Lacrosse: Celebrities That Once Played the "Creator's Game"

According to several surveys and outlets, lacrosse is currently the fastest growing sport in the country.

More kids—girls and boys—are playing. More high schools and colleges are providing programs to those players. Major League Lacrosse, the premier outdoor league in the USA, expanded by two teams this year with plans to introduce even more new teams in the future. The MLL also signed a big television deal with CBS Sports this past year.

The game has grown from Long Island and Baltimore to Virginia and New England and all the way to California and Denver. The players are becoming more popular than ever, even where a guy like Paul Rabil is on a number of commercials for athletic apparel.

While there are a number of stars today like Rabil, Matt Danowski and Kyle Harrison, there are also several celebrities that grew up playing the game and might have gone pro in lacrosse had that been an option years ago.

Here are some famous people that you may or may not know to have played “the Creator’s Game”:

Jay Silverheels



Silverheels is the nickname of the actor that played Tonto on “The Lone Ranger”.

Born Harold J. Smith on the Six Nations Reservation in Canada joined the semi-pro Mohawk Stars at the age of 16 as a way to make some extra money for his family during the Great Depression. He had good hands and was quite agile. He was a very swift player, well known for wearing white cleats, which earned him the nickname “Silverheels”. He grew to be one of the nation’s highest-scoring and highest-paid players.

Erin Burnett



She has her own show on CNN (“Erin Burnett OutFront”), has been on the cover of Maxim magazine and has served as an advisor to Donald Trump on the hit-television show “Celebrity Apprentice”.

But before all that, the now-35-year-old was a lacrosse player.

She played at her high school, St. Andrew’s School in Delaware, and went on to play in college at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass where she received her B.A. in Political Economy.

Peter Dante



You may not recognize his name but you’ll definitely recognize his face. Dante has played in just about every Adam Sandler movie since “The Wedding Singer”.

Dante has been very involved in lacrosse throughout his life. He played at Hofstra in the ‘80s and is still active in the sport even after appearing in so many movies. Dante was a coach for the LXM Pro Tour for its first few outings and is currently an assistant coach at Loyola Marymount.

Mick Foley



Foley grew up on Long Island, so naturally he was a lacrosse player. And it makes total sense that the former WWE Hardcore Champion would be willing to play goalie and stand in front of shots.

Foley (a.k.a Mankind, a.k.a Cactus Jack, a.k.a Dude Love) attended Ward Melville High School in East Setauket, New York and played on the lacrosse team. He also played a bit at SUNY Cortland before leaving to become a professional wrestler.

Bruce Arena



He is known as one of the best soccer coaches in the history of the United States. He’s led the University of Virginia, D.C. United and the Los Angeles Galaxy to numerous championships and also led the United States Men’s National Team to two World Cups (including the incredible quarterfinals run in 2002).

He grew up playing soccer but was also a phenomenal lacrosse player.

Another Long Island-native, Arena played at Nassau Community College before transferring to Cornell University. At Cornell he was an All-Ivy first team lacrosse midfielder his junior and senior years. After graduation he played in the National Lacrosse League in 1975 and was also a member of the U.S. national team in 1974 and played for the U.S. in the World Lacrosse Games in 1978.

Dave Grohl



The rock star grew up in Virginia, a state with a pretty good lacrosse scene. The Foo Fighters front-man paid a lot of attention to learning the drums but he was active too. Grohl is famous in his music for being a hard hitting drummer so it’s not surprising that he was drawn to such a hard hitting sport.

In an interview with US Weekly, Grohl admits that lacrosse was his favorite sport growing up and that he played goalie.

John Kerry



The senior United States Senator and former Democratic Presidential Candidate was a former lacrosse player.

Kerry played lacrosse and hockey at St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire, where he was a teammate of current FBI director Robert Mueller. Kerry continued his hockey career at Yale, where he also played JV lacrosse.

He’s a politician by day, but still to this day Kerry is a huge sports fan and enthusiast.

Bill Belichick



He’s one of the best coaches in the NFL, but New England Patriots head coach also has a strong affinity for and knowledge of lacrosse.

Belichick was a captain his senior year at Wesleyan University in 1975. In an interview with USA Today his coach says Belichick “was an excellent leader. We had two kids on each side of him who had never played lacrosse before, and he coached them to become very good lacrosse players.”

