| American Lacrosse League | |
| Sport: | Field lacrosse |
| Founded: | 1988 |
| Teams: | 6 |
| Champion: | Not Awarded |
| Folded: | 1988 |
The American Lacrosse League ("ALL") was a professional lacrosse league that played for one partial season in 1988. At the time it featured most of the best lacrosse players in the world who played some of the most exciting lacrosse games ever witnessed. It was founded by Terry Wallace and Bruce Meierdiercks, former teammates at Adelphi University.[1] The league folded after five weeks of play.[2] [3]
Wallace and Meierdiercks tried to fashion the new league after the success of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League which commenced operations in 1987. Both leagues employed a "single entity" ownership model, instead of franchise being owned individually. The league owned all of the teams which helped to keep costs down.[4]
Meierdiercks in announcing the league's formation stated "Terry and I were All Americans and we love lacrosse. We're not doing this for the money. We're financially sound and in a position to do this for two years." He continued "then we plan to sell the franchises to the GM's - at least give them the first right of refusal. Then Terry and I will probably take over an expansion franchise in Philadelphia or Los Angeles or San Francisco."[5] Meierdiericks claimed at the time that he and Wallace invested $2 million of their own capital into the league by "pre-paying" expenses to give the infant league two years of financial runway.[6]
In an attempt to distance the outdoor version from the pro wrestling atmosphere that permeated the MILL, in a "shot across the MILL's bow"[7] the ALL leaders stated the games would be played in a family atmosphere with no alcoholic beverages sold, affordable ticket prices ($8 per game single tickets and $56 season tickets) and the players were to be "drug tested." The ALL stated that with 2,500 paying fans per game, the league could break even the first year.[8] The league introduced numerous rule changes to the sport designed to create more offense and excitement including a 25 second clearing clock and 3 long stick defenders on the filed maximum at any one time. [9]
The ALL announced a 10-game cable TV package deal with the FNN/MSG (Madison Square Garden network), which reached at the time over 32 million television homes.[8] As it turned out, no drug testing was ever performed on players or included in any of the player contracts. In addition, the concept of a "family atmosphere" was also a fiction as Denver Rifles co-Captain, Steve Bevelle, overheard the League owners instructing the referees in confidence prior to the first game in Boston to "put away the whistles and let the men play." The clear inference was to let the games indeed turn into the WWE but with sticks and helmets.thumb]]
The League announced a 6-team league with each team playing 15 games. Teams were set in Boston, Baltimore, Syracuse, New Jersey, Long Island and Denver. The league attracted some of the greatest lacrosse players of the era including USA World team members and US Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductees such as Brook Sweet (University of Massachusetts), Brad Kotz (Syracuse University), Bill Bergan (Hobart College), Tim Schurr (Washington & Lee University), Peter Scott (Johns Hopkins), Steve Beville (Washington College), Gerry Byrne (University of Massachusetts), Zack Colburn (UPenn), Todd Curry (Syracuse University), Michael Burnett (UNC), John Nostrant (Washington College), Kevin Martin (Hobart College), Dan Pratt (Syracuse University), Mark Burnham (Syracuse University), Travis Solomon (Syracuse University), Greg Tarbell (Syracuse University) and Tom Rosa (Hobart College) to name just some of the 138 players drafted and signed by the league (80% of the players were All-Americans in college). Baltimore attackman, US Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductee Brooks Sweet[10] stated "Every game is going to be like Hopkins vs. Hopkins. I was skeptical at first, but when I saw the caliber of players in the league, I was impressed."[11] thumb]]
For the most part, players were assigned to teams on a regional basis to increase fan loyalty stemming from their college experiences. The Syracuse team was made up of mostly Syracuse University and Hobart College players; The Boston team made up of University of Massachusetts and Brown University players; the Baltimore team consisted of Johns Hopkins, University of North Carolina and Loyola University athletes; the Denver Rifles had players hailing from The University of Colorado, Colorado State University and Colorado College etc. Players were signed to uniform two-year contracts that paid $4,800 the first year and $6,000 in 1989. At that same time the MILL (the indoor league) was still paying its players $100 per game.[12] The first player officially signed by the league was Greg Fisk, an All-American Midfield hailing from the University of Massachusetts and signed to the Boston Militia.[13]
The league was a forerunner in introducing new and improved rules for the sport of lacrosse, some of which are still in vogue today. The goal was to increase the pace of play, create more offense and make the games more exciting. These rules included such innovative ideas such as a 25-second shot clock, allowing only 3 long poles permitted on the field at any one time (the college rules allowed 5 at that time), unlimited on the fly substitutions (i.e. no horns like in college) and delayed penalties on fast Breaks.[14]
The 1988 inaugural season of the ALL kicked off with three Sunday afternoon tilts on April 24, 1988. Syracuse traveled to Long Island and the turf at Hofstra University to play the Sachems (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEEdUOY2M4o&t=356s), Denver flew into Boston to face the Militia at Tufts University and The Baltimore Tribe ventured up I-95 to square off with the New Jersey Arrows.
