The Portland LumberJax (sometimes referred to as the Jax) were a 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 extensively ...

team in the

National Lacrosse League The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a men's professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The NLL currently has fifteen teams: ten in the United Stat ...

(NLL), which started playing in the 2006 season and ended operations after the 2009 season.

Angela Batinovich Angela Batinovich is an American businesswoman, notable for being the youngest owner of a professional U.S. sports team. She is the creator of "Bat's Daughter", a line of women's clothing. Her father, Robert Batinovich, is a successful real estate ...

, the owner of the team, entered the league as the youngest owner of a professional sports franchise at the age of 24. Announced by the NLL on May 11, 2005, the LumberJax played their home games at the

Rose Garden A rose garden or rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses, and sometimes rose species. Most often it is a section of a larger garden. Designs vary tremendously and roses m ...

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. It was announced on May 4, 2009 that the team would be leaving Portland after four seasons of play and on July 7, 2009 the NLL held a dispersal draft for the Lumberjax players.

Franchise history

The expansion LumberJax got off to a slow start in their

first year A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

, but later turned their season around and made it to the playoffs with an 11-5 record. The LumberJax finished first in their division, becoming the only expansion team to win their division in the 20-year history of the NLL. The LumberJax season ended with a loss in the opening round of the playoffs to the

Arizona Sting The Arizona Sting was a member of the National Lacrosse League from 2004 to 2007. They played at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, from 2001 to 2003 as the Columbus Landsharks. On August 28, 2003, it was announced that the team was relocating to ...

. The LumberJax were less successful in their sophomore season, finishing last in the West Division with a 4-12 record. In their

third year Third year, also known as S3, is the third year of schooling in Scottish secondary schools, and is roughly equivalent to Year 10 in England and Wales and Year 11 in Northern Ireland. Most pupils are 14 or 15 years old at the end of S3. Traditiona ...

, the LumberJax finished with a sub-500 record for the second straight year (6-10), but were able to enter the playoffs as the fourth-seed in the West. The LumberJax won their first playoff game in franchise history on May 4, 2008, an 18-16 victory over the

San Jose Stealth The San Jose Stealth were a member of the National Lacrosse League, the professional box lacrosse league of North America from 2004 NLL season, 2004 until 2009 NLL season, 2009. They played at the HP Pavilion at San Jose, which is also the home of ...

at the

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Dan Dawson Dan Dawson (born December 11, 1981) is a Canadian professional lacrosse player for the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League, Brampton Excelsiors (MSL) of Major Series Lacrosse, and is currently a free agent in Major League Lacrosse. Daws ...

scored 7 goals and added 5 assists for a total of 12 points. They then defeated the

Calgary Roughnecks The Calgary Roughnecks are a professional box lacrosse team based in Calgary, Alberta. They are members of the Western Division of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and play their home games on WestJet Field at Scotiabank Saddledome. The t ...

in the Western Division Final 16-12, to earn their first ever trip to the

Champion's Cup The National Lacrosse League Cup is the trophy awarded each year to the champions of the National Lacrosse League. Prior to 2018, the league awarded the Champions Cup. Winners Most Valuable Players All-time Finals appearances since leagu ...

, which took place Saturday, May 17, 2008 at the

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against the

Buffalo Bandits The Buffalo Bandits are a professional box lacrosse team in the East Division of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). They play at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. The Bandits played in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League from 1992 to 1997, t ...

at 7:30 PM Eastern. The LumberJax lost 14-13. On May 4, 2009 the team announced it would be leaving Portland after four seasons of play due to financial concerns. Future options included moving the franchise to another city or selling it to new owners; however on July 7, 2009, a dispersal draft was held for Portland's players, essentially shutting down the franchise.

Awards and honors

All-time record

Playoff results

References

{{Defunct NLL Defunct National Lacrosse League teams Lacrosse clubs established in 2005 Lacrosse clubs disestablished in 2009 Defunct sports teams in Oregon LumberJax Lacrosse teams in Oregon 2005 establishments in Oregon 2009 disestablishments in Oregon

Franchise history

Awards and honors

All-time record

Playoff results

See also

References