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MLL New York Lizards

For the Love of the Game: Greg Gurenlian

November 11, 2015 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
New York Lizards News Release


When you think of players in the MLL New York Lizard's Greg Gurenlian is one of the first that comes to mind, but this wasn't always the case. Greg has had to go through many trials and tribulations in his career before reaching this elite status in the league. For starters, he bounced between three teams in the first four seasons of his MLL career. In fact, Greg did not suit up for a game at all with the third team, Chicago Machine. After picking up Greg before the 2009 season, Chicago placed him on the DNR list putting his career on hold. Not sure where he would end up, he anxiously waited for another opportunity.

In 2010, the New York Lizards selected Greg, nicknamed "Beast," in the 5th round of the MLL Supplemental Draft. As a Lizard, Greg immediately showed promise and looked to be on his way to a successful MLL career. Then devastation occurred. In 2011 Gurenlian had his season cut short when tore his ACL. Fear and doubt immediately entered his mind, but this did not last long. After surgery, Gurenlian got to work and was determined to be better than ever. What you see today is a result of Greg's hard work, perseverance, and strength.

Greg embodies the meaning of loving lacrosse. In addition to his professional career, Greg runs his own lacrosse organization called The Faceoff Academy. The FaceOff Academy runs full time private training, clinics, combines and recruiting events for thousands of athletes all over the country. To put it into his own words, "Beast" doesn't want to just grow the game but to grow the game the right way. He eats, sleeps, and breaths lacrosse and wants to see it gain popularity. Greg represents the love players in the MLL have for their sport.

In order to get more of an insight on his journey and love for the game we decided to talk with "Beast." He was very open about his lacrosse career and what it truly means "to grow the game."

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about where you grew up?

GG: I grew up in Springfield, Pennsylvania (Delco). It's a blue collar, hardworking town.

Q: Besides lacrosse what other organized sports did you play growing up?

GG: I started taking karate when I was 6. In addition, I participated in gymnastics, baseball, basketball, wrestling and soccer.

Q: At what age did you start playing lacrosse and who introduced you to the sport?

GG: I started playing the summer before my freshman year of high school. One of my best friends George Azar introduced it to me.

Q: Personally, why did you decide to further your lacrosse career after college?

GG: I never had any plans of doing so until I had a great junior and senior year at Penn State. I was then asked to come to the MLL Combine and draft that they used to have.

Q: After blowing out your knee in 2011, did it ever cross your mind that your playing days were over?

GG: The very second it happened. That's the biggest cause of emotion and pain when a big injury occurs for an athlete. Yes, the pain is bad but the gripping fear that your career was just taken from you is the biggest concern. I quickly got over that feeling though after about 48 hours of feeling sorry for myself. Then it was time to go to work.

Q: What fueled you to return to the field and to be stronger then you had ever been before?

GG: I've always believed that I was destined for great things. My ego would not allow that to be taken from me. I started off that season very dominant and because of that small glimpse I forced myself to come back. I've always been someone who wouldn't be told that I can't do something. It makes me want it so much more. Life was trying to take something important to me away and I never realized how important it was until after that injury. It was the best thing that ever happened to me.

Q: How gratifying is it knowing that you went from being an afterthought in 2009 and suffering a major injury in 2011 to becoming the MVP of the entire league?

GG: Well I finished off 2008 with San Francisco on an absolute tear. Then retraction happened. In 2009, Chicago put me on the DNR list. I was just tossed to the scrap heap. Jim Mule and Joe Spallina saw something in me and picked me up in 2010 and yes, just when I started hitting my stride the knee happened. I had always felt like it was me against the world. Anytime I was starting to prove myself, some kind of bad luck happened. You have two choices, you can get down about it and look for pity or continue to battle and continue to sacrifice. You need to tell life "What's next? Bring it on."

Q: Is there any coach/doctor you credit with helping you get to the level you are at post injury?

GG: Dr. Charles Goodwin performed my knee and my shoulder surgeries. The two seasons following those two surgeries are statistically my best ever. Combined with my therapy at Spear PT in New York City I had a ton of help and I give those two all of the credit in the world.

Q: MLL is a league in which players play mostly for the love the game, how does this speak to the passion players have for lacrosse?

GG: It says it all. NFL, NBA, etc always say how much they play because of the love for the game. Which is great....but they're also all millionaires. In the MLL we're "dozenaires." We really play because we love it. We believe in the MLL and the world of lacrosse.

Q: Outside of playing for the Lizards, what other jobs do you work?

GG: I am the Co-Founder and Coach of The FaceOff Academy. We run full time private training, clinics, combines and recruiting events for thousands of faceoff athletes all over the country. I absolutely love it. I'm also an investor with Prove People Wrong Lifestyle brand and President of Tribe7 Lacrosse.

Q: How difficult is it to run camps during the week and still have to train as a professional athlete?

GG: The travel is tough but it keeps you sharp. You learn from coaching. You keep your eye on the important technique refinements that got you to this level. This year was actually my first time doing it full time throughout the season and it seemed to pay off.

Q: Can you take us through your typical weekly schedule while in season?

GG: Travel to a city on Sunday, run a 2 to 3-hour training combine and then hop back on a plane to head back to New York City. Land in New York City and spend a day or two setting up calls, meetings, etc. with future FaceOff Academy partners and hosts. In addition, I somehow fit my own training in with the hours of athletes that I have to coach that day. Next is practice with the Lizards and flying out the following morning to a combine. Then I fly directly to whichever city we are playing in for practice. I play a game the next day and most likely fly out the following morning to another FOA event.

Q: How important is growing the sport to you and how do you believe you are helping do this?

GG: Lacrosse has given me everything. I don't want to just "grow the game." Everyone claims they want to do that. I want to grow it the right way. The FaceOff Academy started by trying to eliminate all of the cheating that has been taught and learned for decades which made our passion a laughing stock. We teach athletes correctly, hold free clinics for coaches, speak at Laxcon and work closely with officials of all levels to make sure that we continue to bring respect and understanding to the position. Look at how much it has changed in two years. New, better rules. Cleaner face-offs, much more advanced and athletic athletes now playing at all levels. We're making a huge impact and it's something worth fighting for.

Q: How can the MLL do a better job of promoting their game and making the sport more mainstream?

GG: Continuing to find ways to increase the overall fan experience. Make the entrances for teams bigger, make the experience of a goal bigger, take the MLS' approach of making it a "night out." Venues have to be totally on board and the players have to be on board to help the league. We need to do this without wondering what the immediate financial benefit is.

Q: Lastly, what would you say is your favorite thing to do in your free time?

GG: I'm a complete geek. I love my Xbox and I love reading. I read books on anatomy and strength training as well as Warhammer 40k, a science fiction novel series.

To learn more about The FaceOff Academy and Beast's clinics, click HERE.

Don't miss Beast and the rest of the Lizards as they look for another Championship in 2016. Get your season tickets NOW by calling 1-855-NYLizards.

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