RPI Lacrosse & the Olympics

Introduction

Despite being the oldest team sport in North America and the fastest growing sport in America, lacrosse is not a current Olympic sport. However, men's lacrosse has been in the Olympics five times in the early to mid 1900s. It was first showcased in the 1904 Summer Olympic Games, hosted in St. Louis, with a total of three teams: two Canadian teams and one American team and then again in 1908 but with only Canada and Great Britain. Lacrosse was again showcased but as an expedition sport in 1928, 1932 and 1948. Due to the arcane rules of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), lacrosse has never been fully recognized as an Olympic sport. However, with lacrosse experiencing explosive growth around the world today, it is on track to fully become an Olympic sport in 2028. As the sport continues to grow, it is important that we recognize the history of the RPI Men's Lacrosse program and their relation to the Olympics.

A Great Season Leads to Opportunity

In 1948, the Summer Olympic Games were hosted in London, England and men's lacrosse was one of the expedition sports. At this time, the United States did not have any national lacrosse team so they had to choose or make a team that they would send to this event. Luckily for RPI's men's lacrosse team, they were on a hot streak. In 1947, they went a record of 11 wins and 1 loss and following that in 1948, they had a record of 13 wins and 0 losses. They were coached by the great RPI legend and Hall of Famer Ned Harkness. Due to their past two years of success, they were invited to serve as the Olympic team for the United States. Although this sounded great, they had to get funding in order to make the trek.

Fundraising

Today, it's fairly easy for a collegiate athletic team to raise money through sponsorships and deals but right after World War II people and companies were struggling financially. The team really needed all hands-on deck to raise the money needed to get to and from the games in London as well as have funds for shelter and food while there. They were able to raise around $17,000 (equivalent to around $210,000 today). Of the $17,000, around $2,300 of it from selling $2 buttons to Troy community members. These generous community members were very supportive of the team and did the little they could to help them reach their goal. They raised around $5,200 from ticket sales for one of their games where they took on Virginia combined with a ROTC parade they had advertising it. Students usually got into these games for free, but to support the cause, over 6,000 fans came to the game and voluntarily paid full price. Other ways in which they raised money included pie eating contests run by RPI professors, different clubs on campus raising and giving money including the Troy Record Newspaper, the student carnival, and each class donated money as well. The lacrosse team received money from all kinds of places throughout the school and community as everyone was very excited and proud to have this opportunity for RPI Men's Lacrosse to play on the world stage. Even Union College, rival opponent of RPI, donated some money to the cause. Because of the support of their community, college and otherwise, RPI Men's Lacrosse raised enough funds to participate in the Olympics in 1948.

Travel and Olympic Games

When it was time for the team to leave, members had been sent a letter from RPI President Livingston Houston offering his “whole-hearted support” and reminding the players that they represent the college. An itinerary detailed that there was to be no laundry service aboard the ship they would take and therefore the players should prepare accordingly and bring plenty of clothing, including a Sunday suit. They took the bus down from Troy to New York City, and they boarded their boat for a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. They slept in bunks that were six bunks high. They took 900 pounds of canned goods over with them, not knowing what to expect. They did daily workouts on the ship to stay in shape during their 9-day voyage from July 2nd to the 11th.

The Results

Well? What happened? Did they do well?
The team played very well in the Olympics, finishing with a record of 8 wins and 1 tie. But, one of the wins was "to be disputed" so it is unclear if it counts toward the total or not. The most famous game they played was the tie that they had against the all-star England team. The game took place at the Wembley Stadium. The amount of spectators is ambiguous but it was said that there were between 35,000 and 60,000 fans in attendance. It has been said that King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II arrived after the first quarter when RPI was leading 4 to 2. As soon as they arrived, England goes on a hot streak, scoring 3 goals back-to-back-to-back. Because of this, RPI went down 5 to 4. With 55 seconds left in the game, Alan Myers, a player on RPI, tied the game on a shot from his knees. The game ended in a 5 to 5 tie. There was no plan or rules for an overtime, so it was left at a draw. RPI's Men's Lacrosse team made a name for themselves at the 1948 Olympics, competing as the United States.

References

https://www.wamc.org/wamc-news/2021-08-05/when-rpi-lacrosse-went-to-the-olympics https://archives.rpi.edu/blog/2008/04/23/lacrosse/ https://laxfarmer.com/guides/is-lacrosse-an-olympic-sport/ https://www.topendsports.com/events/discontinued/lacrosse.htm