Lacrosse was established at Drexel in 1941 under coach Maury McMains. At the time, the university was known as Drexel Institute of Technology.[4] Drexel's first USILA All-American was Ray Greene, who after serving in World War II transferred to Johns Hopkins, where he became a Hall of Fame midfielder. Drexel's 1947 schedule included games against Syracuse, Johns Hopkins, Virginia, Penn State and Penn.
Through the 1950s, highlights included Drexel reaching as high as number six in the standings in 1952, finishing the year with a five and two record. In 1953, Dick Young achieved first-team All-American honors at midfield.[5] Drexel in 1958 completed the season with an 8 and 2 record, including a win over a Lehigh team who would go on to win the "Class C" lacrosse national title the following year.[6]
In 1967, Drexel lacrosse aligned with the Middle Atlantic Conference and in 1975 the East Coast Conference. During this era, Lynn Ferguson, a two-time All-American midfielder, was named an All-American in both football and lacrosse in the same year. Drexel reached the small college USILA tournaments in both 1972 and 1973, with records of 11–3 and 9–4, respectively. The 1972 season also included a 14 to 6 win over the innovative Morgan State Bears lacrosse team.
In 1978, Dennis Fink earned Drexel's first Division I All-America honor for lacrosse, was the first Drexel player to lead the nation in scoring with 98 points and currently ranks among the all-time leader in several College Lacrosse Records.[citation needed] Fink also led Drexel to their only ECC conference title, as well as a 10 and 2 record.[7]
The 1998 men's lacrosse squad won eleven straight to begin the season, finished with twelve wins against two defeats, including a 14 to 10 defeat of top 20 Towson University, and a number 19 national ranking. In 2007, Drexel lacrosse defeated University of Virginia, ranked number one at the time and the defending National Champion, Drexel's first victory over a number one ranked Division I team in any sport.[8]
In 2008 the Dragons set a school record with 13 wins, ranking as high as 10th in the nation and reaching the Colonial Tournament finals before losing 10–9 in overtime to Hofstra, narrowly missing out on an NCAA tournament bid.[9] In 2010, the team reached their highest ever national ranking at number 7 in the nation following a win over then number three Notre Dame, the eventual NCAA Division I tournament runner up.
In 2014, Drexel scored in the third overtime as the Dragons came back from a three-goal deficit with five minutes to go in the game, to defeat Hofstra 11–10, win its first Colonial Athletic Association championship and earn their first NCAA tournament berth in lacrosse. In the first round of the tournament, the Dragons eliminated fourth seeded Penn by a score of 16–11. The highlight of the game was three consecutive goals by Drexel in a span of just over 11 seconds at the end of the first half. The Dragons moved on to the quarterfinals where they lost to Denver 15–6 at Delaware Stadium. Drexel was the first Pennsylvania based Division I college team to advance past the first round of the NCAAs since Penn reached the Final Four in 1988.[10]
Prior to 2014, Drexel had not appeared in any NCAA Lacrosse Tournaments, though the team did get invitations to the 1972 and 1973 USILA small college tournaments, and since then, they did make the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Drexel has had 46 lacrosse All-Americans since beginning the sport in 1941.[11]
In 82 seasons, Drexel has an all-time record of 468 wins, 490 losses and 3 ties, 961 total games, .489 winning percentage through the 2024 season.
Notable athletes and coaches
Walter "Sonny" Bajkowski: Ranked 20th all-time in Division II total points for a season (36 goals, 60 assists, 96 points in 14 games) and 16th all-time in points-per-game for a season (6.86 ppg for 14 games) in 1972, Boy's Latin graduate.[12]
Chris Bates: Former head coach who played for the Philadelphia Wings, winning NLL titles in 1994, 1995 and 1998, and making the All-Pro team in 1996. In 2009, Bates was named head lacrosse coach at Princeton University, replacing Bill Tierney. Bates led Drexel to 13–4 record in 2008 and the CAA finals, and in 2007 led Drexel to an upset over defending champion UVA.[13]
Reid Bowering: The second overall selection in the 2020 NLL entry draft.[14] Tied for the all-time lead in goals scored at Drexel. Led Drexel to the NCAA tournament and was named All American in 2021.
