Lacrosse Alumnus Wins Emmy Award

The Syracuse men's lacrosse program has won 11 NCAA Championships, the most for a Division I program. To achieve such a feat requires an extraordinary cast of coaches and student-athletes. Fred Cambria '85, a member of the 1983 team that defeated top-seeded Johns Hopkins, 17-16, to capture the Orange's first national title, continues to be extraordinary off the field today.

In 1983, as the Orange stunned the nation with its historical victory against Johns Hopkins, history was also being made in the boxing world. During the Billy Collins Jr.-Luis Resto fight, Resto's gloves were found to be missing padding, an illegal move that allowed him to seriously injure Collins.

More than 25 years later, Cambria decided to tell the story of the Billy Collins Jr.-Luis Resto boxing scandal in the critically acclaimed HBO Sports documentary, “Assault In The Ring,” for which he served as the executive in charge of production. On April 26, 2010, at the 31st Annual Sports Emmy Awards, Cambria was once again part of an underdog team that shocked the nation when the film won the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Documentary.

“It is a story of redemption that ironically started in 1983, the same year our SU lacrosse team beat Johns Hopkins,” Cambria said. “And like our team, which nobody believed had a chance to win the championship, our film beat out some seriously good documentaries from talented producers and directors. Quite frankly, I didn't think we had a chance to win an Emmy this year, as this was our first documentary. We were lucky enough to have had HBO Sports believe in us and the story.”

Cambria graduated from the College of Visual and Performing Arts and credits his education as the spring board for his award-winning entertainment career.

“My education was my calling card when I first started out. To be able to say in the mid-80's you graduated from SU and you wanted to work in TV (or cable in the early days) meant something, just like it does today,” Cambria said.

The combination of Cambria's classroom education with his athletic training proved to be a recipe for success.

“Being a student-athlete is about time management and team work—two core work principles that you need to succeed, “Cambria said. “My athletic career was all about trying to win championships. Most companies want that trait in who they hire.”

The drive instilled in Cambria to win championships continued to inspire him to reach new heights in his professional life. Winning this award is proof of his commitment to achieve.

“It means that you should never settle for what you did in the past. You should respect and enjoy it, but never stop wanting the next accomplishment,” Cambria said.

When asked to reflect back on his favorite memory as a stickman for the Orange, Cambria immediately noted the timeless moment when they hoisted the championship trophy over their heads while standing on the field that laid the foundation for a program dynasty. Yet, as great as that moment was, it finished second to those spent with his teammates.

“Truly, my favorite memory is the time spent with my teammates in the locker room, on the bus, and warming up in the Dome before a playoff game,” Cambria said.

As Cambria excels in his professional life, he still finds time to nurture his love and passion for lacrosse. He currently coaches three teams, runs two leagues and just joined forces with other SU lacrosse alumni to form the Simmons Lacrosse Foundation, a non-profit set up to preserve Syracuse lacrosse history.

For more information on his award-winning film, visit www.assaultinthering.com.

Syracuse University Athletics

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