OLC History

Oswego Lacrosse Club History

1984
The Oswego Lacrosse Club (OLC) was founded in 1984 to complement the newly-formed Modified team at the Oswego Middle School. David Gillmeister was the coach of the OMS team, assisted by Bob Nelson and Augie Rotunno; the team won all four of its games that first spring. It was quickly determined that a youth program was necessary if Oswego was to remain competitive; a group of parents -- John Mantaro, Dennis Snyder, Bruce Manwaring, and Phil Gaines -- and the coaches formed the group that was to become the Oswego Lacrosse Club. Bob Nelson was named director; coaches included Dan Curry, Bruce DeMars, Jim Downs, Tom Picciote, and Paul Politzi. Attorney Bob Nicholson assisted with the incorporation and legal matters. All sessions were played at the Fort Ontario (Crisafulli) Rink since no fields were available. Butch Ponzi was the City's Recreation Director at the time, and saw lacrosse as a use for an otherwise empty facility.

Approximately 125 kids signed up that first summer, including 4 girls in the High School division. The elementary kids played McWhipit, a version of soft lacrosse now played in gym classes. There was also a middle school age group. The program lasted 8 weeks and games were played twice a week. A men's team entered the Fulton Box Lacrosse League run by Fulton coach Jim Werbeck. Werbeck had helped with the West Genesee program at Shove Park, and was very willing to assist us in every way possible. Varsity Sports of Syracuse offered participants a package deal for $100.00: gloves, arm pads, shoulder pads, and helmet. A stick (Kwik Stik) was $25.00 extra!

1985
The scholastic program expanded to include a freshman team; they were coached by Dave Gillmeister, assisted by Sean Kesselring. Bob Nelson took over the modified team. Augie Rotunno had died unexpectedly of a heart attack. Approximately 150 kids signed up for summer lacrosse at the Fort rink. Joe Ancona (now Varsity coach at East Islip H.S.) and John Moore joined the coaching staff. A men's team again played in the Fulton box league.

1986
A Junior Varsity team took the field at Oswego High School, or rather, at Oswego Middle School, because school administrators refused to allow lacrosse to be played on the football field. Gillmeister coached the JV, Kesselring the frosh, and Nelson the Modified. Using the Fort rink in the summer was never a given; OLC reps (usually John Mantaro and Bob Nelson) had to present their cases every year to the Human Services Committee, and they were not always receptive. Some aldermen thought lacrosse was too violent for young kids, and another complained of the noise. No one entertained the idea of providing the kids with a field. John

Canale was the most supportive, enabling the Club to keep playing. Another 150 kids played that summer. The McWhipit lacrosse was gone, replaced by real sticks and real balls, much to the kids' delight. The first game was played against Fayetteville-Manlius; they had never played inside, and insisted we play with offsides and two-pass rules instead of our box rules. We beat them soundly, and they never came back...

1987
Varsity lacrosse came to Oswego High School this year; the Bucs played in Division II as part of Gillmeister's long-range plan to bring the program along gradually, a plan that proved to be well thought out. Gillmeister had to fight hard for the Varsity team to play its games at the High School, but after much haranguing, the school board approved the idea. The season was highlighted by an emotional win over a strong Fulton team. Junior attackman Jason Mantaro led the league in scoring, earning All-League honors. Gillmeister and Nelson coached the Exceptional Seniors, and Steve Hyde, Larry Spring, and Bill Fernandez became Oswego's first three graduates to go on to play college lacrosse, Steve at Potsdam State, Larry at Geneseo, and Bill at Morrisville. Two teams from Oswego played in the Fulton league: Crown & Feather was comprised mostly of OLC coaches, while The Palladium Times was

comprised of Varsity players. Things were tough elsewhere; the OLC was forced out of the rink as the wire was replaced by the glass that is there now. We were allowed to play in the outfields at the Middle School, where we battled tall grass, long fly balls, and millions of mosquitoes. We didn't get permission to play there until the last minute, resulting in a 2/3 drop in enrollment. (Low numbers plagued this group throughout their scholastic careers). We played our first game against the Onondaga Nation, and were soundly beaten 24 to 2. A young Drew Bucktooth took the game into his own hands very quickly. However, Oswego attackman