Robert Church: The fifth overall selection in the 2013 NLL entry draft, fourth all time in Drexel lacrosse scoring, team was 37-23 during Church's time there, reaching the CAA Finals in 2012, Church was named All American in 2013.[14] Church won National Lacrosse Leagues titles in 2015, 2016 and 2018 with the Rush, with over 900 career points in the NLL.
Lynn B. Ferguson: a Midfielder, was named an All-American in both football and lacrosse while at Drexel, a Lower Merion graduate.[16]
Dennis Fink: Earned Drexel's first NCAA Division I All-America honor for lacrosse. Fink is the only Drexel player to lead the nation in scoring and is among the leaders in single season points per game with 98 points in 12 games for an 8.17 per game average, and is second in assists-per-game in a season (63 assists in 12 games for a 5.25 per game average), accomplished in 1978.[17][18]
Ray Greene: Played on one of the first Drexel lacrosse teams and selected first-team All-American in 1943. Transferred to Johns Hopkins after serving during WWII, leading Hopkins to two USILA national titles. Greene was elected to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1981.[19]
Tom Hayes: Former Drexel head coach who also coached for many years at Rutgers, elected to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1989. Led Drexel to two USILA college tournament bids.[20]
Zach Manns: 2nd round pick in the 2019 NLL entry draft. Played in 2017 and 2018 for Drexel, made the decision to go professional. Manns won the Western Lacrosse Association Most Valuable Player in 2023. He is currently teamed with fellow Drexel alum Robert Church playing for the Saskatchewan Rush.
Jeff Spano: 2001 graduate who played professionally from 2002 to 2006 with the Philadelphia Wings and the New York Titans, with 28 goals and 78 assists for 106 points in 81 games.[22][23]
Scott Stewart: The 3rd overall pick in the 2001 NLL draft, accumulating 151 goals with 162 assists for 313 points over a ten-year NLL career.[24]
Brian Voelker: Current head coach, elected to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2015, All American defenseman with Johns Hopkins. Also was head coach at Penn.[25]
John Christopher Grant Jr. is an American professional lacrosse coach and retired professional lacrosse player who has played in Major League Lacrosse, the National Lacrosse League, and the Ontario Lacrosse Association. He currently serves as an assistant coach for Redwoods Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League.
Casey Powell is an American retired professional lacrosse player from West Carthage, New York. In 1998, he graduated from Syracuse University, where he was a four-time USILA All-American. Powell was the NCAA Division I Most Outstanding Player in 1997 and 1998. Powell was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2017, and the Professional Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2022. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest lacrosse players of all time, and has been referred to as the greatest all-around attackman of his generation.
Tom "Hollywood" Marechek is a retired professional lacrosse player.
The Drexel Dragons are the athletic teams of Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school's athletic program includes eighteen NCAA Division I sports including nine men's and nine women's teams, with most sports teams competing in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). Drexel's athletic department was ranked first in gender equity by U.S. News. The university has demonstrated a high level of student-athlete academic performance, with a 10-year NCAA graduation rate of 91% compared to a national average of 85%.
Randy Mearns is a former lacrosse player and the current head coach of the St. Bonaventure Bonnies men’s lacrosse team. After a 9-year career in the National Lacrosse League, Mearns became the head coach of the Canisius Golden Griffins men’s lacrosse team, where he would coach for 19 seasons before leaving in 2017 to coach for the newly created lacrosse program at St. Bonaventure.
Frank Urso is a former American lacrosse player and current high school lacrosse coach, best known for his collegiate career at the University of Maryland from 1973 to 1976. During those four years, Maryland won two national championships, in 1973 and 1975, and reached the final in 1974 and 1976. Urso received the Tewaaraton Legend Award in 2016.
Matt Danowski is a former professional lacrosse Attackman who played in Major League Lacrosse (MLL) and the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) for 12 seasons. He finished his career with the Chrome Lacrosse Club, announcing his retirement on February 22, 2021. He previously played for the Chesapeake Bayhawks, Charlotte Hounds, New York Lizards, and the New Jersey Pride. Danowski also spent four seasons playing professional indoor lacrosse in the National Lacrosse League for the Colorado Mammoth, Rochester Knighthawks and Philadelphia Wings. He was a four-time college All-American at Duke University, won the Tewaaraton Trophy in 2007, and was the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer at the time of his graduation with 353 points.
