Bumping Hips: A History of Lacrosse

The game was expanded and revamped by a Canadian dentist names George Beers in 1856, when he founded the Montreal Lacrosse Club. The group modified the rules of the game as well as the equipment used. Lacrosse became a popular sport among young men, and the first game played with the new set of rules and equipment was played in 1857 at a college in Canada. Shortly after that, Canada named lacrosse its national sport. The game was brought overseas to England shortly after where a game was played between different nations, and expanded throughout England schools as a result. In the late 1800’s, cities in New York also founded lacrosse clubs, and the game continued to grow as a result. Lacrosse is played worldwide, with various different countries coming together to play in the Lacrosse World Championships. The game is played at all levels, professional, collegiate, recreational, high school, middle school, and youth levels. Both men and women play the game, through the game varies in rules, field, and equipment. The concept of the game is to score more points than your opponent, and that concept has never changed. The history of lacrosse is one of the most unique stories of all sports played today, which makes it the fastest growing sport in the world! New York University boasted the country’s 1st college team in 1877, and Philips Exeter Academy, New Hampshire, Philips Andover Academy, Massachusetts and the Lawrenceville School, New Jersey were the nations’ 1st high school teams in 1882.

In the early 1900s lacrosse became recognized as a world class sport and was accepted as an Olympic sport and the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse League (USILL) was formed. In 1926, the USILL was replaced by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association, which is still the governing body of the sport of lacrosse today.

Lacrosse continued to grow in North America during the mid 1900s, and today the game is played by over five-hundred universities and colleges, as well as over fourteen-hundred high schools nationwide. Women’s lacrosse is also taking off. Over one-hundred universities and colleges, along with 150 high schools, currently have lacrosse programs.