Steve Foster caught the eye of the Onondaga coaches, who asked him to join their tournament team. He did, which opened up several opportunities for the future. Coaches were few in number -- John Moore was working out of town, Jim Downs had moved to Colorado to work with the Olympic Committee, and others had simply moved on. Alison and Gary Rivenburg offered their assistance during the Onondaga game, and as so often happens, stayed on for several seasons. Moore and Nelson took two teams to the Great Summer Shootout in Hamburg. The Varsity team, with only 11 players, took second place, losing to a physical Watertown team in the final. Oswego won the Sportsmanship Award, despite Nelson almost braining a referee with a flying lacrosse stick!

1988
The Bucs moved to Division I in the high school ranks, coached by Bob Nelson and Sean Kesselring. Dave Gillmeister had finished his administrative degree and moved to Oneida. These seniors were the 8th graders who had started the program, and finished their careers by qualifying for Sectionals. Two seniors went on to D-I lacrosse, Jason Mantaro at Air Force, and Dick Owens at Virginia Military Academy. Nick Canale and Ric Pollard went on to Rochester, Rusty Saucer and Bill Snyder went to Oswego State. (No, they were not the first Oswegonians to play for the Lakers; Oswego State's club teams of the early Seventies included locals). The team also include several talented juniors.

Oswego State lacrosse coach Dan Witmer saved the summer program by allowing us to use the college fields. The OMS fields were off limits due to complaints from city league softball. Bob Nelson was the only coach, assisted by his pregnant wife Cathy who helped with the equipment. This year, as last, all OLC equipment was stored in the back of the Nelson's Blazer, and dried on their kitchen roof. About 100 kids signed up. Games were played against Hamburg, Onondaga, and the Oneida Lacrosse Club. Steve Foster spent the whole summer playing for Onondaga, and made impressive gains in his game. Our men's teams played in the Fulton league, which had now grown to include several D-I players from Syracuse. We also hosted the Ottawa (Field) Lacrosse Club, using recent OHS grads and some Laker players. The Ottawa team was quite impressed with Oswego's social life -- until they were escorted out of town! We planned on going back to the Hamburg tournament, but 1988 was the first year of Harborfest, which pretty much killed future participation in that tournament.

1989
More Oswego teams joined the Fulton box league, and the summer program returned to the Fort rink. Enrollment increased, and we played home and away games with Onondaga.

1990
Registration these years was usually held only a couple of weeks before the season began in early July. Again we played Onondaga several times, and a Canadian team in the Nation festival. We also hosted the London (Ontario) Blue Devils, who came to try their skills at field lacrosse (they did pretty well). Several fathers played pickup lacrosse games after the kids were done, sparking interest in a men's league in Oswego.

1991
Oswego's first alumni lacrosse game was held on June 8 at Wilbur Field. The OLC played Onondaga several times, finally beating them 6 - 4 on July 29. A men's league was formed in Oswego as a less competitive alternative to the Fulton league. Press Box won the first title 6 - 0 over the Lake City Police Club.

1992
Steve Foster's success in the box game led the OLC to take a big step forward by entering its first box lacrosse tournament. We traveled to Whitby (Ontario) and beat the host team 8 - 7 in our first game! Much of the credit went to goalie Matt Fitzsimmons, whose unusual style of box and field goal play confused the Canadians. We also competed in the Ottawa tournament. Four teams made up the Oswego men's league -- The Sting, Gary's, Lake City Police Club,andPotter's Pub -- and several guys were playing in Fulton.

1993
Travel teams competed at box tournaments in St. Catharine's and Ottawa. Contacts made the previous season (the Canadians were very amused and impressed with Yanks trying to play their national game) enabled Oswego to host the Ontario Lacrosse Association's Junior B All-Star game on July 26. Crisafulli Rink was packed as players from all over Ontario showed their stuff to an appreciative audience that included Duke coach Mike Pressler! PeeWee and Bantam teams from Gloucester also participated. The men's league continued to grow. One of its members, Pete Barletta, proposed the idea of an organized kids league to Bob Nelson, and weighed the feasibility of such a venture.

