The
All-American teams in men's collegiate lacrosse have a rich and
storied history. Our game has been buoyed by the efforts of men
who were proud of their All-American status and kept on giving back
to the game years after their playing days. Most of the governing
properties of men's collegiate lacrosse today are spearheaded by
former All-Americans. The term "All-American" is not taken
lightly in any walk of life in our society. The awarding of this
status has not been taken lightly by the USILA.
In
absence of a professional entity until only recently, excellence
in our game has been measured and identified largely by its NCAA
champions and All-American players. Our game has grown by leaps
and bounds into a property that is luring significant corporate
interest as evidenced by record crowds for the championships weekend
in May and a national television audience. Recognition of these
special teams and their top players is a key component for the "brand"
of men's college lacrosse.
The
men's college game is rich with history and lore from its early
days at the turn of the century. The USILA existed prior to 1900
because of the emergence of these early programs (NYU had a team
in 1877). The number of institutions sponsoring men's lacrosse has
grown exponentially since the "golden years" of the 1950's.
With the advent of a Division I NCAA Championship in 1971 and separate
NCAA title games in Division II and Division III in 1980, the game
is thriving as it provides competition for student athletes and
institutions at all levels.
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