The hooded-one still keeps an eye on the game today. He’s done a few interviews talking about his love for the sport and his support of Major League Lacrosse. He was also spotted at the Big City Classic, watching from the Johns Hopkins sidelines.

Wayne Gretzky



The “Great One” wasn’t an exceptional athlete in only one sport. Lacrosse is one of the National Sports of Canada (along with ice hockey) and as a kid Gretzky played the sport just like many other Canadians and ice hockey players.

Gretzky and commented on kids playing multiple sports and his experiences playing lacrosse. He wrote, “I could hardly wait to get my lacrosse stick out and start throwing the ball around. It didn’t matter how cold or rainy it would be, we’d be out firing the ball against walls and working on our moves as we played the lacrosse equivalent to road hockey.”

Jim Brown

Brown is the only player to be inducted into the halls of fame for the NFL, college football and lacrosse. Regarded as one of the best athletes the country has ever produced, Brown says lacrosse was his favorite sport.

He played at Manhasset High School on Long Island and went on to play at Syracuse University. He was an All-American midfielder his senior year, where he scored 43 goals and had 21 assists.

It is also speculated that Brown influenced two rule changes in the sport: the need to cradle the ball away from the body rather than trap it against your body and players were no longer allowed to thumb the ball to keep it in the head.

Photo Credits.
Brown: AP Photo
Silverheels: AP Photo
Burnett: AP Photo/Starpix, Amanda Schwab
Dante: Lacrosseplayground.com
Foley: AP Photo/Jeff Christensen
Arena: AP Photo/Gregory Bull
Grohl: Mark Davis/AP Images for VH1
Kerry: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Belichick: AP Photo/Michael Dwyer
Gretzky: AP Photo

Jets vs. Patriots: You Look Familiar

AP Photo/Winslow Townson

Players and coaches in the AFC East are notorious for rotating amongst teams in the division. Especially prevalent is subjects switching sides in the heated rivalry between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets.

In 1997, after the Jets were a league-worst 1-15, they were able to bring over Bill Parcells from the Patriots (not after sending them third and fourth round draft picks in 1997, a second in 1998, and a first in 1999).

Parcells switched benches and brought a number of coaching staff and players with him. One year later, the New York team signed running back Curtis Martin away from New England. Martin went on to be selected to three Pro Bowls and win one rushing title.

Now in 2010, the two teams meet on Monday Night Football, in a dead heat atop the division at 9-2. The winner of the game could go a long way to winning the division and possibly earning home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

So let’s take a look at those involved in the matchup that have been on both sides of the battle.

Matt Cavanaugh, Quarterbacks coach, Jets

Cavanaugh spent the first five of his 14 NFL seasons with the Patriots. He played in 52 games, but not as a starter until his third season with the team (1980). He had a 54 percent completion percentage, 3018 yards passing, 19 passing touchdowns, 23 interceptions, and three rushing touchdowns.

In 2009, Rex Ryan brought Cavanaugh in from the University of Pittsburgh as his quarterbacks coach.

Shawn Crable, LB, Jets

Crable was another 2008 third round pick by the Patriots. He was placed on injured reserve in 2008 and 2009. At the beginning of this season he was signed to the practice squad, then promoted to the 53-man roster September 25. He played in six games, made four tackles and half a sack, and was released November 16.

Three days later he was signed to the Jets practice squad.

Kevin O’Connell, QB, Jets

The Patriots selected O’Connell in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft, the highest they took a quarterback since Drew Bledsoe in the first round of 1993.
He played in two games, completed four of six passes for 23 yards, and was waived the following offseason.

He was picked up by the Detroit Lions on September 1, but was traded five days later to the Jets for a seventh round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

When the Jets played the Patriots on September 20, O’Connell was named a team captain. Although he didn’t play, it was said he provided inside information to the Jets on how the Patriots pick up opposing blitzes.

With a new two-year contract, O’Connell is currently on injured reserve after surgery on a torn labrum in his throwing arm.

Damien Woody, OL, Jets

Woody was a Pats first-round pick in 1999. He started in 76 games for the Patriots and was a member of the 2001 and 2003 Super Bowl champion teams, although he didn’t play in the 2003 Super Bowl because of a knee injury. He was also a Pro-Bowler in 2002.

