(Photo: Logan Whitton/laxmagazine)
Corey McLaughlin of Lacrosse Magazine is reporting that history was made on Saturday, as the Hampton men’s lacrosse team became the first from a historically black college or university to debut at the NCAA Division I men’s level.
Led by Coach Lloyd Carter, a Morgan State University alumnus, The Pirates also became the first HBCU since Morgan State in 1981 to field a varsity men’s team in the sport.
McLaughlin writes:
“The Hampton story was featured on the November cover of Lacrosse Magazine, with the headline, “It’s real,” the team’s slogan — sometimes sung by Carter and the players — in reference to the historical significance and the quick transition from a relatively young club program to a varsity sport in just one offseason.
The team was the dream of a former Hampton student, Michael Crawford, who died in December 2010 of an undiagnosed enlarged heart, one semester short of graduation. He wanted to start a club team at Hampton. His mother, Verina, saw to it that it happened, seeing the project through the Hampton administration.
US Lacrosse assisted the campaign by awarding the Hampton club a First Stick Program equipment grant in 2011, supporting Hampton Lacrosse Day in 2012 and the HBCU Lacrosse All-Star Classic in subsequent years.”
ESPN broadcast the first hour of the historic game live from Armstrong stadium on Hampton University’s campus; the second hour of the game was broadcast on ESPN2.
The Pirates lost to Roberts Wesleyan 20 – 3.
Click here for Logan Whitton’s photo gallery of the Hampton University Pirates men’s lacrosse team.
Read more at Lacrosse Magazine or Richmond.com.
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