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GEORGIA TECH MEN'S LACROSSE |
1997, 2004 SELC Champions |
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HISTORY |
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Overview |
Dr. Crenshaw |
1920's
Overview
Tech has fielded a men's Lacrosse team for the past twenty six years and
has played a varied schedule including games against Division I and III
varsity teams such as; Duke, Georgetown, Kenyon, North Carolina, MIT, VMI
and College Club teams. Lacrosse was founded as a varsity sport in 1924 by
Dr. John
Bascom Crenshaw, a former varsity Lacrosse player at Johns Hopkins. Dr.
Crenshaw was Head of the Modern Language Department for 31 years and early
member of the Athletic Board. He had extensive Lacrosse contacts dating to
his days playing in the goal for the 1893 team. Dr. Crenshaw was intent on
building a strong program. Tech competed for five seasons until the onset of
the Great Depression in 1929. The early years was highlighted by a contest
in Atlanta versus Syracuse in 1927 featuring many Syracuse All , Dr.
Crenshaw had planned an aggressive schedule including, Virginia, Johns
Hopkins, (the defending national champions), Maryland, Penn, Navy and the
Mount Washington Lacrosse Club. Unfortunately the schedule was never played
and the season was canceled. The Georgia Tech Archives contains all
contracts and correspondence from this early period.
Restored as a Club Sport in 1971, with an initial game in Nashville
against Vanderbilt University the sport grew on campus for the next decade.
Throughout the late 1970's and early 1980's the team was the strongest Club
team in the deep south. During this time the team won the Sun Coast
Tournament in 1981 which was an annual spring gathering of over fifteen
Division III teams, played a two game series with fellow Engineering school
MIT; one loss and one victory, and played Duke on an annual home and home
basis. Success was not as great in the mid 1980's and early 1990's.
Lacrosse is now resurgent on the Tech Campus. In 1997 the team won the
Southeast Lacrosse Conference Tournament. In 1998 support has increased
significantly with the addition of an expanded schedule, the use of
outstanding new facilities, and a highly qualified coaching staff.
Dr. John Bascom Crenshaw
Born in 1861 in Nottaway County, Virginia Dr. Crenshaw received his
undergraduate degree from Randolph Macon College in 1881. He was in the
Graduate program at Johns Hopkins from 1885 to 1886 but returned to Randolph
Macon to receive his masters in modern languages and to teach until 1890. An
outstanding Gymnast he was responsible for the first Gymnasium ever built in
the South which was constructed at Randolph Macon in 1886. In 1890 he was
accepted into the Doctoral program at John Hopkins.
In 1888 Johns Hopkins formed its first Lacrosse team and in 1890 formed
an Athletic Association to organize its intercollegiate sports program. Dr.
Crenshaw, was asked to become the assistant to the Athletic Association
president to provide gymnastic training to defray the costs of his graduate
studies. 1n 1891, under Brant Rouszel, who served as captain and coach,
Johns Hopkins revolutionized the game by combining both running and passing
to advance the Ball. During this early time Dr. Crenshaw became involved
with the sport. In 1893 he started in the goal for the varsity and is
featured in the first ever photograph of a Johns Hopkins Lacrosse team
seated in the top left corner.
Dr. Crenshaw received his PhD in 1893 and continued on the faculty until
1902. He sought to pursue his career in both academic and Athletics and
accepted a position as head of the Modern Language Department and faculty
director of Athletics at Tech. In addition to establishing the Tech Lacrosse
program Dr. Crenshaw was an original member of the United States
Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association, (USILA), and the United States
Intercollegiate Athletic Association, (modern day NCAA). Dr. Crenshaw took
up tennis in his late 40's and continued to play until his mid seventies, he
was so proficient that he won the Georgia Tech Faculty Tennis Tournament
when he was seventy years old. He died in 1942 at the age of 81 after having
the 1941 Blueprint dedicated to him for his contributions to the school. The
Lacrosse team is honored to have such a distinguished and dedicated founder.
The 1920's:
In 1924 Dr. John Bascom, "J.B." Crenshaw, a member of the Georgia Tech
Athletic Board, formed a varsity Lacrosse program. He began the program
slowly playing two games against the Army team at Fort Benning, both close
losses. He gradually began building the team, forming a freshmen team,
adding more games, utilizing local businessmen, with Lacrosse experience at
Syracuse and Princeton, to assist in coaching and planning for national
schedule. The University of Georgia founded a team and competition began
with home and home games in Atlanta and Athens. In 1927 Tech hosted powerful
Syracuse in a game at Grant Field featuring five Syracuse first and second
Team All Americans, a game in which Tech was outmatched by a score of 11 to
2. Two varsity letters were awarded at the conclusion of the season to team
captain N.H."Red" Riley and C. K. McDaniel.
Dr. Crenshaw was truly a Lacrosse pioneer, both playing on the first
teams at Johns Hopkins, and with his plans for Georgia Tech's role in the
future of the sport. For the 1928 and 1929 seasons Dr. Crenshaw had put
together a powerful schedule with trips to the north to play Lacrosse
powers; University of Virginia, University of Maryland, United States Naval
Academy, Johns Hopkins, University of Pennsylvania, and the Mount Washington
Lacrosse Club. The plans were in place, the contracts signed, but the
schedule was never played. Lacrosse as a varsity sport at Tech was
mysteriously dropped. Though the Georgia Tech Archives has detailed records
of the growth of the sport and all correspondence, no record exists to
explain why so such a vigorous growing program was canceled. The ensuing
Great Depression and World War II precluded any near term revitalization.
1924
Two games were played in the inaugural season against the Fort Benning Club
team. Both losses, one in Columbus, Georgia and a return match at Grant
Field.
1925
1926
1927
The final season started of aggressively hosting Syracuse University at
Grant Field as indicated in the article below from the April 11, 1927
Syracuse Daily Orange.
The season ended with two varsity letters awarded and with hope for
competition on a national level the following year. A scheduled northern
trip was never played and lacrosse did not resume again on campus until
1971.
design and graphics by
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