He left the following offseason, signing a free agent deal with the Detroit Lions, started every game in 2004 and 2005, then missed most of 2006 while on injured reserve.

Woody signed a five-year contract with the Jets in 2008 and has started every single game for the Jets since (43 regular season games).

Corwin Brown, Defensive Backs coach, Patriots

Originally drafted by the Patriots as a player in 1993, he played with the Patriots through 1996. In 1997 he followed Bill Parcells from the Pats to the Jets, where in two seasons he recorded 29 tackles and one interception.

Brown began a coaching career in 2001, when he joined Virginia as a special teams coach. In 2004 he joined the Jets as a defensive backs coach for three seasons. After three more years at Notre Dame, Brown came back to where his professional career began, joining the Patriots staff as a defensive backs coach for Bill Belichick, who also coached him during his time with the Patriots and Jets.

Pepper Johnson, Defensive Line coach, Patriots

Famous as a player for his time with the New York Giants, with whom he began his career, Johnson—a Parcells and Belichick guy—rejoined the two with the other New York team, the Jets, for the final two seasons of his playing career.

He played 24 games as a Jet, registering 68 tackles, one sack and one interception.
In 2000, Johnson joined the Patriots coaching staff as an assistant linebackers coach. He’s moved up from there to inside linebackers coach to his current position of defensive line coach. Over the offseason, he was a possible candidate to become the new defensive coordinator before Belichick assumed the responsibilities.

Danny Woodhead, RB, Patriots

Woodhead was signed by the Jets in 2008 as an undrafted rookie out of NCAA Division II Chadron State College, and spent the season on injured reserve.

In 2009 he was put on the practice squad, shifted to wide receiver, and was promoted to the active roster. He played in ten games, carrying the ball 15 times for 64 yards and catching eight passes for 87 yards.

On the Jets installment of Hard Knocks, Woodhead endeared himself to many as the typical underdog story because of his size (only 5’7”) and the fact that he did not play at a Division I school. However, he was cut by the team.

Then, one day before the Pats-Jets matchup in Week 2, New England signed Woodhead to the roster. He was inactive for that game, but with the Pats lack of depth at running back with the injury of Kevin Faulk, Woodhead started in Week 3 and has been a great producer for the Pats.

He has 64 carries for 344 yards and three touchdowns, and 24 receptions for 230 yards and two more touchdowns. New England signed him to a two-year contract extension.

Bill Belichick, Head Coach, Patriots

Starting his coaching career with the New York Giants, Belichick became a Bill Parcells guy when he was named the team’s defensive coordinator in 1985, where they won two Super Bowls. Belichick was Browns head coach for five years before rejoining Parcells with the Patriots in 1996. One season later he left the Pats to move to the Jets with Parcells. He was assistant head coach and defensive coordinator from 1997 to 1999. Parcells stepped down as head coach and the Jets tabbed Belichick as his predecessor. He was to be introduced to the media, but instead, he resigned from the position that day.

He accepted an offer from the Patriots to be their head coach. The Jets demanded compensation, so the Pats gave them a first-round draft pick. Since then, Belichick has guided the Pats to three Super Bowl wins, four AFC championships, and an undefeated regular season in 2007.

He has a record of 121-50 in the regular season with the Pats, and 14-4 in the playoffs.

Bill Belichick Saw Something We Didn't When He Traded Randy Moss

AP Photo/Winslow Townson

When the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick traded away Randy Moss, many were up in arms.

The best deep threat in the game was gone. Could any young receivers step up? Defenses didn’t have to double Moss anymore. How would the different coverage affect the receivers? Wes Welker? The running game?

The Patriots went out and picked up Deion Branch to add to the wide receiver depth chart. But really, how could the Patriots be a better team without Moss?

The Pats faithful responded differently however. They just said that Bill must have seen something and they were cutting ties before it affected the team.

But what did Belichick see? In a non-scheduled press conference, he told everyone Moss’ contract situation and off-field attitude were not reasons for the move. So what was it, other than getting a third-round pick, which was seen as below value for the future Hall of Fame receiver?

Maybe they just saw a decline in production; in four games Moss had nine catches for 139 yards (no more than 59 yards in one game) and three touchdowns, not to mention not catching a single pass in the Miami game and didn’t play in the second half yet the team winning 41-14 anyway.

