By Gary Miles, Inquirer Staff Writer
In the old days, J.R. Castle had plenty of time for lacrosse.
A graduate of William Penn Charter School and Drexel University, the 28- year-old Wyndmoor resident played for four years at Penn Charter and was an all-East Coast Conference midfielder at Drexel. After college, Castle joined the Eagle’s Eye amateur club in Philadelphia.
But then Castle started growing in other directions. He married Leah King in 1982 and took a job as a stockbroker. A son, George, was born in 1984, and on Friday, another son, James Rutherford Castle 3d, entered Castle’s life.
Because of these developments, it seemed that the amount of time Castle spent playing lacrosse would decrease. But instead, it has increased dramatically.
Late last year, former collegiate stars Chris Fritz and Russ Cline organized a four-team professional box lacrosse league and invited players such as Castle to compete. Encouraged by David Huntley, a former player at Johns Hopkins University and the general manager and coach of the league’s Philadelphia franchise, Castle signed up.
Now, instead of playing recreational field lacrosse on weekends, Castle is a bona fide professional in the indoor game.
On Saturday, Castle scored his first two goals of the season, and the Philadelphia Wings evened their Eagle League record to 2-2 with a 15-12 victory over the Washington Wave at the Spectrum.
“I don’t look at it like I’m a pro football or baseball player,” Castle said. “For one thing, I don’t make their salaries. And for another, I have a regular job during the day. I couldn’t make a living playing lacrosse.
“But I do get a kick out of kids coming up to me after a game and saying how much they like the sport. It’s fun to be appreciated. I’ll admit that.”
To hear Castle’s schedule is to appreciate his dedication to lacrosse. Although the Wings play in Philadelphia, most of the players are from Baltimore, and the team practices there. Because of that, Castle makes the 2 1/2-hour drive to Baltimore every Tuesday for practice from 8 to 10 p.m.
“The last thing I feel like doing after a day’s work is to drive all that way, then run five miles at practice,” Castle said. “But I have always liked lacrosse. The passing of the ball and the speed of the game always intrigued me. Sometimes I wonder about all the travel, but playing for this team has given me an opportunity to play against some great competition.”
Despite the bone-crushing hits that are vividly displayed on the television commercials that promote the Wings, Castle said he had yet to suffer a serious injury.
Box lacrosse is different from field lacrosse in that it is faster, does not limit the deepness of the pocket on the stick and has a 45-second shot clock. Box lacrosse also allows moving picks, slashing with the stick and intimidating opponents.
A namesake of the Philadelphia Wings played in the National Lacrosse League in the early 1970s. That league disbanded in 1976.
In addition to Castle, Mark Moschella, Paul French, Mike French, Bob Powers and Scott Growney make the trip to Baltimore from Philadelphia for the weekly practices. The Eagle League is composed of the Wings, the Wave, the New Jersey Saints and the Baltimore Thunder, all of which are owned by Fritz and Cline.
Castle is paid $100 for each home game and $150 for each away game plus some travel expenses. The team pays for equipment, but the players pay transportation costs.
The Wings lost their first game, 11-8, to New Jersey on Jan. 10. They lost to Baltimore, 20-19, in overtime on Jan. 24 and then avenged the New Jersey loss with a 20-17 win over the Saints on Jan. 31. About 10,000 fans attended Saturday’s game, according to Spectrum officials.
“We know we’re a proving ground for leagues and teams to come,” Castle said. “But we’re willing to make sacrifices in order to get it all off the ground. And it can be successful. For me, this is a payoff for all that sweat and all those miles I’ve run over the years.”
(Philadelphia Inquirer, February 19, 1987)