Michael Powell (born October 29, 1982) is a former American professional

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

player who was a four-time First Team All-American at Syracuse University, played professional lacrosse for the

Baltimore Bayhawks The Chesapeake Bayhawks were a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) professional men's field lacrosse team based in Annapolis, Maryland since 2010. They played in the greater Baltimore metro area beginning with the MLL's inaugural 2001 season, as the Ba ...

and Boston Cannons, and played on the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

team in the 2002 & 2006 World Lacrosse Championships where he was named to the All-World Team. Powell is the only player to win the

Jack Turnbull Award The "Lt. Col. J. I. Turnbull Award"''Go to' (box title is "2009 USILA Coaches of the Year Announced") ''and then scroll down'' to the lower box, entitled "2009 USILA Special Awards". The fourth regular award listed is: "Lt. Col. J. I. Turnbull Award ...

as the top attackman in Division I lacrosse four consecutive times. Powell was also a four-time finalist for the

Tewaaraton Trophy The Tewaaraton Award is an annual award for the most outstanding American college lacrosse men's and women's players, since 2001. It is the lacrosse equivalent of football's Heisman Trophy. The award is presented by The Tewaaraton Foundation and th ...

, the lacrosse equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, and is one of two male players to win the award twice. He led Syracuse to two national championships and holds the school record for most career points. Syracuse retired his #22 jersey in 2023. Powell is now a singer/songwriter and tours both as a solo artist and as a member of his band The Black River.

High school career

Powell attended Carthage Senior High School in

Carthage, New York Carthage is a village in the town of Wilna in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 3,747 at the 2010 census. The village is named after the historic city of Carthage in what is now Tunisia. The village of Carthage is a ...

, where he was a high school All-American. He set the New York State high school records for most points in a season with 194 points in 2000, most points in a game with 15 points in 2000, and most assists in a season with 120 assists in 1999 and 115 in 2000.

College career

Powell enrolled at Syracuse in the fall of 2000 as one of the most anticipated recruits in college lacrosse history. He wore the #22 Syracuse jersey, the same number previously worn by both of his older brothers

Casey Powell Casey Powell (born February 18, 1976) is a Hall of Fame American former college and professional lacrosse player from West Carthage, New York. In 1998, he graduated from Syracuse University, where he was a four-time USILA All-American. Powell was ...

and Ryan Powell, and by lacrosse legends

Gary Gait Gary Charles Gait (born April 5, 1967) is a Canadian retired Hall of Fame professional lacrosse player and currently the head coach of the men’s lacrosse team at Syracuse University, where he played the sport collegiately. On January 24, 2017, ...

and Charlie Lockwood.

2001 season

In his freshman season, Powell tallied 30 goals, 40 assists (70 points), and 69 groundballs while leading Syracuse to the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship title game against

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

. In the championship game, he scored an unassisted goal with just 16 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime, but Syracuse lost to Princeton on a B.J. Prager goal with 41 seconds left in overtime. Powell became the first player in Syracuse lacrosse history to be named a First Team All-American as a freshman. He was also awarded the

as the nation's top attackman, and was a finalist for the inaugural

2002 season

In 2002, Powell scored 42 goals and 42 assists en route to leading Syracuse to a

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

. With four goals and three assists in the championship game, he was named the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player and won his first

2003 season

Powell missed the fall 2002 semester and fall practice at Syracuse but was able to regain academic eligibility before the 2003 lacrosse season. Scored 31 goals and 33 assists for 64 points. Despite the aggressive defenses that targeted him during the season, he helped lead Syracuse to the Final Four, of what would eventually be 22 consecutive Final Fours, an NCAA records. Syracuse fell to

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

19-8 in the semifinals.

2004 season

As a senior, Powell led the Orangemen to their ninth NCAA championship. In the NCAA tournament, Syracuse defeated top-seeded Johns Hopkins in the semifinal round 15-9 and then beat second-seeded

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

in the championship game 14-13. On the season, Powell scored 89 points (47 goals, 42 assists), surpassing the Syracuse record shared by his two older brothers to become the all-time leading scorer at Syracuse with 307 points. That number ties him for 12th all-time in NCAA history. Powell was again selected as a First Team All-American, becoming just the sixth lacrosse player to earn that recognition four times, won his second

, and his first Enners Trophy as the most outstanding player in men's college lacrosse.

Professional career

Following his graduation, Powell surprised many in the lacrosse community when he chose not to play professional lacrosse for

Major League Lacrosse Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was a men's field lacrosse league in the United States. The league's inaugural season was in 2001. Teams played anywhere from ten to 16 games in a summertime regular season. This was followed by a four-team playoff ...

in the 2004 season. Instead, he pursued a career as a professional musician. Powell, along with his two older brothers, also signed an endorsement contract with lacrosse equipment manufacturer Brine, Corp., with Mike working out of Brine's west coast office. Casey and Ryan had previously been employed by

Warrior Sports Warrior Sports is an American sports equipment manufacturer based in Warren, Michigan. The company currently focuses on ice hockey and lacrosse, producing sticks, helmets, gloves, goalie masks, and protective gear for both sports. Warrior enter ...

. In 2005, Powell joined the MLL and was drafted by the

, where he and teammate

led the Bayhawks to the league championship. Powell also played in the MLL All-Star Game, where he was selected as MVP. He sat out the 2006 MLL season. On March 21, 2007, Powell, along with Ben DeFelice and a 2008 conditional draft choice, was traded from the

to the Boston Cannons in exchange for Ryan Curtis and

Conor Gill Conor Gill (born February 6, 1980) is a professional lacrosse player who had an exceptional collegiate career at the University of Virginia before going on to the professional ranks. High school and collegiate career Conor Gill was a standout att ...

. Powell was a member of U.S. World Team in the

2006 World Lacrosse Championship 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

, where he was the U.S.'s leading scorer and was selected to the All-World Team. The U.S. team fell to Canada in the championship game, 15-10, marking the second time the Americans had lost to the Canadians in 14 contests.

Personal life and music career

Powell is a traveling musician and an accomplished writer with over two hundred songs. Heavily influenced by Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, John Prine, and Townes Van Zandt. He has released 6 albums, "Strange Bedfellows" 2007, "Replevin" in 2009, "The Night The Date Was Tied" in 2010, "Kapow" 2011, "Tied To The Rail" 2014, "Classic Universe" 2018. The single "Twenty One Rounds" was released on Memorial Day 2018 and was inspired by growing up in the shadows of the Fort Drum military base. In addition to his older brothers, Casey and Ryan, Mike also has a younger brother, Mason.

Statistics

Syracuse

: ^''(a)'' 13th in NCAA Division I career assists : ^''(b)'' 6th in NCAA Division I career points

Awards

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Michael 1982 births Living people American lacrosse players Lacrosse players from New York (state) Major League Lacrosse players People from Jefferson County, New York Syracuse Orange men's lacrosse players