NLL welcomes in Hall of Fame Class of 2008
Published on February 28, 2008 under National Lacrosse League (NLL) News Release
The National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame inducted three new members and recognized its second member of the media earlier tonight at a ceremony held in Philadelphia.
Johnny Mouradian, Tony Resch and Sal LoCascio were inducted into the NLL Hall of Fame. Neil Stevens was recognized by the Hall for his contributions to the game as a member of the media. Each of the four members of the Class of 2008 attended the ceremony with family, friends and colleagues from their NLL careers. The men took turns at the podium, where they made speeches and then joined their presenters in unveiling a plaque which includes their likeness and a brief description of their accomplishments and contributions to the game.
"I'll tell you, for all of us who have benefited from this sport of ours, it was a big focus of my life when I was younger and still today I really love this game and I'm really fortunate to be in the hall of fame", said Mouradian, who was presented by fellow Hall of Famer and Philadelphia Wings Co-owner Mike French.
"When I think of my 14 years it's a bit overwhelming. I had no idea what I was getting into when I started out. It was just mind boggling for us to have the opportunity to play in front of so many fans. The opportunity to compete against the Gait's, the Kilgour's, was just incredible. The environment in some of those buildings - it was just an unbelievable opportunity and I'll never forget those games", said Resch, who was presented by former Wings teammate and coach John Nostrant. "We trusted him. He was unbelievable. He treated everyone the same way. That's how Tony was. He continues to be that way. He held everyone to the same standard. I just have so much respect for him for how he carried himself," said Nostrant. "I would put him up against anyone in the lacrosse world. It's an honor for me to be up here to represent my teammates and the Philadelphia Wings organization."
"Indoor lacrosse for me was really a challenging sport to play. If you look at where the league is today, it just amazes me. It's truly an unbelievable feat where this league is today. In 10 years of playing and a couple years of coaching I had a lot of great coaches and teammates. I'm very proud to be one of the more successful American goalies in the game", said LoCascio, who was presented by his nephew, Joseph LoCascio.
"There's been a lot to write about and I enjoy doing it. We do the best we can and I'm proud to be part of it because it's a great sport. I've interviewed plenty of interesting people in the NLL, and there are more than 200 men on NLL rosters right now so I know there's a lot more to write about and I'll go do that", said Stevens, who was presented by Doug Fritts, the league's Vice President of Communications.
The league also unveiled a new website dedicated to the Hall of Fame and its members, www.NLLHallofFame.com. The website includes biographies, pictures and videos of all Hall of Fame members, including the Class of 2008.
"It is our goal to one day have a permanent building to host the NLL hall of fame. We have received numerous inquiries from cities all over North America wanting to host our Hall of Fame and someday, we will have a permanent building to call home", said NLL Commissioner Jim Jennings during the ceremony. "For now, we are pleased to announce tonight the launch of NLL Hall of Fame website. The site will serve as a lasting tribute to all inductees including the class of 2008."
The Class of 2008 will also be honored at halftime of the Third Annual NLL Hall of Fame Game, which takes place on Friday, February 29th at Wachovia Center when the Philadelphia Wings host the New York Titans at 8:00 PM ET.
The Class of 2008 is the third group to be welcomed into the Hall of Fame. In 2006, five charter members were inducted: Les Bartley, Russ Cline, Chris Fritz, Gary Gait and Paul Gait. The Class of 2007 included three inductees: Mike French, Darris Kilgour and Tom Marechek. The Hall also recognized Tom Borrelli for his contributions to the game as a member of the media in 2007.
Hall of Fame, Class of 2008
Johnny Mouradian
Upon joining the expansion Buffalo Bandits in 1992, Mouradian built a team that became an overnight success, winning the league championship in its inaugural season. Under Mouradian's watch, Buffalo set league records for winning that remain intact today, including the longest winning streak (22 games) and the only team to go undefeated through an entire season in league history (10-0 in 1993). Buffalo reached the playoffs in all six seasons during Mouradian's tenure as General Manager (1992-1997).
Mouradian repeated his quick path to success as general manager of the Toronto Rock. On his watch, the club won league championships in 1999 and 2000, the second and third seasons of the existence of the franchise. Mouradian's five championships are the most won by any general manager in league history. In 2003, Mouradian became the GM and Head Coach of the San Jose Stealth. He was named the league's General Manager of the Year for the 2004 season, in which the Stealth went 11-5. The club has made the playoffs in two of its four seasons in San Jose, most recently reaching the Western Division Final in 2007. Overall, Mouradian's teams have made the playoffs in 11 of his 15 seasons as a GM with a combined won-loss record of 121-84, which includes a record of 17-6 in playoff games. He continues to serve as the President and General Manager of the Stealth.