The Albany Great Danes men's lacrosse team represents the University at Albany in NCAA Division I men's college lacrosse. Albany currently competes in the America East Conference and plays its home games on Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium. The team has reached the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament ten times. The Great Danes are currently coached by Scott Marr.
Brett Moyer of Ridley Park, Pennsylvania is a retired professional lacrosse player who played for the Philadelphia Wings in the National Lacrosse League, and the Philadelphia Barrage in the Major League Lacrosse. Moyer was a three-time All American at Hofstra University. Moyer is currently the head varsity lacrosse coach at IMG Academy.
Darren Lowe was a three-time All-American NCAA lacrosse player at Brown University from 1989 to 1992 who led his team to three straight NCAA tournament quarterfinal appearances.
Lacrosse has been played in Pennsylvania since the 19th century. The state has amateur programs at the club, college, and high school level, and several past and present professional teams in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and Major League Lacrosse (MLL).
The Penn State Nittany Lions men's lacrosse team represents Pennsylvania State University in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college lacrosse.
Kevin E. Lowe is a finance executive and retired professional lacrosse player who played professional box lacrosse in the National Lacrosse League and professional field lacrosse in Major League Lacrosse from 1995 to 2006. He starred as a member of the Princeton Tigers men's lacrosse team from 1991 through 1994 and was inducted into the Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame in 2009, joining his brother and father. He was a high school and college lacrosse United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-American. Lowe has the distinction of being the only player in lacrosse history to score an overtime goal in an NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship game and a Major League Lacrosse Steinfeld Cup championship game. He holds numerous Princeton scoring records and formerly held the Ivy League single-season assists record. As a college senior, he was honored as the National Collegiate Athletic Association's best lacrosse attackman and the Ivy League's best player. In his four-year college career, Princeton won its first two NCAA tournament Championship, two Ivy League Championships and earned four NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament invitations.
John Danowski is an American college lacrosse coach who has been the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils men's lacrosse team since the 2007 season. Previously, he had spent 21 seasons as the head coach at Hofstra. Danowski coached Duke to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men's Lacrosse Championship in 2010, 2013, and 2014, and appearances in the national championship game in 2007, 2018, and 2023. He is a three-time winner of the F. Morris Touchstone Award as the NCAA men's lacrosse coach of the year, earning the honor in 1993, 2010, and 2013. One of nine coaches to lead three NCAA Division I championship teams, Danowski has won more games than any other Division I lacrosse coach. In addition, he is the head coach of the United States men's national lacrosse team, which he led to the gold medal at the 2018 World Lacrosse Championship.
Mark Matthews is a Canadian professional lacrosse player for the Toronto Rock in the National Lacrosse League. He won the 2018 NLL MVP award.
Tucker Durkin is an American retired professional lacrosse player.
Ben McIntosh is a lacrosse player for the Philadelphia Wings in the National Lacrosse League and Waterdogs Lacrosse Club in the Premier Lacrosse League. McIntosh was named to the All World Team at the 2018 World Lacrosse Championship.
Robert Church is a Canadian professional lacrosse player for the Saskatchewan Rush in the National Lacrosse League.
Connor Fields is an American-Canadian professional lacrosse player who plays for the Utah Archers of the Premier Lacrosse League and the Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League. He played college lacrosse at the University at Albany, where he was an All-American all four years. He was drafted by the San Diego Seals in the 2018 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft. He was also drafted in Major League Lacrosse by the Charlotte Hounds in 2018.
Tristan David "TD" Ierlan is an American professional lacrosse player who plays as a faceoff specialist for Redwoods Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League and the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League. Regarded as one of the best faceoff specialists of all time, Ierlan holds numerous NCAA records, having played at Albany, Yale, and Denver before turning professional. Additionally, he is a volunteer assistant lacrosse coach at Syracuse.
↑ "More Player signings for New York". OurSports Central. August 24, 2006. Retrieved February 19, 2016. Jeff Spano signs with New York after playing five seasons with the Philadelphia Wings
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