1994
Barletta's idea seemed to have had some merit. He organized the Brine UpstateYouth Lacrosse League, which began play on June 26 at Bishop Ludden High School. All players were 12 and under. Oswego lost their first game to the Syracuse Red Raiders, a select team from the Indoor Soccer Center, as they found the transition from box lacrosse to field rather cumbersome. We improved, finishing with 4 wins, 5 losses, and 1 tie. Top scorers were J.J. Shambo, Matt Jones, and Dave DeGroff.

Box lacrosse continued to be played at the Fort. Discussions were being held about a large softball complex being built on Churchill Road that would include an "all-purpose" field for lacrosse, soccer, and football, but nothing came of that. OLC again hosted the Ontario Lacrosse Junior B All-Star game, while the kids played against Gloucester, Onondaga, St. Catharine's, and Tyendinaga. Anthony Richmond ran a lacrosse camp at OMS, coached by Dan Witmer, Bob Nelson, and other ex-Lakers. The men's league expanded to six teams, including a squad from the Oneida Indian Nation.

1995
The Varsity Bucs made their second Sectional appearance, upsetting host Henninger in the first round. Attackmen Steve Foster and Scott Tucker set numerous scoring records before graduating . Anthony Richmond's Community Sports Camp/Oswego Lacrosse Club tournament made its first appearance; Oswego's 10 and Under team beat Onondaga in the championship game. The Brine Upstate Youth Lacrosse League dropped the "Youth" and became the BULL, led by Barletta's assistant of last year, John Sardella. Mike O'Neil of Oswego designed the Brine Upstate Lacrosse League's first website. Syracuse judge Jim Tormey started a 10 and Under division, in which Oswego finished with 6 wins, 0 losses, and 1 annoying tie to Skaneateles. A season's end tournament was hosted by Valley and held at Coyne Field; Oswego lost to a strong Fallston team from Maryland. Leading scorers were Scott Fisher, Travis Nelson, and Robbie Williams. The men's league folded, not because of lack of interest, but because of too many teams and not enough people to organize and officiate. A few more players from Oswego joined the Oneida Silverhawks of the Iroquois Lacrosse Association.

1996
Oswego's third year in the BULL, and still no fields to play on. All practices were held in the box, and all games were played on the road. The City proposed building a lighted lacrosse/soccer/football field at Fort Ontario, but that idea too was scrapped. The 10 and Under team won the Fairport and Webster tournaments, finished second in Canton and Oswego, and was undefeated in regular BULL play. Oswego lost 11 - 10 to Lafayette on Champion's Day; controversy surrounded the game because the Lafayette coach had successfully lobbied to eliminate the "two-pass" rule immediately before the game.

1997
Oswego's 12 and Under team finished 16 - 4, won the BULL, won the Fairport tournament, took second in Oswego and Fayetteville-Manlius. Top scorers were Travis Nelson, Scott Fisher, Adam Shambo, Pat Lawton, and Eric Smith. Oswego teams made up 50% of the Fulton box league. At the Fort, the City instituted a $5.00 user fee, up $3.00 from last year. However, this was waived when OLC officials pointed out that the rink was unusable because city workers were using it for storage of sand, fencing, etc. City employees were also unable to remove the whitewash they had put down for hockey, so we squeezed into the grassy area between the rink and the pool. On the scholastic scene, attackman Dave Perlman left Oswego as the all- time leading scorer and its first All-American lacrosse player!

1998
Crissafulli Rink was a problem yet again. Whitewash again flooded the floor, and the street cleaning machine brought in to correct the situation only made matters worse by polishing the floor to a point that it was tricky to even walk on. Both benches were torn out -- boards and nails were left strewn on the floor. The Common Council voted to increase our user fee to $7.00 per person. (We refused to pay). The 12 and Under team won the 1812 and Irondequoit tournaments, took second in the Oswego tournament, and went 10 - 2 in the BULL. Matt McNamara and Andy Aylward joined last year's top scorers. Several men from Oswego joined the Oneida Silverhawks box team. Three exhibition games were scheduled to be played in Oswego, but had to be cancelled due to the mess at the rink. The Fulton league ceased operations.

