti
State College-Bellefonte
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•
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
d
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,
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
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•
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Lacrosse been played on American soil for 1,000 years; Native American
origins.
M d
Modern
llacrosse men's
' rules
l 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?
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Both are steep
p in rich history
y
Both are played on same size field and in all weather
Football eleven; Lax ten players - per side on the field at once
Both require
q
a high
g degree
g of teamwork and agility
g y
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.
Wh Play
Why
Pl Both?
B th?
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Both are extremelyy fun to play
p y
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
f tb ll
football.
Lacrosse Gaining Steam Western PA
(Wh t are th
(What
the other
th folks
f lk saying
i in
i one off the
th largest
l
t football
f tb ll hotbeds
h tb d in
i the
th U.S
U S ?)
Clair Altemus, Pine-Richland's athletic director:
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•
"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."
lacrosse "
Chris Stiles, Franklin Regional head lacrosse coach :
•
•
"What yyou learn in other sports
p
helps
p you
y 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
DeMichie i player on Talbot High lacrosse team and football team:
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"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
28, 1956 “Sports
Sports Illustrated
Illustrated”
Article Asked Coaches And Players
“How Would You Compare Lacrosse
T Football?”…
To
F tb ll?”
Same storyy 2010, 54 years
y
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 ppunishment is important.
p
Fans who know both ggames 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?”
•Organized
g
sports
p
should respect
p 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
Fall season runs approx.
approx August 15
15- Nov.
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
The
h Man Who
h Wrote the
h Bookk On
O 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 sp
spring
ing football, I don't
don t care
ca e about what happens at sp
spring
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
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It is the students
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
O the
On
h contrary they
h should
h ld always
l
encourage/embrace
/ b
multi-sport
li
involvement
The “athlete hording” philosophy flies in violation of PIAA and
school
h l athletic
thl ti handbooks
h db k
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.
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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
p
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
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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
O’Leary
Leary, Player
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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
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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
Dr.
Harrison, Player/US
Pl
/US L
Lacrosse B
Board
d
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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
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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 High
g School,, NJ
Marriage of Lacrosse and Football
~
Th S
The
Summit
it S
Success St
Story
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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.
program
Summit High School=Results!
Wh t about
What
b t the
th regular
l athlete?
thl t ?
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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
E
Evan
Royster
R
is
i an example
l
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,
that in many football rich areas of the US,
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.
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
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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;; 7&8 grade,
g
, as part
p of Centre Lacrosse
Open to expansion county wide.
Our Guest Speakers
• Evan Royster
• Coach Tambroni
Evan Royster,
Pl
Player
E an Royster
Evan
Ro ster 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
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
p
on the field,, achievement in the classroom and citizenship
p in the community.
y It is the only
y major
j collegiate
g
football
for his accomplishments
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 Accolades
A l d cont.
College stats PSU- 2007 to 2009
College
•2007 season he was named to "The Sporting News" Big Ten All-Freshman Team
•2008
2008 named
d tto th
the All
All-Big
Bi Ten
T
•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
•Royster
y
announced in a ppress release byy Penn State that he'll be returningg in 2010 to ffinish his degree
g
and play football.
Evan Royster Accolades cont.
g School
Sc oo Football:
ootba :
High
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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
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:
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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
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
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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
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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 scoringg 33 ggoals 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
i
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
27, 2010; 7:00PM
7:00PM-8:30PM
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