The 1979 NCAA Division I lacrosse tournament was the ninth annual

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

hosted by the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

to determine the team champion of men's

college lacrosse College lacrosse is played by student-athletes at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. In both countries, men's field lacrosse and women's lacrosse are played at both the varsity and club levels. College lacrosse in Canada is ...

among its Division I programs at the end of the 1979 NCAA Division I lacrosse season. Defending champions

Johns Hopkins Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland where he remained for most ...

defeated

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

in the championship game, 15–9. The championship game was played at

Byrd Stadium SECU Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland. It is the home of Maryland Terrapins football and men's lacrosse teams, which compete in the Big Ten Conference. The facility was ...

at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

College Park, Maryland College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and is approximately four miles (6.4 km) from the northeast border of Washington, D.C. The population was 34,740 at the 2020 United States Census. It is best known a ...

, where 16,166 fans were in attendance.

Overview

Twelve NCAA Division I college men's lacrosse teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament. This tournament was notable as the only entry for

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...

, led by

Stan Cockerton Stan or STAN may refer to: People * Stan (given name), a list of people with the given name ** Stan Laurel (1890–1965), English comic actor, part of duo Laurel and Hardy * Stan (surname), a Romanian surname * Stan! (born 1964), American author, ...

, into the NCAA tournament. The lacrosse program at North Carolina State was discontinued shortly afterwards. This was one of the great seasons in Hopkins' history, with highlights of the 13-0 season including wins over #2 Maryland and #5 Virginia (twice each) as well as wins over #3 Navy, #4 Cornell, North Carolina State, and #6 Army. Hopkins was ranked first in the nation for 11 straight weeks. The team averaged over 15 goals a game and gave up under 7 goals a game, with only two teams able to score double digits in goals against Hopkins. In the finals, Johns Hopkins used one of the all-time best defenses led by Hall of Fame goali
Mike Federico
and defensema
Mark Greenberg
as well as a strong offense led by

Dave Huntley Dave Huntley (1957 – December 18, 2017) was a Canadian lacrosse player and head coach and general manager with the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League. Huntley played collegiate lacrosse at Johns Hopkins University where he ...

and

Jeff Cook Jeffrey Alan Cook (August 27, 1949 – November 7, 2022) was an American country music artist. He was best known for being a founding member of the band Alabama, in which he contributed to lead vocals, guitar, fiddle, piano and other musical ins ...

, to defeat the Terrapins for the second time that season. John Hopkins took control with five unanswered goals in the second period of the title game. Also, in the second quarter, Hopkins' defense held Maryland in check where the Terps did not get a shot on goal off for over 11 minutes. Hopkins had handed the Terrapins five of their losses over the prior three seasons, including consecutive defeats in the semifinals of the Division I tournaments in 1977 and 1978. The top seed in the tournament went to the Blue Jays after a 10-0 regular season record. Johns Hopkins were winners of 17 in a row since a mid-season defeat in 1978 by Cornell. Hopkins went on to win 25 straight games through the 1980 season. Syracuse appeared for the first time in an NCAA tournament while Maryland made its ninth straight tournament appearance. Following this title game, Hopkins had won or tied for 34 national championships, more than twice as many as any other school. This was a great stretch of tournament play for the Terrapins as during the 1970s, Maryland participated in six NCAA title games, including four in a row from 1973 to 1976. During that span, the Terps won two national titles and lost four.Associated Press. ''Terps, Hopkins meet today for crown''. The Frederick News-Post. May 26, 1979. pg. 41

Bracket

Box Scores

Finals

Semifinals

Quarterfinals

Outstanding players

* '
Mike Federico
Goalie, Johns Hopkins, tournament Most Outstanding Player

Leading scorers

References

External links

Sports Illustrated, June 4, 1979, Nobody Does It Better Than They Do

Maryland vs. Johns Hopkins - 1979 National Title game highlights
{{1978–79 NCAA Division I championships navbox NCAA Division I men's lacrosse tournament

NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship The NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament determines the annual top men's field lacrosse team in the NCAA Division I. This tournament has determined the national champion since the inaugural 1971 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse ...