Nov. 9, 2008

by Matt DaSilva, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

HUNT VALLEY, Md. - The complexity with which Tom Marechek handled a lacrosse stick behind his back and through his legs - and the wizardry with which he composed the game between his ears - served sharp contrast to the simplicity of the message that underscored his induction into the National Hall of Fame.

"When young lacrosse players come up to me and ask how I became the player I was, I say one thing," Marechek said. "I did it for the love of the game."

That refrain resonated among the eight newest members of the National Hall of Fame - including truly great players Marechek, George Tracy and Roberta Brennan, truly great coaches Dom Starsia and Chris Sailer, truly great official Lynn Craun and truly great contributors Pat Dillon and Dick Watts - who were inducted in ornate fashion Saturday at the Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley, Md.

A red carpet and crystal chandelier greeted the gathering of 420 prominent lacrosse enthusiasts in black-tie tuxedos and elegant dresses at the 2008 National Hall of Fame Induction Celebration, presented by Bollinger Insurance. Among them were 45 current Hall of Famers, including Paul Gait, a fellow Syracuse and pro lacrosse legend whose video presentation preceded Marechek's speech.

Said Gait: "When my brother [Gary] and I got to Syracuse, Coach [Roy] Simmons came up to us quite a few times and asked, `Do you have any more brothers back home?' And we said, `Well, you think we have great sticks. You should see this kid Marechek.'"

Gait also crowed about how Marechek earned the nickname Hollywood.

"His brother's nickname is Bill 'Backhand' Marechek, so that was taken," said Gait, who grew up playing Canadian box lacrosse with Marechek in British Columbia. "He got Tom `Hollywood' Marechek because of how he stops by storefront windows and checks out his hair."

For the second straight year, the Hall of Famers' presenters were interviewed prior to the induction, a multimedia approach that included a heavy dose of trick-shot highlights from Marechek's days at Syracuse, with the National Lacrosse League's Philadelphia Wings and with Major League Lacrosse's Washington Bayhawks.

"By the way," Marechek started, "I did shoot a couple overhand shots."

Brennan, the former Boston University (1947) and U.S. national team goalkeeper, could not attend the ceremony due to health concerns. Fellow Hall of Famer Jackie Pitts accepted the honor on Brennan's behalf, calling her "by all accounts, the greatest goalkeeper of her time - some would say all-time."

The rest of the inductees squinted into the spotlight as they approached the podium, as if made uncomfortable by the formality of it all.

Craun, who has umpired every ACC women's lacrosse championship game, moved the audience when she talked about being diagnosed with leukemia two hours before a 2002 game at Virginia.

Known for improvisational hand signals and a strange, Southern manner on the field - "She's on her like a new tweed suit," presenter Jane Miller remembered her saying during a game once - Craun officiated that Virginia game, "even though my mind was in a jumble," she said Saturday.

Craun stuck to lacrosse to cope with her disease. "My oncologist was ready to fire me as a patient when I kept delaying treatment for the end of the season," she said.

Starsia and Sailer both boasted large contingents of support from former players.

Hall of Famer Tom Marechek (Photo: John Strohsacker)

"The wins and losses are fickle at best," said Starsia, whose Virginia men's lacrosse team is a favorite for its fourth NCAA Division I championship in 2009. "It's the relationships that stand the test of time."

Starsia, who was presented by assistant coach Marc Van Arsdale, spoke of his reluctance to get into coaching before landing at Brown and then UVA.

"Coaching has never been a career choice. It's my life," he said. "During my interview [with Virginia], I was asked to describe myself. I didn't know how to respond. I said, 'honest, and I'll work hard.' And it's really never been more than that."

Sailer's gaggle of former Princeton women's lacrosse players and assistant coaches may have been the largest Saturday.

"Playing for Chris, you breed a sense of family," presenter Kim Simons said in an introductory video, "an us-versus-them mentality."

Sailer, winner of three NCAA Division I championships, returned the favor with a strong dose of inside jokes, and concluded: "We all agree now matter how much we give to the game of lacrosse, the game has always given us so much more in return."

Dillon and Watts both recognized the importance of volunteerism in their inductions, but each has bestowed tangible qualities upon the game beyond the leadership positions they've held in national organizations. Dillon remains one of women's lacrosse's most respected officials, and Watts delivered an NCAA Division II men's lacrosse title to UMBC as a head coach in 1980.

"When my brother [Gary] and I got to Syracuse, Coach [Roy] Simmons came up to us quite a few times and asked, 'Do you have any more brothers back home?' And we said, 'Well, you think we have great sticks. You should see this kid Marechek.'" Paul Gait, in a video presentation of Hall of Famer Tom Marechek

Dillon reflected on cold mornings gathering with fellow umpires and running back to their cars following games "with irate parents in pursuit."

"We are the road sisters," she said.

Watts called himself "a blue-collar guy from Hamilton," an urban neighborhood in northeastern Baltimore, and marveled at the support he has received from the lacrosse community. "Whatever my success," the 80-year-old said, "I have had help."

Tracy is the latest in a slew of former Navy players inducted into the National Hall of Fame, courtesy of strong lobbying efforts by alumni to publicize their accomplishments predating the NCAA era.

"I humbly accept this honor as a tribute to my teammates, coaches and the U.S. Naval Academy," Tracy said.

Plaques for the inductees now hang in the Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame at US Lacrosse headquarters in Baltimore. Admission to the museum is $3 for adults and free for US Lacrosse members.

Hall of Famer Pat Dillon (Photo: John Strohsacker)

A look at the members of the 2008 National Lacrosse Hall of Fame Class:

* Roberta Brennan: All Jokes 'Til Gametime
* Lynn Craunn: Craun-ing Achievement
* Pat Dillon: Clear Signals
* Tom Marechek: Hollywood Ending
* Chris Sailer: Playing for Chris
* Dom Starsia: The 'Frozen Rope'
* George Tracy: Street Sense
* Dick Watts: 'Pappy' Gets His Due