Finneran Named New Balance Sportsman of the Year
August 24, 2004 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL) News Release
Boston, MA (August 24, 2004) â Major League Lacrosse, the premiere professional outdoor lacrosse league, announced that midfielder Kevin Finneran of the Long Island Lizards has been named the 2004 New Balance Sportsman of the Year. The award was based on votes submitted by the General Manager and the Head Coach of each of the six MLL teams. Finneran, along with other MLL honorees, was acknowledged on Saturday at the 2004 Major League Lacrosse Awards Luncheon.
The New Balance Sportsman of the Year recognizes a player who has consistently demonstrated sportsmanship through tenacity, determination and fair play on the field over the course of the regular season. Finneran is the second player to receive this award; the New Jersey Pride's Jon Hess was honored as last season's New Balance Sportsman of the Year.
Finneran provided veteran leadership to a team that was rocked by the mid-season injury to attackman Kevin Lowe. He put together a six-game goal scoring streak, tying a career high. But Finneran's most notable game of the season was in Week Three, when he netted a season high six points on four goals and added two assists in leading the Lizards to a 14-12 victory over the Philadelphia Barrage. He was recognized as the contest's Bud Light Game MVP.
A 1989 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan, Finneran's career achievements also include success in the indoor game and the honor of representing the United States in international competitions. A member of Major League Lacrosse since the 2000 Summer Showcase, he is a two-time all-star who has twice won an MLL title.
As an anchor level corporate sponsor of Major League Lacrosse, New Balance is the "Official Footwear and Sideline Apparel of Major League Lacrosse." The New Balance logo also appears on the Boston Cannons team uniform. The Warrior Burn lacrosse shoe by New Balance debuted in February 2004. Designed and tested by members of the Warrior Lacrosse Players Club Team, the Burn is the world's first lacrosse shoe developed by the world's best players.
About New Balance
New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc., headquartered in Boston, MA, is a leading manufacturer of technologically innovative width-sized performance footwear and athletic apparel for women, men, and children. The range of product categories includes running, walking, cross training, basketball, tennis, adventure, and kids. Dunham joined the New Balance family in Fall 1998. Dunham an outdoor performance brand known for its technologies, innovations and development of footwear that is lightweight, comfortable and inspired by the world outside. New Balance acquired the rights to the PF Flyers brand in February 2000. First introduced in 1937 by the B.F. Goodrich Company, PF Flyers was re-launched in Spring 2003 as an authentic brand of active casual footwear. Aravon® comfort performance brand footwear debuted in January 2004 as an unsurpassed blend of fit, comfort, support and style. In early 2004, New Balance acquired Warrior Lacrosse, widely recognized as the world's most cutting edge manufacturer of lacrosse equipment, after introducing the Warrior "Burn" by New Balance lacrosse shoe. New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. employs more than 2,600 people around the globe, and in 2003 reported worldwide sales of $1.3 billion. For more information please visit www.newbalance.com.
About Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse, a six-team professional outdoor lacrosse league, was founded in 1999 by fitness entrepreneur Jake Steinfeld, CEO of Body by Jake Global L.L.C., and partners Dave Morrow, a former champion lacrosse player and now CEO of Warrior Lacrosse, a leading global provider of innovative and high performance lacrosse equipment; and Timothy B. Robertson, former CEO of The Family Channel and the current chairman of Bay Shore Enterprises, L.L.C., an investment holding company with activities in international media and Internet technology ventures. The MLL commenced play in June of 2001 and enters this season with teams in Baltimore, Boston, Long Island, (Montclair) New Jersey, Philadelphia and Rochester. The 2004 MLL season began on Saturday, May 22 and concluded with the Philadelphia Barrage winning the New Balance Major League Lacrosse Championship Game on Sunday, August 22 at Nickerson Field in Boston, Mass. Additional league information can be found at www.majorleaguelacrosse.com.
Major League Lacrosse Stories from August 24, 2004
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