Cornell Lacrosse legacy started before Richie Moran

[TimV]

Not often noted by the ESPN announcers, but Coach Buczek acknowledges the Harkness teams, that went 35-1 in those 3 seasons.  Those seasons overlapped at times, so Ned was doing double duty:

To the Harkness Era Teams,

 

As we celebrate the tremendous achievement of our recent National Championship — a moment of pride for the entire Cornell community — it's important to take a step back and reflect on the deep roots that have made this program what it is today.

 

We owe a profound debt of gratitude to the men who wore the red and white in the mid- to late-'60s — the trailblazers of the 1966–68 teams — who laid the very foundation of Cornell Lacrosse's enduring excellence. Under the leadership of Coach Ned Harkness, those squads brought a new level of commitment, vision, and pride to Schoellkopf Field. They built the program's identity: tough, disciplined, and relentless — a standard we still hold ourselves to today.

 

It's easy, in the glow of recent victories and the emotional resonance of iconic figures like Richie Moran, George Boiardi, and Eamon McEneaney, for some chapters of our story to feel overlooked. But we want to be absolutely clear: there is no Cornell Lacrosse legacy without the 1966–68 teams. You were the spark that ignited decades of greatness. It took everyone one of us over the years to get to this point and we're so glad to finally return Cornell to the mountain top.

 

This championship — and every one that has come before — rests on the shoulders of giants. To those of you who gave your all in those formative years, please know that your contribution has not been forgotten. It lives on every single day in our program.

 

Best,

Connor Buczek

The Richie Moran Head Coach of Lacrosse

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

I always liked that Schafer made the team focus on the history and legacy of those who came long before them.  Nice to see Buczek doing the same.

[jjanow99]

I have to point out that those teams played on Lower Alumni Field, not Schoellkopf. My baseball team practiced on that field and when we were done a lacrosse game started.
But, a great sentiment from the
 Coach.

[RichH]

We put up a bear statue outside of Teagle, but somewhere there should statue or bust of Ned. As the glow of CU football national relevance was rapidly fading, the fact that one guy rocket-fueled *two* varsity programs to establish traditions of greatness for (at least) 60 years is pretty astounding.

[Swampy]

We put up a bear statue outside of Teagle, but somewhere there should statue or bust of Ned. As the glow of CU football national relevance was rapidly fading, the fact that one guy rocket-fueled *two* varsity programs to establish traditions of greatness for (at least) 60 years is pretty astounding.

+1 Very insightful. And True!

[RichH]

Good feature in the alumni magazine. Good photo of the crescent filled in the 1970s and of the 1893 team.

Intercollegiate hockey didn't even exist in the U.S. until 1896 (1901 at Cornell) yet the first CU lacrosse club was formed in 1887!!

https://alumni.cornell.edu/cornellians/lacrosse-championship/

[Trotsky]

The hockey program is the bust of Ned.

Someday the inevitable will happen. Lynah will be replaced by a Cheel-like antiseptic Chamber of Wraiths, and it will have a Cornell hockey museum (with overpriced gift shop) suspiciously similar to the Jackie Rotunda at Citi Field.  The vaulted ceiling should be The Creation of Adam, with Ned about to pull Mike's finger.

[Swampy]

The hockey program is the bust of Ned.

Someday the inevitable will happen. Lynah will be replaced by a Cheel-like antiseptic Chamber of Wraiths, and it will have a Cornell hockey museum (with overpriced gift shop) suspiciously similar to the Jackie Rotunda at Citi Field.  The vaulted ceiling should be The Creation of Adam, with Ned about to pull Mike's and Richie's fingers.

FYP.

Perhaps this should also go on the ceiling of the new Meinig Fieldhouse.

[billhoward]

The new arenas are nice. The niceness, sight lines, TV sight lines, big concourses (that also add +500-750 fans to an othewise full house), the clubhouse-section-with-rink-view, more spacious bathrooms, alcohol sales to all over 21, those make Quinnipiac, RIT, Sacred Heart, Arizona State great places to watch hockey and sometimes I think that trumps the Lynah atmosphere. To the extent watchers on TV outnumber fans in the stands, Cornell's low ceiling makes TV difficult. It could be improved by moving banners to the corners or Zamboni end and going to remotely controlled cameras (the camera in the rafters, the controller down near the press box).

Maybe some older alumni believe living in U Halls freshman year enhanced their Cornell experience. I think it's one step above the idea of a POW camp enhancing a GI's life experience.

Cornell-Sacred Heart January 2025 (yes, lightish attendance but it was during intersession):

[Chris '03]

.... Quinnipiac ... Sacred Heart...great places to watch hockey and sometimes I think that trumps the Lynah atmosphere

False. I don't want ECHL and jock jams and "run of show" video board nonsense. The atmosphere at SHU was like Q nonsense on steroids.

[RichH]

.... Quinnipiac ... Sacred Heart...great places to watch hockey and sometimes I think that trumps the Lynah atmosphere

False. I don't want ECHL and jock jams and "run of show" video board nonsense. The atmosphere at SHU was like Q nonsense on steroids.

It's what you get when you design facilities for old donors rather than the students who attend.  Sorry, bill.

[billhoward]

We need to talk to the players what they think about newer versus older facilities. Lynah at least has upgraded the locker rooms and training rooms and made them equal for both men's and women's teams.

St. Lawrence has a beautiful old 2000 seat arena but with a big video scoreboard and an addition providing big and modern facilities, again for men and women, of importance because St. Lawrence women have outperformed the men in recent years.

At the least, I'd like to see if Lynah's roof could be raised 20 feet in the April-to-August timeframe.

[underskill]

I wonder if they could just dig down like Seattle did for the Key Arena reno and leave the roof in place

[George64]

I wonder if they could just dig down like Seattle did for the Key Arena reno and leave the roof in place

Per Greek poet Sappho, "Raise high the roof beam, carpenters."
.

[stereax]

I wonder if they could just dig down like Seattle did for the Key Arena reno and leave the roof in place

Feels like it would be a lot easier to move the roof up than everything else down...