Tony Resch
Tony Resch has been directly involved in all six of the Philadelphia Wings world championships. He played six seasons for the Wings, from 1988-1993. As a player, Resch was a defensive specialist, playing in 47 games and scored 22 points on 12 goals and ten assists. A team leader, Resch served as team captain for three seasons, helping the Wings win championships in 1989 and 1990. He was a member of the 1991 American Division All-Star Team. Resch took over as Head Coach in 1994, leading the Wings to a 6-2 record in the regular season and then beat the Buffalo Bandits 26-15 in the 1994 Championship Game. The eleven point margin of victory stands as the largest in the history of the league in a championship game. The following season in 1995, the Wings went 7-1 in the regular season and then went on to secure their second consecutive championship, giving the coach championships in each of his first two seasons as head coach. Resch secured two more championships in his final four seasons as Head Coach (1998, 2001) before retiring at the end of the 2001 season.
In eight total seasons as a Head Coach, Resch won four championships and led the Wings to five Championship Games. With a 59-27 career regular season record as a Coach, Resch currently ranks fourth all-time on the coaching wins list, and his 68.6% win percentage in the regular season, is the third best all-time. Resch tallied a 10-4 post season record in his career, ranking second all-time on the post season wins list behind the late Les Bartley, who is a Charter Member of the NLL Hall of Fame.
Sal LoCascio
Sal LoCascio enjoyed an eleven-season career in the pro indoor game from 1990-2000. Sal played his entire indoor career with the New York Saints, and was a five-time league all-pro (1991-1994 & 1997). He also led the Saints to four playoff appearances.
LoCascio logged 3,903 minutes of action in his pro career, made 2,284 saves, a save percentage of 73.36% and had a Goals Against Average of 12.79. Those numbers all are tops among the league's retired goaltenders.
He also coached the Saints for two seasons (2001-2002), compiling an 11-19 record. He remains involved in the league, having servied as a color analyst on game telecasts for the New York Titans last season.
Hall of Fame to recognize Neil Stevens for contributions to the game as member of the media
Neil Stevens has been covering the Toronto Rock and the National Lacrosse League for the Canadian Press (CP) since 1998 when the franchise began play in Hamilton (Ontario Raiders). Stevens was hired by CP in 1974 and is among the senior writers in the sports department of Canada's premier national news agency. Highly respected by journalists throughout North America, Stevens is routinely assigned to cover Canada's top sporting events, including Toronto Maple Leafs hockey, the Olympics and Olympic-related events. Despite a busy schedule of covering national events, Stevens always makes time to cover lacrosse, a sport that he played at organized levels from the ages of 5 to 23 and is truly passionate about. He is a fixture in the press box at Rock home games. He also takes the time to cover games in other cities when his schedule allows. "Neil's love for lacrosse shows daily", said Neil Davidson, Sports Editor of The Canadian Press. "I believe he has long led the country in lacrosse coverage and has helped expose the sport to thousands of readers."
Stevens will become the second member of the media to be recognized by the Hall of Fame. Tom Borrelli, who covers the Buffalo Bandits and the NLL for The Buffalo News and Lacrosse Magazine, became the first member of the league's media to be recognized by the Hall of Fame last year.
About the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame:
On June 16, 2005, the National Lacrosse League officially announced the establishment of the NLL Hall of Fame. It opened with five charter members who have made immeasurable contributions to the league and the sport of lacrosse. The five charter members of the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame are league founders Russ Cline and Chris Fritz; legendary players Gary Gait and Paul Gait, and the late Les Bartley, the winningest coach in league history. The charter members of the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame were officially inducted on February 23, 2006.
NLL Hall of Fame inductees and those recognized by the Hall are voted on by the league's Board of Governors. Voting is based upon the individual's record, ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contributions to the league or the team(s) that individual was affiliated with. The field of candidates consists of players, coaches, referees and team or league executives. The league will also recognize the contributions of journalists, broadcasters and others who have made a contribution to the game of professional indoor lacrosse.
Following the induction of the five charter members in 2006, the league inducted its next class of Hall of Fame members in 2007. The Class of 2007 consisted of three inductees: Mike French, a former player, coach, executive and now part-owner of the Philadelphia Wings; Tom Marechek, a former Wings player who is among the league's all-time leading scorers; and Darris Kilgour, a former player and current General Manager and Head Coach of the Buffalo Bandits, who has been a key part of the team's three championships and overall success in the history of the franchise. The Hall of Fame also recognized Tom Borrelli in 2007 for his contributions as a member of the media. Borrelli has covered the Bandits and the league for The Buffalo News since the team's inception in 1992. He is also the lead NLL writer for Lacrosse Magazine, a publication of US Lacrosse.
National Lacrosse League Stories from February 28, 2008
- NLL welcomes in Hall of Fame Class of 2008 - NLL
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- Jax Look For Season Sweep Over Rush - Portland Lumberjax
- Titans Prepare To Battle Undefeated Philadelphia - Orlando Titans
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