The History of Lacrosse
Lacrosse began in Native American Culture. It was often used to settle disputes, heal the sick, and to build strong, virile men. It has been referred by some Native Americans as "The Creator's Game". Lacrosse is considered America's first sport.
Lacrosse was sometimes used as a substitute for war. At times, there would be 1000 players per side and they would play from village to village. the Algonquians called lacrosse "baaga'adowe" (baag means hit, a means by instrument, and adow means ball). The Mohawks called it tewaarathon ("little brother of war"). Today, we know it as the game of lacrosse.
The field would be 15 miles in length at times and games would last for days. A single tree or 2 goal posts were used for a goal. Balls were made out of wood, rock, deerskin, or baked clay.
The first mention of the Native American game into modern lacrosse began in 1636 when Jean de Brebeuf, a Jesuit missionary, drew attention to a Huron contest in what is now southeast Ontario, Canada.
French pioneers began playing the game enthusiastically in the early 1800's. In 1867, Canadian dentist W. George Beers standardized the game with the adoption of set field dimensions, limits to the number of players per team, and other basic rules.
New York University fielded the nation's first college team in 1877. Phillips Andover Academy (MA), Phillips Exeter Academy (NH), and the Lawrenceville School (NJ) were the nation's first high school teams in 1882. Today, there are 400 colleges and 1,200 high school men's lacrosse teams from coast to coast.
The first women's lacrosse game was played in 1890 at the St. Leonard's School in Scotland. Although there were
Dr. James Naismith, inventor of basketball, stated that lacrosse was "a unique combination of speed, skill, agility, grace, endurance, finesse, and historical significance," lacrosse may just be "the best of all possible field games."
"An Indian Ball-Play" by George Catlin, circa 1846-1850. Native American lacrosse games often involved hundreds of players.
