To: <alumni@middleburylacrosse.org
Dear Wilbur,
I got a chance to go in to Rit's office,during Peter's weekend.
There is a picture of our post championship game group hug on the field. Rit is
on the top of the pile with his victory arm raised in a classic pose. What
struck me this time,looking at the photo, was that Bruce Gevertz and I are embracing on the outside of the scrum. As I
was enjoying seeing my former teammates , Beau Coash,Storrsy, Larry
Freni,Kemper et al.,popping up at Midd for that weekend, I realized that I
would never bump into Brewster again.
Will, you are so right to say that "it "is about the people from the Midd family that surround
us. I really felt that during Peter's dinner, as I sat at a table with Mickey
and Carol, listening to the words of Gruber, Duane,Rit and Jon Owsley.
"It" continues as strong as ever today. During THE GAME, Roy gave me periodic updates by phone . I
could share his excitement for the play on the field and the Midd spirit in the
stands. What a special time it was for all involved.
A month from today we'll be
sharing more special times together in Vail.
Let's keep "it"
going.
Cheers, Mike Heff
From: Graham, William <Grahamw@gould.pvt.k12.me.us
To: <alumni@middleburylacrosse.org
Sent: Monday, June 05, 2000
11:05 AM
Subject: In the spirit of
the moment...a bit long winded...sorry
Long Winded Short story...
My son Angus and I went to
Middlebury last Friday to participate in the college workshop the admissions
office runs for high school juniors. It
was great to see Scott Geiger with his daughter...I may have talked him into
the Vail trip, but Angus and I also wanted to see Erin and Rit and congratulate
them in person. After picking up our
championship T shirts from Bob Santry in the bookstore, great guy by the
way...we headed to the" field house." We found an unlocked
door and deserted
"complex," but we also noticed that Erin, Rit's, and Mickey's offices
were all open. I figured they were
having football meetings which had been put off with the tournament play. We
went into Erin's office...it was a mess with pictures, programs, and a fair
amount of history covering those walls.
I think Pete had a Forest Gump presence, I wasn't sure but I think I saw him in the background of the first
team photo with Duke Nelson 50 years ago...Anyway, Angus and I noticed a box in
the corner, and we surmised that it was is in fact the NCAA trophy. Angus warned me not to touch it.. I ignored
him and dug right into the styrofoam packing...He watched the hall as if Campus
Security and Sarge were going to catch us...like driving down the walk, by the
chapel hill, in the middle of the night, with the lights off...So, as nervous
as Angus was at the moment, we got a chance to touch the "grail" in a
quiet, cluttered office, surrounded by all of your pictures, and Pete's
sideways grin. It was a great feeling,
and I was appreciative of Erin
including all of us. He invited us to
be at the table; he has written game summaries, traveled to Vail, and he and Rit
have shared their team easily with us. "It" seems to be all about
lacrosse and all about Middlebury, and then again it is about people who surround us, who trust us,
who bring out the best in us, let us see the worst, and for Pete, who loves us.
After THE MOMENT.... I told
Angus we were going to hide the trophy...At that point we saw Rit and Mickey
and I told them the story...they thought they may hide it before Erin got
back..but EVEN Mickey thought that may be a low blow...he is aging! Although I
was sorry not to see Erin in person, it was great to see Rit and get the play
by play.. a great day... a great moment..
Thanks again to them...
As always,
Will Graham '76
I graduated the year
Brandon Doyle was born....Like a dinosaur time
line of team history...makes
Fred Beams the Cro Magnon Eye Brow Man '66
From: "Doyle,
Brandon" <bdoyle@jaguar.middlebury.edu
A message from Peter Kohn
to all the alumni, players and coaches of
Middlebury lacrosse --
'It's a great joy to know
that those of you have played before have so dearly and lovingly remembered the
team and by the labor and love that you
have put into this team. Because
of that, you are a part of the current player success and this should be a
celebration for all who have played, coached, trained (or managed) over the
years. Without those long years of
labor and love, none of this would be possible. You are all champions. I have never had a team like this and
I've been at it over 45 years.'
Dictated by Brandon Doyle
'98
From: Roy Heffernan [SMTP:RHeffern@nrtc.org]
Sent: Thursday, June 01,
2000 10:52 AM
Jonathan,
Thanks for relaying this
story. You captured nicely the positive
energy that clearly must have been present at the party. I was another one of the fortunate ones who
was able to attend the game in Byrd Stadium.