The quality of play on the field proved to be a pleasant surprise as the games were fast, exciting and played with unprecedented skill. The problem came with the attendance or lack of attendance. Only 600 paying fans attended the New Jersey game and the following week in the hot bed of lacrosse, Baltimore, only 500 fans attended the very exciting match. The Tribes second home game drew a smaller crowd of 300 fans.[15] On the Other hand, Denver, proved to be a pleasant surprise as 2,7000 paying patrons attended the Rifles exciting overtime victory over New Jersey.
By May 19, teams had played four games. However, it as rapidly becoming apparent that the owners had grossly misstated the amount of capital they had invested. Baltimore player checks bounced and then their General Manager abruptly resigned. Games started being postponed and the Rifles suspended operations.[16]
As the league floundered, a few of the Long Island players encouraged Wallace and Meierdiericks to meet them in person at the bank in Long Island to pay their salaries under threat of major slashing penalties and they did.
The most definitive piece written on the league was penned by Steve Holroyd in crossecheck.com/2019/03/17/american-lacrosse-league-1988/#_edn1 The American Lacrosse League.
The Baltimore Tribe was an original six member of the American Lacrosse League, a short lived professional lacrosse league in 1988, that was based in Catonsville, Maryland. The Tribe played their home games at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The original General Manager was Bob Griebe. Mark Glagola replaced Griebe, who resigned c. May 14, 1988. Frank Messanotte was the head coach. Brooks Sweet and Brian Wood played for the Tribe. Other players were Peter and Brent Voelkel, Chris Walker, Brad Kotz, Todd Curry and goalie Gavin Moag. The team colors were Carolina Blue and White. The Tribe had a 2–2 record when the league folded.
| Jersey Number | Name | College | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Michael Burnett | University of North Carolina North Carolina Tar Heels men's lacrosse | Attack |
| 4 | Brent Voelkel | Attack | |
| 5 | John Nostrant | (Washington College) | Midfield |
| 7 | Mickey Matthews | (Brown University) | Attack/Mid |
| 9 | Brooks Sweet | (University of Massachusetts) | Attack |
| 13 | Bobby Powers | (Towson University) | Midfield |
| 14 | Leo Paytas | Attack | |
| 15 | Brian Wood | (Johns Hopkins University) Johns Hopkins Blue Jays men's lacrosse | Attack |
| 16 | Todd Curry | (Syracuse University) | Midfield |
| 17 | Pete Hanlon | (Towson University) | Defense |
| 18 | Chris Walker | Defense | |
| 19 | Wayne McPartland | (Loyola University) | Defense |
| 20 | Steve Mutscheller | Midfield | |
| 21 | Gavin Moag | (Towson University) | Goalie |
| 22 | Chris D. Walker | (University of Virginia) | Defense |
| 23 | Kevin Mahon | (Johns Hopkins University) Johns Hopkins Blue Jays men's lacrosse | Goalie |
| 24 | Peter Voelkel | Midfield | |
| 25 | Brian Jackson | Defense | |
| 27 | Tony Olmert | Midfield | |
| 28 | Neal Barthelme | (Loyola University) | Midfield |
| 29 | Zack Colburn | Defense | |
| 30 | Midfield | ||
The Boston Militia was an outdoor lacrosse team in the short lived American Lacrosse League formed in 1988.[17] The Militia played their home games at Ellis Oval on the campus of Tufts University. The general manager for the Militia was Chris Harvey and the head coach was David Hill. The Militia compiled a record of two wins and two losses before the American Lacrosse league ceased operation due to financial difficulties. Some of the Militia's notable players were Barry Fraser, Bruce Chanenchuk and goalie Dan O'Neill.
