The Evolution of Lacrosse Timeline

The Lacrosse Timeline

1636 - The lacrosse timeline begins with the Jesuit Missionary Jean de Brebeuf is the first to document the game of lacrosse

1794 - A match between the Seneca and Mohawks results in the creating of basic rules.

1834 - Caughnawaga Indians demonstrate the sport in Montreal. The game is reported by the newspaper and, for the first time, white men are interested in the sport.

1867 - Dr. William George Beers, the father of modern lacrosse, finalizes the first set of playing rules for the Montreal Club.

1876 - Queen Victoria watched and "endorses" a lacrosse game in Windsor, England. New York University is the first college in the United States to establish a lacrosse team.

1881 - The first intercollegiate tournament is held at Westchester Polo Grounds in New York.

1890 - In the lacrosse timeline, the first women's lacrosse game is played at St. Leonard's School in St. Andrew's, Scotland.

1904 - Lacrosse is first played as an exhibition sport in the Olympics in St. Louis. The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse League is formed. Laurie D. Cox, William C. Schmeisser and Charles Lattig form a committee to develop a uniform code of operation for college lacrosse, and divide the colleges into north and south divisions.

1926 - In the lacrosse timeline, Rosabelle Sinclair reestablishes women's lacrosse in the United States when she starts a team at the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore.

1931 - The United States Women's Lacrosse Association (USWLA) is formed as the rule-making body for women's lacrosse.

1933 - The USWLA holds its first national tournament in Greenwich, Conn.

1937 - Robert Pool introduces the first double-walled wooden stick, an early prototype for today's plastic sticks.

1947 - In the lacrosse timeline, the men's field game positions change from goalkeeper, point, cover point, first defense, second defense, center, second attack, first attack and in home to goal keeper, attack, midfield and defense.

1959 - The Lacrosse Foundation is incorporated as the sport's national development center and archive.

1967 - Coach Willis Bilderback of Navy wins his eighth consecutive intercollegiate title.

1971 - In the lacrosse timeline, Men's College lacrosse allies with the NCAA. The International Federation of Women's Lacrosse Association (IFWLA) is founded.

1978 - The first issue of Lacrosse Magazine is published by The Lacrosse Foundation.

1982 - The first NCAA women's championship is played at Trenton State University between the University of Massachusetts and Trenton State University.

1985 - The Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Foundation becomes the first of many regional chapters of The Lacrosse Foundation. The Japan Lacrosse Association is formed. The major Indoor Lacrosse League revives professional box lacrosse in Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia and Washington.

1990 - Coach Roy Simmons, Jr. of Syracuse University is the first coach to win four NCAA titles.

1997 - In the lacrosse timeline, the University of Maryland wins it's fifth NCAA women's championship. US Lacrosse is founded and incorporated as the national governing body of men's and women's lacrosse. On March 14, the new Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame are rededicated, completing the expansion of the US Lacrosse headquarters.

2001 - The IFWLA World Cup is played in High Wycombe, England where the U.S. defeated Australia for the cup.

2002 - The International Lacrosse Federation World Championship is played in Perth, Australia. The U.S. defeats Canada for the championship.

2003 - The ILF and IFWLA U-19 World Championships are held in Towson, Maryland (U.S.) where the U.S. teams won both titles.

2005 - The IFWLA World Cup is played in Annapolis, Maryland (U.S.) and won by Australia, which defeated the U.S. 14-7 in the gold medal game.

2006 - The timeline of lacrosse ends with The International Lacrosse Federation World Championship is played in London, Ontario (Canada). The Canadians win the title with a 15-10 victory over the U.S. in the gold medal game, snapping the American men's 38-game winning streak, dating back to 1978.

This timeline is brought to you by USLacrosse.