Oct. 18, 2007

Who would have thought that a couple of lacrosse coaches could cause such a stir in one of the more hallowed football stadiums in the country?

But there making the rounds of the sidelines at Michigan Stadium was Dave Pietramala and Joe Alberici, the head coaches of Johns Hopkins and Army, respectively, trading salutations on Oct. 13 with both longtime lacrosse fans and those who fell in love the evening before.

It was during the previous night that fans, players, and coaches in southeastern Michigan were given a taste of two premier NCAA programs, as well as a chance to see how their Wolverines -- currently a member of the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) -- stacked up with their scholarship brethren. As a thank you for making the trip, Michigan coach John Paul scored a couple of field passes for Pietramala and Alberici to enjoy a Homecoming game in the Big House.

"Everybody was very polite and it was nice to meet everybody and say hello to them," said Pietramala. "But I'm not surprised because lacrosse is not new to the state of Michigan. Michigan State used to have a program and we've been recruiting in Michigan along with a lot of other programs. We're not surprised about it, just thankful and pleased that everyone was so welcoming and happy with the way the event went."

"We just had a ton of people coming up and introducing themselves and asking how the event went, or saying they stopped by and were really impressed," said Paul. "It created a buzz, and there is momentum, so we have to keep that momentum going."

The momentum of which Paul spoke referred to the possibility of UM making the transition from club status to varsity in the near future. The momentum has been building for sometime, mostly from the inertia created by Paul, the players, and supporters of the program. The Wolverines have been at or near the top of the Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association since its inception and a staple at the MCLA championships, all the while running at an operational level akin to a varsity.

Considering the success and organization, it would make sense UM would add lacrosse to its talented stable of lettered programs.

"We're talking about it, but there hasn't been a formal proposal submitted," said Paul.

Unfortunately adding varsity programs to an athletic department is not like flicking a switch. There are budgetary and facility concerns and, more importantly, institutions must keep in line with proportionality stipulations set forth by Title IX. It certainly takes hard work to overcome these obstacles, but it helps to have the momentum Paul speaks about.

Nothing creates propulsion like having a national champion visit your venue on Homecoming Weekend. While making the fall trip to Michigan fulfilled several goals of the Hopkins program, like building team unity and strengthening a recruiting base, an important component of the Blue Jays' journey was to help the sport as its most recognizable ambassador.

"Anytime we can help the growth of our game, promote our sport in a different area, and maybe promote the opportunities for teams to make that leap, we do feel we need to be supportive of that," said Pietramala. "Being at a place like Johns Hopkins where lacrosse is such an important entity within our community, I feel an additional responsibility. But I would venture to say that a lot of coaches in Division I feel we need to make the sport grow.

"This was just another opportunity. It was an opportunity to help the sport grow and maybe plant a seed -- or help the seed that has already been planted grow -- in regards to Michigan making the leap, and then getting our kids away and helping recruiting also. All in all, it's a win-win situation."

Just showing up with his Blue Jays would have been enough to keep the UM program on a fast track, but Pietramala went a step farther.

He took the scrimmage seriously.

Pietramala's teams have never played a club program, so he didn't know what to expect in terms of the competition level. Instead of making the same erroneous assumption that many coaches have, he showed his respect for the Michigan players, and the MCLA, by playing to win.

"I was actually pleasantly surprised Coach Pietramala didn't really hold back against us," said Paul. "His starters were in from the get-go and he definitely played into his depth chart, and so did we. I wasn't really expecting that, to be honest. I thought we'd see more of his younger guys.

"Our guys got to play against [Paul] Rabil, [Stephen] Peyser and [Kevin] Huntley for a significant portion and that was special for us."

"I didn't know what to expect because we haven't done anything like that before, but we played everybody," said Pietramala. "We did let some of our more experienced guys play a little bit because we though it was important to do that, not only for our guys but for the Michigan guys."

Pietramala showed, with his substitution pattern, that he considered his MCLA opponent a worthy rival, one worthwhile of his team's travel and best effort. If the decision-makers at Michigan were looking for a sign that their program is considered legitimate by the entire lacrosse community, this was certainly it.

"There was a lot of buzz around the university and a lot of buzz around our athletic department," confirmed Paul. "Our AD was there for a while and many other university administrators and athletic department administrators were there."

In the past, Hopkins has traveled during the fall, but always scrimmaged against other D-1 opponents such as Notre Dame and Ohio State. This year Pietramala, and Alberici at Army, were able to think outside of the lacrosse restraining box. They conjured an idea that would help spread the game, and Paul and the Wolverines made it happen.

It's time for other coaches at all varsity levels to follow the lead set by Hopkins and Army. When scheduling fall ball or preseason scrimmages they need to look beyond the NCAA fence and examine the possibility of playing some of the MCLA programs that would provide a good test. And at the same time, allow administrators and decision-makers at these club schools to see just what a viable varsity program can be.

As Pietramala says, it's not a coach's responsibility, but it's something they should try to do to help grow our sport across the country.

Contact Jac Coyne at jcoyne@uslacrosse.org.