And so, I wanted to share a few thoughts; I have had the tremendous opportunity to join the old guys out in
Vail over the past couple of years. As
a result, I have been "forced" to stay in touch with my fellow Midd comrades. I say "forced" because prior to
Vail I had done a miserable job remaining in touch with the guys who made such
a difference in my life 20 years ago.
As you know, the Midd relationship mistique carries beyond lax. I had the pleasure of meeting up with two
Midd football players who were seniors when I was freshman (freshman couldn't play Varsity ball back then). Woody and Darryl, whom I hadn't seen nor
spoken to in 25 years,showed up to chear the lax boys on and reminded me of the
intense loyalty that we have for each other even during times of communication
draught.
What does this have to do with the Championship game? For those who have not been able to witness
the Panthers on the field as of late, I will tell you that the pride that all
of the other e-mail authors write about is almost overwhelming. In Vail I have had the priveledge to play
under the guidance of Erin Quinn. I
have been amazed at Erin's ability to place just the right amount of energy and
intensity behind the coaching of a bunch of old hamstrings. After enjoying
every second of THE GAME, I have really come to appreciate Erin and Rit's
skills. The Panthers won that game
because they were relentless!! It
mattered not what Salisbury did on the field, the Panthers just kept coming and
coming and coming. It's interesting
for me to think about the differences, and unmistakable similiarities, between the exploits of the 2000 powerful
Panthers and our earlier Panther laxers.
I remember our teams hustling to the same extent as Erin's team. But, I will tell you that the skill level
and team speed of this year's team would have forced me to count on Jack
Dobek's barking to keep us up with them.
Listening to "Cheer Boys Cheer" from the stands as the
Championship trophy was paraded about was one of the highlights for me. I was there when the ballad became a
centerpiece for the Midd sports experience (Will Graham and Duane Ford lead the
way). Looking at the faces of the 2000
Panthers, and sitting amongst their proud parents, I remembered our feeling of
basking in the glow of victory. I also
got great enjoyment out of hearing the "three claps" at the end of
the game by the players. I couldn't
hear what they were specifically recognizing, but I imagine that their coaches
and Peter Cohen were likely recipients of the three claps. I was also there when this small, yet
meaningful, tradition became a part of who we are as Panthers.
Amidst my pride and
empathetic enjoyment for the Panthers, I must also admit a twinge of
jealousy. Winning four ECACs was a
thrill, but winning the National Championship.. you've got to be kidding
me!! I don't know how good we were, but
it should would have been fun to try.
If you have hung in there with me this long, I will close by saying that
I was with my 16 year old son at THE GAME.
As he decides where he will spend four years of college, I pray that
somehow he will find a place, a time and a way of life that resembles the
opportunity that I have been blessed with.
See you in Vail!!
Roy Heffernan '78
From: Jonathan Owsley [mailto:jon_owsley@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2000
6:44 PM
Subject: For those that
couldn't make it to the game...
Congratulations to the 2000 Panthers! What a fantastic
victory. For those of you that couldn't make it, the team played with classic
Middlebury toughness and hustle. They
were smart, composed and incredibly well coached. Everything about the game would have made you guys proud. On that note, I wanted to relay some of the
sentiments that the current guys on the team extended to those of us alums in attendance. Immediately after the game and throughout
the evening (at a party the Hopkins
threw for the team in Baltimore), numerous players came up to various
groups of us alums to tell us that they
wanted us to know that the national championship was not just for them and
about them, but for and about all of
the teams that came before them. They
kept echoing the fact that Middlebury
Lacrosse was a tradition of excellence
(they'd clearly never witnessed the painful stickwork of a clear from Flanagan to me to Banc to Steinle (that's
assuming that we could make 4 passes in a row) or Kocaj running a fast break -
hey, what they don't know, won't hurt them)and that they were proud to be a
part of everything that had been built before them. At one point, one of the seniors walked over to a group of us and
handed us the national trophy and told us to hold
it because it was as much
ours as it was theirs. Needless to say,
it was their championship and it was about them and their effort and devotion
and about Erin and Rit and everything that they have done to make this program
such a success and to achieve such an incredible victory. But I can't imagine there are too many teams
out there that after winning a national championship would make such an effort
to salute those who came before. Classy
guys and a classy team. Just another
reason why it was a great day to be a Panther...