| Jersey Number | Name | College | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Steve Glover | University of New Hampshire | Attack |
| 7 | John Gower | Ohio Wesleyan University | Mid |
| 9 | Greg Fisk | University of Massachusetts | Mid |
| 10 | Steve Giatrelis | Attack/Mid | |
| 12 | Bill Bergan | Hobart College | Mid |
| 13 | Bruce Chanenchuck | Johns Hopkins University | Mid |
| 14 | Tom Gagnon | Brown University | Attack |
| 15 | Tom Carmean | University of Massachusetts | Attack |
| 16 | Greg Canella | University of Massachusetts | Attack |
| 17 | Dave Desko | Syracuse University | Mid |
| 18 | Karl Hatton | University of Massachusetts | Mid |
| 19 | Steve Heffernan | Brown University | Mid |
| 20 | Paul Fogarty | University of Massachusetts | Mid |
| 21 | Barry Cain | University of Massachusetts | Defense |
| 22 | Tim Schurr | Washington & Lee | Defense |
| 23 | John Fenton | Brown University | Defense |
| 24 | Ray Cozzi | Defense | |
| 25 | Micahel Higgins | Defense | |
| 26 | Andy Soma | Goalie | |
| 27 | Todd Francis | Defense | |
| 28 | Jeff Hacker | Mid | |
| 29 | Dan O'Neil | Goalie | |
| 30 | Barry Fraser | University of New Hampshire | Attack |
| Name | College | Position | Jersey Number | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Scott | Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins Blue Jays men's lacrosse | Attack | 3 | |
| Terry Claasen | Colorado College | Midfield | 4 | |
| Brian Salazar | University of Colorado | FOGO/Midfield | 5 | |
| Sam Hovey | St. Lawrence University | Attack | 6 | |
| Mark Branigan | Syracuse University Syracuse Orange | Midfield | 9 | |
| Danny Cisneros | Bowdoin College | Goalie | 12 | |
| Ray Stoughton | Roanoke College | Attack | 15 | |
| Tim Kisielnicki | UMBC | Midfield | 17 | |
| Sam Carpenter | Middlebury College | Defense | 18 | |
| Jim Guthrie | Roanoke College | Midfield | 19 | |
| Randy Cox | University of North Carolina | Defense | 20 | |
| Rick Parietti | Colorado State University | Midfield | 21 | |
| David Traylor | University of Colorado | Midfield | 22 | |
| Jim Hannon | Hobart College | Defense | 23 | |
| Chris Rossi | Syracuse University Syracuse Orange | Midfield | 24 | |
| Peter Schaffer | Franklin and Marshall College | Midfield | 25 | |
| Dave DiSciorio | Rutgers University | Midfield | 26 | |
| Steve Beville | Washington College | Defense | 27 | |
| Dan Schaffer | UMBC | Goalie | 29 | |
| Paul Fazzini | Kutztown University | Defense | 30 |
| Name | College | Position | Jersey Number | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pat Tierney | Loyola University | Attack | 3 | |
| Jack Francis | University of Maryland | Midfield | 7 | |
| Bob Cummings | Cornell University | Midfield | 9 | |
| John Keough | Brown University | Attack | 10 | |
| Mark Moore | Hobart College | Midfield | 11 | |
| Dave Sherwood | Loyola University | Midfield | 13 | |
| Ed Trabulsy | Rutgers University | Attack | 14 | |
| John Shaw | Roanoke College | Midfield | 15 | |
| Dan Whelan | Hobart College | Defense | 18 | |
| Pat O'Hara | Hobart College | Midfield | 19 | |
| Scott Lohan | Brown University | Goalie | 20 | |
| Tom Grimaldi | Hobart College | Midfield | 21 | |
| Steve Mitchell | Johns Hopkins University | Defense/LSM | 22 | |
| John Shoemaker | University of Pennsylvania | attack | 23 | |
| Tom Gundersen | Cornell University | Midfield | 24 | |
| Tom Corcoran | Harvard University | Midfield | 25 | |
| Mike Webster | Johns Hopkins University | Defense | 26 | |
| Bill Hall | Denison College | Goalie | 27 | |
| Ricky Lewis | Rutgers University | Goalie | 28 | |
| Gerry Byrne | Harvard University | Defense | 29 | |
| Devin Arkinson | Hobart College | Defense | 30 |
| Team | width=50px | W! | width=50px | L! | width=50px | PCT! | width=50px | GB! | width=50px | GF! | width=50px | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse Spirit | 4 | 1 | .800 | -- | 95 | 73 | ||||||
| Long Island Sachems | 3 | 1 | .750 | 0.5 | 63 | 58 | ||||||
| Baltimore Tribe | 2 | 2 | .500 | 1.5 | 63 | 55 | ||||||
| Boston Militia | 2 | 2 | .500 | 1.5 | 60 | 60 | ||||||
| Denver Rifles | 2 | 2 | .500 | 1.5 | 52 | 61 | ||||||
| New Jersey Arrows | 0 | 5 | .000 | 4 | 64 | 90 |
thumb]]Goals Boston Steve Glover 4, Barry Fraser 3, Steve Gistrelis 2, Todd Francis, Greg Canella, Bill Bergan, Tom Gagnon; Denver Sam Hovey 3, Peter Scott3, Chris Rossi 2, Jim Guthrie, Dave Traylor, Rick Parietti, Terry Claasen, Dave DiSciorio, Ray Stoughton. Assists Boston Steve Heffernan 2, Jeff Hacker 2, Dave Desko 2, Golver, Fraser, Fisk; Denver Hover 3, Scott 2, Tim Kisielnicki. Saves Boston Andy Soma 9 Denver Danny Cisneros 24.
