Frank Urso

Last updated
Frank Urso
NationalityAmerican
ShootsRight
PositionMidfield
NLL teams Washington Wave
NCAA team University of Maryland
Pro career1987
Coach Garnet Valley High School
Career highlights
Medal record
Representing the Flag of the United States.svg  United States
World Lacrosse Championship
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1974 Melbourne
U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame, 1981

Frank Urso (born 1954) 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. [1]

Contents

College career

Urso led the Terrapins to the 1973 and 1975 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships and to a perfect 10–0 record in 1973. Urso ranks fourth all-time in Maryland men's lacrosse scoring with 208 career points [2] and first all-time in NCAA Division I tournament scoring with 32 goals. Urso earned first-team All-American honors all four years while in college, one of only four players in NCAA history to achieve that feat. [3]

In the 1973 national title game, Urso scored the winning goal 1:18 into overtime for a 10-9 Maryland win. In the 1975 NCAA championship game against Navy, Urso scored five goals.

Maryland reached the NCAA final again in 1976, where Urso's assist with one second left in regulation tied the game before Cornell took control in overtime to win 16 to 13. That play was controversial as the referees had to reset the game clock to six seconds. Urso then got the ball from the refs at the midfield line for the restart. [4]

In all, the Terps during Urso's college career reached the NCAA title game four straight years, winning two titles and losing two, one of which was in overtime.

Urso was a midfield on the inaugural World Lacrosse Championship in 1974, with Team USA winning the title over Australia 20-14.

Urso was named the USILA player of the year in 1975 as well as winning the McLaughlin Award as the nation's top midfielder in 1974 and 1976. He entered the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1981 and is considered one of the best college midfielders of all time. Urso was named to the NCAA's Silver Anniversary all-time lacrosse team in 1995 along with several other top collegiate players including Mike French, Eamon McEneaney, Tim Nelson, Gary Gait, Paul Gait, Brad Kotz, Dave Pietramala, Dan Mackesey, and Larry Quinn. [5]

High School and MILL

Urso was an All-American lacrosse player [6] at Brentwood High School in New York, where he also played running back on a football squad that won 17 straight games over two years. He won the 1972 Suffolk County Ray Enners Award as the Suffolk County Coaches Lacrosse Player of the Year. [7] He is the first player to win both the college Lt. Raymond Enners Award and the high school Lt. Ray Enners Award. His football talent enticed Ohio State, Penn State and Pittsburgh to try to recruit him for that sport.

He also played in the inaugural MILL season of 1987 for the Washington Wave leading the team to the initial championship game, and acting as an assistant coach. [8]

Coaching

In addition to his experience coaching at the MILL level, Urso has head coaching experience at the Maryland club lacrosse level.

In 2008, Urso was named head coach for the men's lacrosse team at Garnet Valley High School, a school district in suburban Philadelphia. In his first season, Urso led the Jaguars to a 14 and 9 record and a spot in the Pennsylvania high school playoffs. In 2010, Garnett Valley reached the state quarterfinals, finishing with a record of 17 and 6 achieving their best record and highest state ranking since 2007.

Urso has a record of 177 and 74 as coach at Garnet Valley.

Statistics

University of Maryland

   
SeasonGPGAPtsPPG
1973102820484.80
1974104022626.20
1975103419535.30
1976112520454.09
Totals41127812085.07 *
* Urso's 5.07 points-per-game during his career is not officially recognized by the NCAA, this would rank Urso top 25 on the all-time list.

Accomplishments

See also

Related Research Articles

The Tewaaraton Award is an annual award for the most outstanding American college lacrosse men's and women's players, since 2001. It is the lacrosse equivalent of football's Heisman Trophy. The award is presented by The Tewaaraton Foundation and the University Club of Washington, D.C.

Matt Ward is an American lacrosse player who played at the University of Virginia and played for the Washington Bayhawks.

Delverne "Del" Dressel is an American lacrosse player and a National Hall of Fame member, inducted in 2002.

The Lt. Donald MacLaughlin Jr. Award — also known as the "Don MacLaughlin Award" — has been given annually since 1973 by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) to the NCAA's most outstanding college lacrosse midfielder. The award is presented to the best midfielder in Division I, Division II, and — until recently — Division III. The outstanding midfielder in Division III now receives the new "Fran McCall Award". Also, the new "Long Pole Midfielder of the Year" award is given in Divisions II and III.

The Lt. Raymond Enners Award is an award given annually to the NCAA's most outstanding player in men's college lacrosse. The award is presented by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) and is named after 1st Lt. Raymond J. Enners, who attended the United States Military Academy, class of 1967, and served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. While leading a platoon, he was killed in combat on September 18, 1968. Enners received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Purple Heart for extraordinary heroism in combat in South Vietnam. He was a member of the 1963 All-Long Island lacrosse team, a 1967 USILA Honorable Mention All-American, and was inducted into the Suffolk County Hall of Fame in 2004. The award was first given in the season immediately after his death. The Lt. Ray Enners Award, another award named after Lt. Enners, is presented annually by the Suffolk County Boys Lacrosse Coaches Association to the outstanding high school player in Suffolk County, New York. Frank Urso is the only athlete who has won both awards, in 1972 and 1975. In 2016, Richard Enners authored the book "Heart of Gray", the story about his brother LT. Raymond J. Enners, Alpha Company, 1-20th Infantry, 11th Brigade and his courage and sacrifice in Vietnam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Danowski</span>

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.