So he went to Minnesota. Four more games, 13 more receptions, 174 yards (declining each game), and only two touchdowns later Moss was released.

Meanwhile the Patriots won three games without the enigmatic wide out. They’ve seen Branch and Brandon Tate step up and have big games. They haven’t been the prettiest games offensively, but they’ve gotten the job done and now have the best record in the NFL (6-1).

The Vikings are a bit of a mess right now, and the decision to let Moss go after giving up a third-round draft pick (maybe low for Moss, but still having value) only a month prior speaks volumes of the mismanagement going on.

However, reports have (again) surfaced of Moss’ mouth and attitude off the field being reasons for his dismissal from his team. Head Coach Brad Childress apparently told his team, when referring to Moss’ release, “We want good people who are good football players. This just doesn't fit,” according to Yahoo! Sports.

And once again, Moss had a poor game before his departure, catching only one pass for eight yards.

So is Moss a cantankerous individual unhappy with his stability with teams in the league and a disruptive force in the locker room? Is his production just not good enough?

And if Moss doesn’t get claimed by anyone, he can re-sign with New England for the rest of the season for a fraction of the cost (if money was the issue for the Pats).

Whatever the case with Moss, whatever teams he winds up on and how the Pats play their hand, Bill Belichick looks like an extremely smart man right now.

And those Pats/Belichick faithful look even better.

Vindicated

AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

Yes, the most die-hard of New England Patriots fans have put their entire trust in Bill Belichick over the years and do not question him.

But they aren’t in the majority.

Last year the Pats got beat down in the first round of the NFL Playoffs by the Baltimore Ravens, leaving many to comment that the dynasty was dead. Many opined that Belichick was a control freak when he took over the defensive coordinator position, along with the offensive coordinator position rather than hiring people to fill those spots. And all hell broke loose when Randy Moss, arguably a future Hall-of-Famer, was traded away for the bargain-price of a third round draft pick.

Belichick must be laughing right now.

Avenge the playoff loss as best as they possibly could? Check.

Win without Randy Moss? Check.

Win using his preferred style of offense, spreading the ball around? Check.

New England’s 23-20 win over Baltimore has some people trumpeting the Patriots as one of the top teams in the NFL.

Deion Branch, the man the Pats traded for after dumping Moss—which seems to constitute a shift back in time in both offensive philosophy and personnel—caught a game-high nine passes for a team-high 98 yards and a touchdown.

He and Tom Brady seemed to have lost no chemistry regardless of the four-year layover. He made Patriot fans, for the moment, forget about Moss. And he earned a postgame hug from Belichick.

For the rest of the offense, three players caught five or more passes, and four had 50-plus yards receiving. They also had two players rush the ball at least 10 times.

The defense, criticized for being young, inexperienced and far from polished, bent but did not break. The Patriots beat the Ravens in yards gained. The Ravens running game was kept to less than 99 total yards, mostly thanks to the 10-plus tackles from Jerod Mayo, Brandon Spikes and Patrick Chung.

The Patriots executed well on offense against one of the premier defenses in the NFL, and the defense kept a Ravens offense with eight former Pro-Bowlers at bay.

Bill Belichick was vindicated Sunday afternoon.

The on-going soap opera will now be whether he really is the best coach in the league or whether this will make him so full of himself that he thinks he can do anything and continue to walk the fine line between genius and crazy.

New England Patriots Training Camp Questions

With the start of training camp comes the start of a new NFL season. It’s a bit cliché, but every team starts 0-0 and with optimism that they could pull everything together and win the Super Bowl.

Some teams can be more optimistic than others. The New England Patriots are one of them. The Patriots have the talent and organization to be set up to win now.

That said, they are far from a perfect squad. The team is undergoing a youth movement on the defensive side of the ball, have some early injury concerns, and still have some off-field business matters to take care of.

Here are some of the Patriots’ biggest questions that need to be answered for the team to have a successful season.

Who will start at cornerback opposite Leigh Bodden?



Leigh Bodden’s five interception season earned him a new contract with the Patriots, but who will the team partner with him?

The two leading candidates are second-year corner Darius Butler and first-round draft pick Devin McCourty.

Butler played in 14 games last season, registering 33 tackles and three interceptions, including returning one for a touchdown.

McCourty is extremely versatile and could play a big role on special teams as well as on defense.

