49 Fun Facts About Lacrosse

Lacrosse's Indigenous origins date back to at least which century?

The 12th century: accounts place the earliest Indigenous games around 1100 AD, centuries before any European saw the sport.

Which French Jesuit missionary saw Huron players in 1637 and coined the name 'la crosse'?

Jean de Brébeuf, a Jesuit missionary, recorded Huron players in 1637 and is credited with the first written use of the name.

The name 'la crosse' means what in French?

The stick: in French, crosse denotes a hooked stick such as a bishop's crosier, which the early Indigenous playing sticks resembled.

Indigenous nations described lacrosse as being played 'for' whom?

The Creator: many Indigenous nations call lacrosse the Creator's Game, played to honour and entertain the Creator and as medicine for healing.

Traditional Indigenous lacrosse games could involve how many players?

Hundreds: traditional games drew 100 to 1,000 players from rival villages, with goals sometimes miles apart and play lasting days.

Traditional wooden lacrosse sticks are steam-bent from which wood?

Hickory: traditional wooden sticks are carved and steam-bent from a single piece of hickory, then strung with leather and gut.

Which Canadian dentist founded the Montreal Lacrosse Club in 1856 and codified the game's rules?

William George Beers, a Montreal dentist, wrote the first formal rulebook in 1860, shortening games and setting 12 players a side.

Which side beat Upper Canada College 3-1 in the first game under codified rules, in 1867?

Toronto Cricket Club beat Upper Canada College 3-1 in 1867 in the first match played under the newly codified Montreal rules.

A team of Caughnawaga Mohawk players demonstrated lacrosse in Montreal in which year?

1834: a team of Caughnawaga (Kahnawake) Mohawk players staged a demonstration game in Montreal that year, sparking settler interest in the sport.

Which monarch watched an exhibition game in 1876 and called it 'very pretty to watch'?

Queen Victoria watched an exhibition game by touring Canadian and Indigenous players in 1876 and remarked that it was 'very pretty to watch'.

How many players does each team field in men's field lacrosse?

Ten: each side fields three attackmen, three midfielders, three defensemen and a goalie, ten players in all.

How many players are on a women's lacrosse team?

Twelve: women's field lacrosse plays 12 a side including the goalkeeper, and body contact is not allowed.

A box lacrosse team consists of a goalie plus how many runners?

It is played on a hockey rink with the ice removed or covered.

What are the dimensions of a men's field lacrosse field?

110 by 60 yards: a men's field is 110 yards long and 60 wide, with the goals 80 yards apart and 15 yards in from each end line.

How big is a lacrosse goal?

6 by 6 feet: the goal is a 6-foot-wide, 6-foot-high frame backed by a net, standing inside a crease of 9-foot radius.

What is a lacrosse ball made of?

Solid rubber: the ball is solid rubber, about 2.5 inches across and 5 to 5.25 ounces, traditionally white, yellow or orange.

How long is the shot clock in box lacrosse?

30 seconds: box lacrosse teams must get a shot on goal within a 30-second shot clock, which keeps the rink-sized game fast.

Which version of lacrosse uses moulded plastic sticks and a soft hollow ball, with no contact?

Intercrosse: developed in Quebec in the 1980s, it uses moulded plastic sticks and a soft hollow ball, and bans all body and stick contact.

Box lacrosse originated in which decade, in Canada?

The 1930s: box lacrosse was devised in Canada in the early 1930s to keep hockey arenas earning money in the off-season.

The modern women's game was introduced in 1890 at St Leonards School in which country?

Scotland: headmistress Louisa Lumsden introduced lacrosse at St Leonards School in St Andrews, Scotland, in 1890 after seeing it played in Canada.

What protective equipment are US women's field players required to wear?

Eyewear and a mouthguard: US women's field rules require protective goggles and a mouthguard, but not the helmet and pads the men's game demands.

In which two Olympic Games was lacrosse a full medal sport?

1904 and 1908: lacrosse was a medal sport at St. Louis in 1904 and London in 1908, then only a demonstration event in 1928, 1932 and 1948.

Only which two nations competed in the 1908 Olympic lacrosse tournament in London?

Canada and Great Britain: only those two nations entered the 1908 London tournament, and Canada beat Great Britain 14-10 in the lone match.

In which format was lacrosse added to the programme of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics?

It marks the sport's first Olympic appearance since 1908.

World Lacrosse uniquely recognises which groups as sovereign members?

First Nations and Native American tribes: World Lacrosse is the only international sports federation that admits Indigenous nations as full sovereign members.

The Iroquois team dropped 'Iroquois' from its name in 2022 in favour of what?

