Editor's Note: This article was written by Bob Ibach, of the Baltimore Sun, from December of 1973, when there was talk and rumors of the 1974 pro league. This is his slant on things and the way they percieved it in the Baltimore area back then.
Photos courtesy of Tom Wersderfer
Isn’t anything in our sports world sacred?
One has to wonder in the age of baseball’s designated hitter, basketball’s non-shooting foul and pro football’s relocation of its field hash marks. Leagues have expanded, salaries have ballooned and franchise switching continues to be the “in” thing to do.
Somehow, lacrosse has avoided many of these problems, if indeed we define them as problems. Of course, over the years, there have been rule changes in the stick sport, but basically it’s the same fast-moving, hard-checking game it was when it was christened.
Above all, lacrosse is one of the few remaining competitive team sports 100 per cent amateur. Big name college attackmen don’t sign six-figure, no-cut pro contracts.
If you want to play after graduation, you play club lacrosse. Not only don’t you get paid, but you better have $18 for a stick. However, there are feelings in the area this setup won’t last for long. Pro lacrosse, some feel, is just around the corner.
Not everyone holds this opinion. People like Towson State coach Carl Runk and Navy’s Dick Szlasa are not so optimistic. Craig Taylor, public relations director for the United States Club Lacrosse Association, eyes pro lacrosse with caution. USCLA president Joe Harlan encourages the move, as do former USCLA president Matt Swerdloff and area promoter Dan Snyder, both actively trying to arrange a pro loop.
Some Get Carried Away
The question is this: Is pro lacrosse really a farfetched dream, or is it coming upon us sooner than we think? “I can’t see it happening soon, if it ever does,” predicted Runk yesterday, talking before a Sports Reporters Association luncheon in Annapolis. “The people in lacrosse are stone optimists.
“They get carried away in their own little world. To me, pro lacrosse is a dream at least for the present. I can’t see it happening for at least another 10-15 years.”
Runk pointed out that lacrosse isn’t even played throughout the state, never mind the country. People in Montgomery County, one of the richest and most progessive counties in the country, do not play lacrosse on a high school or junior league level.
“If we’re realistic about things, we only have lacrosse in Baltimore and New York,” said Runk. “If we’re going to build up lacrosse on a national level, we’ve got to start at the core and build from within.”
Szlasa, the easy-going Navy boss, agreed, adding that more attention should be focused on little leagues and strengthening scholastic and collegiate lacrosse.
“There is a lot of work to be done before we start talking pro lacrosse,” commented Szlasa. “Personally, we’ve got to promote the college game. Last Saturday, Hopkins-Virginia drew 11,000 but we only got 4,000 for Navy-Maryland.
