The NC State Wolfpack men's lacrosse team represented North Carolina State University in

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

men's

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 ...

from 1973 to 1982 and currently represents the university in the Southeast Lacrosse Conference. The team was disbanded as a varsity sport after the 1982 season. The team currently competes in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association Division I.

History

The first Wolfpack team, initially granted club status, was introduced in 1972 by Colonel Robert E. Conroy, a military science instructor. Conroy played college lacrosse at the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, ...

from 1954 to 1956. The next year NC State approved varsity status, and began playing against a mix of club and varsity programs, ending with a record of 3–9. That year Colonel Conroy was transferred leaving a vacancy in the coaching position. His successor, Dr. Charles E. Patch, had never coached or seen a full game but did graduate from

SUNY Cortland The State University of New York College at Cortland (SUNY Cortland or Cortland State College) is a public college in Cortland, New York. It was founded in 1868 and is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. History The State Un ...

, one of the nation's premier lacrosse programs. With a new coach and only 4 of the 19 team members having lacrosse experience, the team went 1–13. After records of 7–7 and 8–8 in 1975 and 1976 respectively, the program began to gain some measure of success. In 1977 the team vaulted into the limelight of Division I college lacrosse with the recruitment of three time first-team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n Stan Cockerton, who still ranks second in all-time NCAA career goals. That year the Wolfpack finished 10–4 with a No. 14 national ranking. Success continued the next year as NC State defeated perennial powerhouses

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

to end up with a 9–4 record and a No. 9 national ranking. After that year, Dr. Patch resigned to continue the growth of the program, and ex-Virginia assistant coach Larry Gross was hired to take over. The Wolfpack would follow with an 8–4 record, a No. 6 national ranking, and its first and only NCAA tournament appearance. The tournament culminated in an early first round exit to eventual National Champion Johns Hopkins. In the next three years the team would go 6–5 in 1980, 7–4 and a No. 11 national rank in 1981, and finally 5–6 in the 1982 season. The team lost varsity status following 1982. Future national champion Tim Nelson was on the Wolfpack squad that final season, transferring to Syracuse where he led the team to a National Title in 1983. Lacrosse was removed as a varsity sport due to several reasons as stated by the Athletic Department, of which Title IX was not a reason for dropping the sport. At the time of dropping the sport, there were no high school teams playing lacrosse in North Carolina and the recruiting would have to be done out of state. The only D1 programs in the state were UNC and Duke and the travel budget was very small. But the biggest factor in eliminating the sport was the lack of scholarships, without which the team could not competitively compete in the ACC. However Title IX compliance stands in the way of reinstating the program and the sport remains as a club team today playing in the Atlantic Lacrosse Conference of the MCLA. Due to the expansion of the game throughout the country, there has been much more attention placed into the eventual reestablishment of the program as a varsity-level sport. However, funds remain an issue. As stated by former NC State Athletic Director Debbie Yow, "I have a personal appreciation for the sport of lacrosse. That said, I can not foresee a time when we would voluntarily add any sport. The current 23 varsity sports need and deserve our attention and financial support." File:NCSU Lacrosse Team 1972.jpg, 1972 NCSU Lacrosse Team File:Stan cockerton.jpg, Stan Cockerton fights for a groundball. File:State-lax-vs.-duke-600x438.jpg, NC State playing against

Duke Blue Devils men's lacrosse The Duke Blue Devils men's lacrosse team represents Duke University in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's lacrosse. Duke currently competes as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and plays its home ga ...

while still under varsity status.

Season Results

The following is a list of NC State's results by season as an NCAA Division I program: {, class="wikitable" , - align="center"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nc State Wolfpack men's lacrosse 1972 establishments in North Carolina 1982 disestablishments in North Carolina Lacrosse clubs established in 1972 Lacrosse clubs disestablished in 1982

History

Season Results

See also

References