The team was formed by the Grand Council of the Haudenosaunee in 1983.

In 2010, the Iroquois Nationals missed the world championship in which country over passport disputes?

England: the 2010 world championship was held in Manchester, and the Nationals withdrew after UK officials refused entry on their tribal passports.

Which country won the first Women's Lacrosse World Cup, held in 1982?

The United States won the inaugural Women's Lacrosse World Cup in 1982, the first of a long run of American titles.

The sport's world governing body changed its name from what in 2019?

Federation of International Lacrosse: formed in 2008 by merging the men's and women's federations, the FIL rebranded as World Lacrosse in May 2019.

The NCAA's first men's lacrosse championship in 1971 was won by which school?

Cornell won the first NCAA men's lacrosse tournament in 1971 under coach Richie Moran, and the Big Red added titles in 1976, 1977 and 2025.

The Tewaaraton Award, college lacrosse's equivalent of the Heisman, has been given since which year?

2001: the Tewaaraton Award, named for the Mohawk word for lacrosse, was first presented in 2001 to the top male and female college players.

Which NFL legend is also in the Lacrosse Hall of Fame and has the PLL's MVP award named after him?

Jim Brown, the Browns' running back, was a first-team lacrosse All-American in 1957 and is in both halls of fame; the PLL's MVP award bears his name.

Four-time All-American Gary Gait played and in 2021 became head coach at which university?

He won three NCAA titles as a player and the Enners Award twice.

Which player and his brother founded the Premier Lacrosse League in 2018?

Paul and Mike Rabil: star midfielder Paul Rabil and his brother Mike, a businessman, founded the Premier Lacrosse League in 2018 and it began play in 2019.

How was the PLL's inaugural 2019 season structured?

A 14-week tour of 12 cities: the six founding teams had no home markets and toured 12 cities over 14 weeks, opening on June 1, 2019 at Gillette Stadium.

Which team won the Premier Lacrosse League's first championship in 2019?

Whipsnakes: the Whipsnakes beat the Redwoods 12-11 in overtime to win the PLL's inaugural 2019 championship, then repeated as champions in 2020.

The National Lacrosse League, the pro box league, is headquartered in which city?

Philadelphia: the National Lacrosse League, North America's professional box circuit, runs from a league office in Philadelphia, and its teams play in hockey arenas.

The first women's lacrosse team in the US was founded in 1926 at a school in which city?

Baltimore: Rosabelle Sinclair founded the first US women's lacrosse team at the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore in 1926.

Under a 1994 act, lacrosse is Canada's official national sport of which season?

Summer: Canada's National Sports of Canada Act of 1994 named lacrosse the national summer sport and ice hockey the national winter sport.

Which US service academy went unbeaten in lacrosse from 1917 through 1923?

Navy: the Midshipmen went unbeaten from 1917 through 1923, a run of several seasons that made Annapolis the sport's early collegiate power.

The Iroquois Nationals made their World Championship debut in which year?

1990: after winning federation membership in the late 1980s, the Nationals debuted at the 1990 World Championship in Perth, Australia, finishing last in the field.

What is the maximum length of a long-stick pole in men's field lacrosse?

72 inches: defenders may carry a long pole of 52 to 72 inches, while attackers and midfielders use short sticks of 40 to 42 inches.

How long is a regulation men's field lacrosse game?

60 minutes: a regulation men's field game runs four 15-minute quarters, 60 minutes in all, each quarter opened with a face-off.

Which of these was a name for a traditional Indigenous version of the game?

Baggataway: the Algonquian-language name, also written bagataway, was among the Indigenous names that early European observers recorded for the game.

Which school won seven consecutive NCAA women's lacrosse titles starting in 1995?

Maryland: Cindy Timchal coached the Terrapins to all seven consecutive titles from 1995, a streak Northwestern later approached with a run of its own in the 2000s.

Canada's senior men's box lacrosse championship trophy is called what?

Mann Cup: the solid-gold trophy donated by railway builder Sir Donald Mann in 1910 goes to Canada's senior men's box lacrosse champion; the Minto Cup is the junior prize.

Which team won the lacrosse gold medal at the 1904 St. Louis Olympics?

Winnipeg Shamrocks: the Canadian club beat the St. Louis Amateur Athletic Association for gold in 1904, with a Mohawk team from Canada taking bronze.

Which US state was the first to require headgear in girls' high school lacrosse?

Florida: its high school athletic association became the first state body to mandate headgear for girls' lacrosse, effective in the 2015 season.

The NLL, the pro box circuit, began play in 1987 under a name featuring which bird?

The Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League had four teams playing a six-game season; the NLL name arrived in 1998.