Scoring[19]
1st Quarter
1. NJ Trabuksy (Keough), 14:07 (Man up)
2. NJ Keough (Moore) 13:13 (Man Up)
3. Denver Parietti, 10:06
4. NJ Trabuksy (Grimaldi), 7:45
5. Denver Claasen, 6:11
6. NJ Moore (Gundersen) 5:42
2nd Quarter
7. Denver Claasen 13:56 (man up)
8. Denver Kisielnicki, 9:42
9. NJ Trobulsy (Keough) 8:41 (man up)
10. Denver Scott (Hoovey) 7:32
11. NJ Gundersen (Moore) 6:08
12. Denver Stoughton (Rossie) 2:35
13. Denver Rossi 1:49
3rd Quarter
14. NJ Gundersen 8:30
15. Denver Stoughton 7:38
16. NJ Gundersen 6:22
17. Denver Guthrie (Rossi) 4:11
18. Denver Claasen :34
4th Quarter
19. Denver Hovey (Kisienicki) 9:35
20. NJ Sherwood (Trabulsy) 7:19 (Man up)
21. NJ Keough (Moore) 6:23
22. NJ Sherwood (Trabulsy) 5:46 (Man up)
23. NJ Grimaldi (Corcoran) 4:05
24. Denver Parietti (Branigan) 2:11 (man up)
Overtime
25. Scott, 2:26
Shots NJ 49, Denver 50
Saves NJ Hall, Lohan (18 saves); Denver Cisneros (24 Saves)
Man up NJ 5 of 8; Denver 2 of 4
Attendance 2,632
thumb]]
| The video of this game can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXT02BipWts&t=1395s
1. Balt M. Mathews (J. Nostrant)2. Balt B. Sweet (M. Mathews)3. Balt M. Mathews 4. Balt M. Burnett (B. Kotz) EM5. Balt G. Moag (M. Mathews)6. Den P. Scott7. Balt B. Voekel8. Balt N. Bathelemue9. Balt B. Kotz (B. Wood)10. Balt B. Sweet (M. Mathews)11. Balt B. Sweet12. Balt P. Voekel (L. Paytas)13. Den D. DiSciorio (T. Claasen)14. Balt M. Burnett (Sweet)15. Den T. Claasen16. Den C. Rossi - EM
17. Balt M. Burnett18. Balt B. Voekel (J. Nostrant) 19. Balt B. Voekel20. Den S. Hovey (P. Scott) 21. Balt B. Kotz (M. Burnett) EM22. Balt L. Paytas (B Kotz)23. Den M. Branigan24. Den S. Hovey (M. Branigan) EM25. Balt M. Mathews (B. Wood) EM26. Balt B. Voekel (B. Kotz)27. Den D. DiSciorio 28. Den C. Rossi (Hovey) EM29. Den P. Schaffer (Hovey)30. Balt B. Kotz31. Balt M. Burnett32. Den P. Schaffer33. Balt P. Voekel (M. Burnett)34. Den P. Scott (D. DiSciorio) EM 35. Den P. Scott (S. Hovey)
Shots Balt 37, 22 49 Den 16, 27 43
Saves Balt (Mahon) 7, 15 22 Denver Cisneros 14, 1 15 Schaffer, D 8
Face Offs Balt 10, 10 20 Den 9, 9 18
Newspapers about ALL (link below):American Lacrosse League - Newspapers.com
Search: "American Lacrosse League Baltimore @ Denver May 15th, 1988" on YouTube for an ALL game. Also search YouTube for the American Lacrosse League Television ad 1998.