By JACK GATECLIFF
Photo courtesy of Tom Wersderfer
A few weeks ago when his name was mentioned as possible successor to National Hockey League president Clarence Campbell, Gerry Patterson was quoted to the effect that he would not be able to accept the post until the 1976-77 season, as he still had a year to go on his contract as president of the National Lacrosse League.
Patterson, a native of Welland, can now devote his full energies to pursuing the NHL presidency, if indeed he is still interested.
The National Lacrosse League is no more.
St. Catharines goaltender Bob McCready, who played with Boston Bolts and Maryland Arrows in the NLL last year told The Standard today he had received the following telegram from Maryland president Tristan Cocket:
“To all players. The board of governors of the National Lacrosse League has ceased operation because of uncertainty and financial difficulties.”
And so ended the third attempt in the past nine years to put together a financially-sound professional box lacrosse league.
Two attempts were made in the late 1960s and both ended in failure.
In 1974, with solid backing from several National Hockey League owners including Bruce Norris of the Detroit Red Wings, a third try was made with teams entered from Toronto, Rochester, Syracuse, Philadelphia, Montreal and Maryland (Landover).
The Toronto, Rochester and Syracuse franchises were transferred to Quebec City, Boston and Long Island in 1975, but attendance dipped especially in Philadelphia where the average went from more than 10,000 a game the first season to under 5,000 this summer.
Photo courtesy of Tom Wersderfer
High salaries hurt…
High salaries compounded by the low attendance proved just too much for the sponsors to risk another season.
Team owners the first year agreed to hold the line against inflated* contracts and it is believed few if any players were paid more than 115,000.
However last season the majority of the players (90 per cent from Ontario) were fulltime lacrosse employees and several, including Paul Suggate of Maryland, were awarded contracts in the neighborhood of $30,000.
McCready said that as far as he knew all players with all teams had been paid their complete contract in 1975 “although some may not have received bonus or playoff money.”
The colorful St. Catharines goalie played the early part of last season in Boston, but then sought a transfer to Maryland “when I realized the Boston situation wasn’t too safe.”
He was traded to Maryland for a former senior teammate Gerry McKenna of Fergus when both were playing senior lacrosse in Brantford.
“I’ll say this for Mr. Cocket and our manager Jack Gibson,” McCready commented. “They ran a first class operation and everyone was treated extremely well.”
The Arrows flew McCready to the last 15 home games and away games so that he would not miss work at General Motors, where he has more than 15 years seniority.
However other players were not as fortunate.
A great many gave up regular jobs in their Ontario communities, gambling the pro league would be a success.
Yesterday they lost that gamble.
Photo courtesy of Tom Wersderfer
No new money…
In a statement from Montreal Patterson said another major reason for disbanding was “an insufficient number of investors for key United States’ and Canadian lacrosse franchises.”
“The Maryland Arrows, Philadelphia Wings and Quebec City Caribous are in solid financial status and were conducting daily business operations in preparation for the 1976 season,” Patterson said. “However other teams were idle due to financial hardships brought about by a variety of circumstances.
Philadelphia is said to have sold 2,500 season tickets for 1976. Patterson indicated six teams were needed to keep the league in existence in an all-out search “we were unable to pot the necessary investors together.”
The commissioner said the governors had expressed the feeling that the proper atmosphere for investing in professional sports “is not currently present.”
They also cited the demise of the World Football League and the potential players’ strikes in other leagues as some of the reasons for finding it difficult to attract new investors.
“The governors and commissioner pledge the National Lacrosse League will be dissolved in an orderly manner.”
The immediate result could be the return of Ontario senior lacrosse both in number of teams and in calibre.
With at least 100 NLL players now free agents the Ontario and British Columbia senior leagues will once again be #1 and the Mann Cup which goes to the Canadian senior champions will be the most important trophy in North American box lacrosse.