Richard M. Moran was an American Hall of Fame lacrosse player and coach.

Maxwell Oren Seibald is a former professional lacrosse player for the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse. He played midfield position. He graduated in 2009 from Cornell University. He is a former Tewaaraton Award winner, and two-time Team USA player. He played for Team Israel in 2018.

The 1973 NCAA lacrosse tournament was the third annual tournament hosted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to determine the team champion of college lacrosse among its members in the United States.

John "Jack" Thomas is a former All-American lacrosse player at Johns Hopkins University from 1972 to 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loyola Greyhounds men's lacrosse</span> University sports team

The Loyola Greyhounds men's lacrosse team represents Loyola University Maryland in NCAA Division I lacrosse. Its home matches are played at the Ridley Athletic Complex. Charley Toomey has served as its head coach since 2006. It became a member of the Patriot League along with the university's other intercollegiate athletic programs on July 1, 2013. The Greyhounds were a member of the ECAC Lacrosse League from 2005 to 2013. It became the first member of the conference to win a national championship in 2012. It was also the first national title in the university's Division I history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maryland Terrapins men's lacrosse</span> NCAA Division I lacrosse team

The Maryland Terrapins men's lacrosse team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I lacrosse as a member of the Big Ten Conference. Maryland was a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference before withdrawing after the 2014 season.

The Johns Hopkins–Maryland lacrosse rivalry is an intercollegiate rivalry between the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays, which represent Johns Hopkins University, and the Maryland Terrapins, which represent the University of Maryland. The most prominent event has been the men's lacrosse series, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest rivalries in the sport. More than 115 contests in the series have been played since the schools first met in 1895. The competition is intensified by each program's status as a traditional lacrosse powerhouse. As such, the game has often held national championship implications, and twice the teams played to represent the United States in the Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navy Midshipmen men's lacrosse</span> NCAA Division I mens lacrosse team

The Navy Midshipmen men's lacrosse team represents the United States Naval Academy in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's lacrosse. Navy currently competes as a member of the Patriot League and play their home games at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. During the 20th century, the Midshipmen secured 17 national championships, including 2 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association titles and 15 Wingate Memorial Trophy awards. During the 1960s, a period of dominance for the Midshipmen, they won eight consecutive titles. The program's main rivals include Army, Maryland, and Johns Hopkins.

The Virginia Cavaliers men's lacrosse team represents the University of Virginia in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's lacrosse. The Cavaliers compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and plays home games at Klöckner Stadium, or occasionally Turf Field or Scott Stadium, in Charlottesville, Virginia. The team is coached by Lars Tiffany, who led the team to back-to-back national titles in the 2019 NCAA Lacrosse Championship and 2021 NCAA Lacrosse Championship.

Clayton Albert "Bud" Beardmore was an American lacrosse coach. As head coach at the University of Maryland, Beardmore led the Terrapins to two NCAA tournament championships in 1973 and 1975. He was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1980.

Lt. Raymond J. Enners was an officer in the United States Army and a champion high-school lacrosse player. He attended and played for the United States Military Academy at West Point before serving in the army during the Vietnam War where he was killed in action. He received several posthumous awards for his service and several lacrosse awards are given out yearly in his honor.

Rob Pannell is an American professional lacrosse player who plays for Redwoods Lacrosse Club.

Tom Schreiber is an American professional lacrosse player with the Utah Archers of the Premier Lacrosse League and the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League. He attended St. Anthony's High School in South Huntington, New York, and played collegiate lacrosse at Princeton University. Schreiber is the only player to have won the professional outdoor lacrosse MVP award three times. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time.

Patrick Andrew Spencer is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Northwestern Wildcats and is also a former college lacrosse player for the Loyola Greyhounds.

References

  1. Santoliquito, Joe (May 25, 2017). "Maryland Legend Frank Urso Remembers Past, Cheers Present into Championship Weekend". Inside Lacrosse. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  2. "Unforgettable Legend". umterps.com. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  3. "LaxPower USILA Awards Players and Coach of the Year". LaxPower.com. 2004. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27.
  4. "A Look Back At The Maryland/Hopkins Series History". Atlantic Coast Conference. April 14, 2004. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007.
  5. "Hall of Fame Inductees". US Lacrosse. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  6. "Boys High School All American Lacrosse Team". jamesmetzger.net.
  7. "Suffolk County Ray Enners Award". Suffolk County Boys Lacrosse Coaches Association. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  8. "Box Lacrosse: Washington Wave defeat Philadelphia Wings". Washington Post. March 9, 1987. Archived from the original on May 17, 2011.

Awards

Preceded by
Rick Kowalchuk
Lt. Raymond Enners Award
1975
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Douglas M. Schreiber
McLaughlin Award
1974 & 1976
Succeeded by
Douglas Radebaugh & Mike Page