Early expectations had the team bringing on McCourty slowly, but he has been taking a lot of reps with the first-team defense alongside Bodden, before Bodden was taken out because of injury.

With Bodden temporarily sidelined, McCourty and Butler will both start in the team’s first exhibition game, and will battle each other the entire preseason for the right to start.

One would think because of the way the Patriots handle their players that Butler has the edge because of his experience in the team’s system, but McCourty looks to be on the fast-track to playing time.

Both prospects have bright futures, and the competition will make them that much better. But right now, only one will get the nod to start.

Vince Wilfork got his money. Will he live up to his new contract?

Players in the last year of their contract typically play strongly, working to ensure a big payday in the offseason. The problem is that once they do get that new contract they aren’t as motivated and see a sharp decline in stats.



The perfect example is the previous big-name defensive tackle free agent before Wilfork: Albert Haynesworth.

In 2008, Haynesworth put up career-highs in games started (14), total tackles (41), sacks (8.5), and forced fumbles (3). He signed a contract with the Washington Redskins worth $100 million with $41 million guaranteed.

He then proceeded to go down in all those categories, starting only 12 games, registering 29 total tackles, eight sacks, and forcing zero fumbles.

This year he has had trouble even passing a conditioning test.

Wilfork did not have a career year in 2009. Still he was too important to the Patriots team and defense to let go, and he got his new contract. It wasn’t Haynesworth money, but it was certainly not table scraps.

The Patriots organization and coaching staff has done a good job bringing in quality players, both with football talent and locker room character, and Wilfork has been a vital part with strong winning teams, so it’s unlikely that he become complacent now that he has his money.

How will extra responsibility affect Bill Belichick?

The Patriots will enter the season without an offensive and defensive coordinator. Belichick will be the primary play-caller for both sides of the ball.

Belichick was already heavily involved with the defense, as that was his specialty coming into the league, but now he assumes more responsibility.



Belichick’s play calling on offense was heavily scrutinized when instead of punting on fourth down on their own 28-yard line with a six point lead and two minutes remaining against the Colts, they went for it. They failed to convert and gave the ball back to Indianapolis and Peyton Manning with plenty of time and little field left to win the game.

Considered one of, if not the best coach in the league, is Belichick taking on too much? Is his control of the team reaching too far?

When will Wes Welker be ready to play?

Welker tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the regular season finale against Houston and was expected to miss at least the first half of the season. He was placed on the physically unable to perform list, but showed up at camp.



Then he was removed from the PUP, and once removed a player cannot be put back on the list. This lead to speculation that Welker could be ready sooner than expected.

Welker has said he even hopes to be ready for Week 1 against the Bengals. He has not missed a day of camp and participated in full-contact drills.

Still, for a player that relies heavily on his route running and cutting, one has to wonder how affective Welker will be and when he will be at full strength, physically and mentally.

What does the future hold for Tom Brady?

Tom Brady’s contract situation has been the biggest story of the Patriots’ offseason.

The franchise quarterback is in the final year of his contract and the future isn’t so clear.

While he is the face of the team, the two sides have not been able to agree on an extension. Currently he is scheduled to make $6.5 million this season, well-below the price-tag of other elite quarterbacks. The biggest factor in extending Brady’s deal is the uncertainty of labor negotiations for next season and what contract stipulations and changes could come from a new collective bargaining agreement.

Another factor, although not nearly as pressing as the labor issues, is that Peyton Manning and Drew Brees’ deals are also set to expire and the New England brass could be waiting to see what the market price for the top-three quarterbacks in the league will be.

Still, Brady, most likely, isn’t going anywhere.

Owner Robert Kraft has said, “He’s going to be here.”

Brady himself has expressed that he wants to continue playing for a long time and that it’s every player’s desire to retire with the team that drafted the individual.

And if no extension is agreed on?

Brady is too much of a professional to allow it to become a distraction. He has yet to voice his displeasure. Also, players are known to have career years at the end of their deals, attempting to cash in on a strong campaign.

Photo Credits.
Tom Brady: AP Photo/Steven Senne
Devin McCourty: AP Photo/Elise Amendola
Vince Wilfork: AP Photo/Stew Milne
Bill Belichick: AP Photo/Steven Senne
Wes Welker: AP Photo/Stew Milne