November 3, 2008
By now, you know their names. You know how they played, how they coached and how they helped shape the game that we know today.
They've helped make lacrosse for us. But what made lacrosse for them?
In the November issue hitting mailboxes this week, Lacrosse Magazine presents our profiles of the National Hall of Fame's Class of 2008. The honorees will take their place alongside the game's greatest figures in the annual induction celebration, presented by Bollinger Insurance, on Nov. 8 in Hunt Valley, Md.
Join US Lacrosse today to start your monthly subscription to LM.
by Daniel Malloy, Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online
The most striking thing was the outfit. How couldn't it be? She sported a mask, chest protector, oversized leg pads and high socks.
Roberta Brennan in goal was an odd sight for foes in 1957, when the U.S. women's national team tore through Great Britain and Ireland on an undefeated tour. She was outfitted more like a modern field hockey goalie, and the international opposition didn't quite know what to make of her, teammates from that year said.
But the wacky getup couldn't hide Brennan's skill. Her stocky frame belied her agility, and Brennan was whip-quick with her stick, the only part of her gear that wasn't oversized. Even with the standard stick -- not much of a pocket in those days, either -- she could sling clears out past midfield, and even notched a few assists in the scorebook that way.
In the net, Brennan was nigh impenetrable, registering countless shutouts in a national team career that spanned from 1953 to `68, and more than two decades playing club ball in the Boston Women's Lacrosse Association. Her sturdiness in goal will be honored Nov. 8, when Brennan is inducted into the National Hall of Fame.
"There wasn't anybody who could come close to her in goal," said Millie Barnes, a Hall of Famer herself who played with Brennan on national and club teams.
The woman behind the mask had a vivacious personality, too, old friends and teammates recalled.
"She was a piece of work," said Lee Burling, who played with Brennan on the national team and would drive in and bunk with her on weekends when they played club lacrosse in Boston. "She was very funny and had a great ability to laugh at herself. She was the first one to poke fun at herself."
The laughs came easily the time Brennan stepped in animal waste while playing croquet with a British host family or when Burling found mice nesting in the backseat of an old car Brennan had just bought, but she was serious when it came to lacrosse.
Brennan's playing career extended into her 40s, while she was teaching and coaching at Boston-area schools. She also did her best to promote the game and help with national team fundraising efforts to pay for travels -- making jewelry to sell, for example. Later, she was a nationally rated umpire for 20 years.
"She was always going in 5 million different directions," Burling said. "I don't know how she found time to sleep."
If so, Brennan probably wasn't the only one losing sleep. Scheming a way to fling a ball past the mask, pads and speedy stick of Bobbie Brennan would no doubt keep opponents up long into the night.
National Lacrosse Hall of Fame Class of 2008: LM's Profiles
* Roberta Brennan: All Jokes 'Til Gametime
* Lyn 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
Nov. 3, 2008
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They've helped make lacrosse for us. But what made lacrosse for them?
In the November issue hitting mailboxes this week, Lacrosse Magazine presents our profiles of the National Hall of Fame's Class of 2008. The honorees will take their place alongside the game's greatest figures in the annual induction celebration, presented by Bollinger Insurance, on Nov. 8 in Hunt Valley, Md.
Join US Lacrosse today to start your monthly subscription to LM.
by Daniel Malloy, Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online
The most striking thing was the outfit. How couldn't it be? She sported a mask, chest protector, oversized leg pads and high socks.
Roberta Brennan in goal was an odd sight for foes in 1957, when the U.S. women's national team tore through Great Britain and Ireland on an undefeated tour. She was outfitted more like a modern field hockey goalie, and the international opposition didn't quite know what to make of her, teammates from that year said.
But the wacky getup couldn't hide Brennan's skill. Her stocky frame belied her agility, and Brennan was whip-quick with her stick, the only part of her gear that wasn't oversized. Even with the standard stick -- not much of a pocket in those days, either -- she could sling clears out past midfield, and even notched a few assists in the scorebook that way.
In the net, Brennan was nigh impenetrable, registering countless shutouts in a national team career that spanned from 1953 to `68, and more than two decades playing club ball in the Boston Women's Lacrosse Association. Her sturdiness in goal will be honored Nov. 8, when Brennan is inducted into the National Hall of Fame.
"There wasn't anybody who could come close to her in goal," said Millie Barnes, a Hall of Famer herself who played with Brennan on national and club teams.
The woman behind the mask had a vivacious personality, too, old friends and teammates recalled.
"She was a piece of work," said Lee Burling, who played with Brennan on the national team and would drive in and bunk with her on weekends when they played club lacrosse in Boston. "She was very funny and had a great ability to laugh at herself. She was the first one to poke fun at herself."
The laughs came easily the time Brennan stepped in animal waste while playing croquet with a British host family or when Burling found mice nesting in the backseat of an old car Brennan had just bought, but she was serious when it came to lacrosse.
Brennan's playing career extended into her 40s, while she was teaching and coaching at Boston-area schools. She also did her best to promote the game and help with national team fundraising efforts to pay for travels -- making jewelry to sell, for example. Later, she was a nationally rated umpire for 20 years.
"She was always going in 5 million different directions," Burling said. "I don't know how she found time to sleep."
If so, Brennan probably wasn't the only one losing sleep. Scheming a way to fling a ball past the mask, pads and speedy stick of Bobbie Brennan would no doubt keep opponents up long into the night.
National Lacrosse Hall of Fame Class of 2008: LM's Profiles
* Roberta Brennan: All Jokes 'Til Gametime
* Lyn 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
