Gait, Powell and McCabe in Inaugural Pro Lacrosse Hall of Fame Class
2/15/2022 2:56:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
The Premier Lacrosse League announced the inaugural Pro Lacrosse Hall of Fame Class on Tuesday.
The 11-member first class features a trio of Syracuse alums - Gary Gait, Pat McCabe and Casey Powell. The Orange program, which has a rich history like no other, are the only college program with multiple players inducted into the class. Syracuse also owns the distinction of having the most drafted players in professional lacrosse history and most first-round draft picks in professional lacrosse history.
For Gait, the honor comes on the heels of his first victory of head coach of the Syracuse men's program, and less than a week ahead of him becoming the first player in program history to have his jersey honored in the Dome.
A four-time All-American, three-time NCAA Champion and two-time national player of the year, Gait was a member of the 2001 Long Island Lizards team that captured the first-ever Major League Lacrosse Championship then the league began 11 years after his collegiate career. In 2002 and 2005, he won championships with the Bayhawks while serving as a player-coach for the team. He was the league's co-MVP in 2005.
Gait's pro career also included a successful stint in the NLL, where he won three championships as well. He is a 2005 inductee into the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame and is also in the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame.
McCabe is one of the top defensemen ever. A four-time MLL All-Star, he helped lead the Lizards to the MLL's first-three championship games, taking home titles in 2001 and 2003. He collected 182 ground balls in his pro career. McCabe was another four-time All-American at 'Cuse and was a 2006 inductee into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. He won the William Schmeisser Award as the nation's most outstanding defenseman in 1990 and won three NCAA Championships (1988-90) at SU.
Powell is a three-time MLL Champion (2001 Lizards, 2008 Rochester Rattlers, 2013 Chesapeake Bayhawks). He also won MLL MVP honors in 2014 at the age of 38 with the Florida Launch. He ended his career fourth all-time in points (523), ninth all-time in goals (262) and third all-time in assists (256) in professional lacrosse. At Syracuse, he was a four-time All-American, member of the 1995 NCAA Championship team and was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2017.
Full Class:
Attack: Casey Powell
Attack: John Grant Jr.
Attack: Mark Millon
Midfield: Gary Gait
Midfield: Matt Striebel
Midfield: Jay Jalbert
Defense: Pat McCabe
Defense: Nicky Polanco
Defense: John Gagliardi
Goalie: Brian Dougherty
Faceoff Specialist: Paul Cantabene
Tickets to Sunday's Syracuse Lacrosse Legends Day, where Gait, legendary head coach Roy Simmons Jr., and Katie Rowan are set to be honored are available at Cuse.com/Tickets.
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The 11-member first class features a trio of Syracuse alums - Gary Gait, Pat McCabe and Casey Powell. The Orange program, which has a rich history like no other, are the only college program with multiple players inducted into the class. Syracuse also owns the distinction of having the most drafted players in professional lacrosse history and most first-round draft picks in professional lacrosse history.
For Gait, the honor comes on the heels of his first victory of head coach of the Syracuse men's program, and less than a week ahead of him becoming the first player in program history to have his jersey honored in the Dome.
A four-time All-American, three-time NCAA Champion and two-time national player of the year, Gait was a member of the 2001 Long Island Lizards team that captured the first-ever Major League Lacrosse Championship then the league began 11 years after his collegiate career. In 2002 and 2005, he won championships with the Bayhawks while serving as a player-coach for the team. He was the league's co-MVP in 2005.
Gait's pro career also included a successful stint in the NLL, where he won three championships as well. He is a 2005 inductee into the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame and is also in the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame.
McCabe is one of the top defensemen ever. A four-time MLL All-Star, he helped lead the Lizards to the MLL's first-three championship games, taking home titles in 2001 and 2003. He collected 182 ground balls in his pro career. McCabe was another four-time All-American at 'Cuse and was a 2006 inductee into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. He won the William Schmeisser Award as the nation's most outstanding defenseman in 1990 and won three NCAA Championships (1988-90) at SU.
Powell is a three-time MLL Champion (2001 Lizards, 2008 Rochester Rattlers, 2013 Chesapeake Bayhawks). He also won MLL MVP honors in 2014 at the age of 38 with the Florida Launch. He ended his career fourth all-time in points (523), ninth all-time in goals (262) and third all-time in assists (256) in professional lacrosse. At Syracuse, he was a four-time All-American, member of the 1995 NCAA Championship team and was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2017.
Full Class:
Attack: Casey Powell
Attack: John Grant Jr.
Attack: Mark Millon
Midfield: Gary Gait
Midfield: Matt Striebel
Midfield: Jay Jalbert
Defense: Pat McCabe
Defense: Nicky Polanco
Defense: John Gagliardi
Goalie: Brian Dougherty
Faceoff Specialist: Paul Cantabene
Tickets to Sunday's Syracuse Lacrosse Legends Day, where Gait, legendary head coach Roy Simmons Jr., and Katie Rowan are set to be honored are available at Cuse.com/Tickets.
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Saturday, May 23
Saturday, May 23
Saturday, May 23
Friday, May 22