1999
Crisafulli Rink closed this summer due to major renovations, but by now the school district was allowing us to use their fields on a regular basis. The House League moved to Swetman Hall and its adjacent field on the SUNY Oswego campus, coached by John Moore and Pat Lawton. The 14 and Under team finished 17 and 5: undefeated in the BULL, second place at 1812, third place in Oswego. They also participated in the Gloucester boxla tournament, a challenge because they had no rink to practice in. The first Challenge Cup box lacrosse tournament was held at Romney Fieldhouse, featuring teams from the Iroquois and Can-Am Lacrosse Associations. Newtown beat Onondaga in the final. Scholastically, Oswego finished with a 15 and 3 record, losing once to West Genesee in overtime and twice to Fayetteville-Manlius, the second time in Sectional play. Attackman Josh Molinari was named to the All-American team. Many of this years' seniors had played together since that first BUYLL game in 1994.

2000
Oswego Lacrosse Club now fielded six travel teams , two for girls and four for boys. The 14 and Under team won 13 of 17 games, the House League returned to the newly-renovated Crisafulli Rink, and a Senior B (21 and over) team, the Oswego Hawks, became the only non-Native, non-Canadian team in the Can-Am Lacrosse Association. The Hawks were joined at the Fort rink by the Onondaga Junior B team, who was forced to play here because of renovations to Shove Park in Camillus. And the Newtown Golden Eagles won their second Challenge Cup title. The Varsity Bucs made their fourth Sectional appearance, and Oswego's Nate Molinari became only the second Buc to make the prestigious Empire State Games lacrosse team (Dave Moore, class of 1992, was the first).

2001
House League play was moved to May and June in an attempt to boost enrollment, with mixed results. Changes were also made in the BULL, as teams were now based on grade level rather than age. The 17 and Under division was replaced with the Roy Simmons League, designed to showcase the area's Varsity players, but this too met with mixed reviews. John Sardella stepped down as President of the hugely successful BULL. The Varsity lacrosse team made its fifth Sectional appearance, highlighted by an overtime win against Nottingham. The OMS Modified had a great season, losing only once to a strong Camillus team. Despite unprecedented growth in box lacrosse in Western New York and Ontario, Oswego could not support the Hawks, and the team folded. A handful of players were traded to the Onondaga and Oneida teams.

2002
Oswego�s Varsity team continued to improve, making it�s second sectional appearance. Again, the nucleus of the team had played together since their debut in the 10 & Under division of the Brine Upstate Lacrosse League many years ago.

2003
The Varsity Bucs improved yet again, making a third consecutive playoff appearance before graduating one of the strongest Senior classes in several years. Matt McNamara left as the program�s all-time leading scorer with 132 goals, 126 assists, and 258 total points.

A few remnants of the Hawks box lacrosse survived: George Eason, Bob Nelson, and Mike Tucker played a handful of games with Tonawanda of the Can-Am Lacrosse Association, but the 2 ½ hour drives � to the home games! � proved a bit much.

The Oswego Lacrosse Club/Community Sports Camp Lacrosse Tournament continued to grow. Anthony Richmond continued to make it one of the finest tournaments in the state.

2004
Years of girls lacrosse at the club level finally translated to success at the High School level, as the Varsity girls missed a sectional bid by only one game. On the boys� side, the Bucs were unable to continue the string of success they had enjoyed previously. Travis Nelson passed his long-time partner Matt McNamara as Oswego�s all-time leading scorer, finishing with 134 goals, 154 assists, and 288 total points.

The House League played an April � June schedule at the Fort Ontario rink, before the travel teams settled in to its BULL schedule. Oswego teams participated in several tournaments this year: Colgate, SportsCenter 481, Webster, Irondequoit, the 1812 Shootout, LeMoyne, and the Ithaca Turkeyshoots, as well as our own OLC/CSC tourney in June. Several boys played with the CNY Roadhawks, a travel team out of Syracuse, and three girls played with the Syracuse Star-Riders. Lacrosse in Oswego became a 12 month activity!