Wings' French and Marechek Inducted Into National Lacrosse League Hall Of Fame

Published on September 5, 2006 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Philadelphia Wings News Release


Former Philadelphia Wings player Tom Marechek and former player and current co-owner Mike French will be among the National Lacrosse League's Hall Of Fame inductees for 2007. Both will join Buffalo Bandits Head Coach Darris Kilgour and Tom Borrelli, sports reporter for the Buffalo News in the NLL's second Hall Of Fame Class.

"Mike and Tom have both meant a lot to our fans and our organization, both on the turf and off," said Wings President and Owner Russ Cline. "Chris Fritz and I are honored to have them join us as members of the NLL Hall Of Fame."

Marechek played twelve seasons (1994-2005) in the NLL, all with the Wings. Marechek retired at the end of the 2005 season as the Wings' all-time leading scorer with 773 points on 399 goals and 374 assists. Marechek added 69 post-season points on 23 goals and 46 assists and led the Wings to four championships during his career. The Wings retired Marechek's #42 on February 18, 2006, making him only the third NLL player in history to have his jersey number retired. Marechek earned eight All-Pro selections during his career. The Syracuse graduate was the sixth overall pick of the 1992 Entry Draft. Marechek resides in Baltimore, MD with wife Kat and newborn son Kuerner.

French started with the Philadelphia Wings as a player in their inaugural season in 1987. During his twenty years with the Wings, he has served as a player, coach, general manager and his current position as Executive Vice-President and Co-Owner. As a player, French led the league in goals scoring 14 goals in 1987 (six-game regular season). French went from player to General Manager in 1988 and presided over the start of the Wings dynasty. In his seven seasons as GM, Philadelphia went 33-17 in the regular season and 7-2 in the postseason, winning three championships (1989, 1990, & 1994). His duties with the team included a brief coaching stint in 1994, and a role as team advisor. Equally successful as a businessman, French ascended to the position of Co-Owner and Executive Vice-President of the team in 1998, the first and only player in league history to own a significant piece of a league franchise.

As a leading team executive for the past nine years, French has served the league in several prominent roles, including as Chairman of the Expansion Committee. Since 2000, the league has expanded from eight to thirteen teams and franchise values have increased dramatically. In addition to his league accomplishments, French was a three-time All-American and College Player of the Year at Cornell University. He also served as captain of the Canadian national team during its first world championship in 1978. French is currently the only person to be a member of both the Canadian and US Lacrosse Halls Of Fame. French resides in Radnor, PA with his wife Liz and daughter Sara.

Marechek and French will be the third and fourth members of the Philadelphia Wings organization inducted into the NLL Hall of Fame. Wings President and Co-Owner Russ Cline and Executive Vice-President and Co-Owner Chris Fritz were among the NLL's inaugural class of inductees last season.

The Wings open their 2007 home season on Saturday, January 13 vs. the Portland LumberJax at the Wachovia Center. Guarantee great seats for all eight Wings home games by reserving your season tickets now! Season tickets start as low as $80 and are available by calling the Wings ticket office at (215) 389-WING (9464) or log on to www.wingslax.com for ticket information.

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