Harvard Crimson men's lacrosse

History

19th century

Harvard fielded its first lacrosse team in 1878,

In 1882, the Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association was formed, and the following season also inducted the newly established Yale lacrosse team. Harvard and Princeton dominated the league throughout the 1880s, and the Crimson claimed the title in 1882, 1885, 1886, and 1887.

20th century

The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse League (USILL) was formed in 1905, divided into a Northern Division and Southern Division. Championships were awarded in each division based on record and strength of schedule. Harvard was named the Northern Division champions six consecutive seasons from 1908 to 1913, and again in 1915.

In 1941, Navy refused to play the integrated Harvard team, so its athletic director ordered home its one black player rather than forfeit the game. The Crimson secured the Ivy League championship with the best league record in 1964*, 1980*, 1990*, and 2014* (* denotes title shared with at least one other team). In 1971, the NCAA established the national championship tournament. Harvard made its first appearance in 1980, when it lost in the first round to Johns Hopkins, 16–12. The Crimson returned to the event in 1988 and were edged, 10–9, by Navy in the opening round. In 1990, Harvard won its first NCAA tournament game when it defeated Notre Dame, 9–3. In the quarterfinals, the Crimson were beaten handily, 18–3, by North Carolina. Harvard returned to the quarterfinals in 1996, after beating Hofstra, 15–12, and then fell to eventual national runners-up Virginia, 23–12.

21st century

After their 1996 appearance, the Crimson did not reach the tournament for another decade; when they were beaten in the 2006 first round by Syracuse, 11–4.

Head coaches

• Unknown (1881–1902)
• McConaghy (1903)
• Unknown (1904–1909)
• E. A. Menary (1910)
• Unknown (1911–1916)
• No team (1917–1918)
• Michael H. Cochrane (1919)
• Paul Gustafson (1920–1923)
• Unknown (1924)
• Irving Lydecker (1925–1926)
• Talbot Hunter (1927)
• Talbot Hunter & H. W. Jeffers (1928)
• Madison Sayles and E. F. Gamache (1929)
• Madison Sayles (1930–1932)
• Robert Poole (1933–1935)
• Neil Stahley (1936–1939)
• John Witherspoon (1940–1941)
• Benjamin R. Martin (1942–1943)
• No team (1944–1946)
• Robert Maddux (1947–1948)
• J. Bruce Munro (1949–1974)
• Bob Scalise (1975–1987)
• Scott Anderson (1988–2007)
• John Tillman (2008–2010)
• Chris Wojcik (2011–19)
• Gerry Byrne (2019–present)

Season results

The following is a list of Harvard's results by season as an NCAA Division I program:

|}} |}} |}} |}} †NCAA canceled 2020 collegiate activities due to the COVID-19 virus.

†† Ivy League cancelled 2021 collegiate season due to the COVID-19 virus.

References

References

1. [https://gocrimson.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/stats/2024/bryant/boxscore/30816 Men's lacrosse schedule] (2024) on gocrimson.com
2. [http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/mlax/2009-10/mlaxprospectus10.pdf 2010 Quick Facts]{{Dead link. (August 2025)
3. and the following year, joined the United States National Amateur Lacrosse Association alongside [[NYU Violets. 0-8018-8371-7.
4. I. B. Lydecker, [http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1925/5/23/lydecker-tells-history-of-lacrosse-from/ LYDECKER TELLS HISTORY OF LACROSSE FROM TIME OF INDIAN TO PRESENT DAY; Coach of University Lacrosse Team Narrates Progress of Sport Since Medicine Men Were Umpires and Squaws Joined Cheering Section to Urge on Warriors], ''The Harvard Crimson'', May 23, 1925, retrieved May 31, 2010.
5. [http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2004/12/12/southern_discomfort/Southern Discomfort; With quiet grace, two black men change the heart of Harvard in 1941.], ''The Boston Herald'', December 12, 2004, retrieved May 31, 2010.
6. [http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/LAX_Records/2008_m_w_lacrosse_records.pdf Official 2008 NCAA Men's and Women's Lacrosse Record Book] (PDF), [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]], retrieved May 30, 2010.