HomeTournament and Old Goats History
There's a great event held in Vail, Colorado each summer called the Vail Shootout. Without a doubt, it is the best lacrosse tournament in America. Since 1973, the tournament has been host to regional all-star teams from across the USA, reveling in the shadows of the Colorado Rockies.
In 1988, out of respect for aging bodies, a master’s tournament began. Restricted to those 35 years of age and older, this division has become a popular reunion for those who realize the impact the sport had in their lives. In recognition of the inevitable, a SuperMaster's Division evolved, for those over 40 years of age who want an excuse to challenge their bodies.
The Navy Old Goats arrived in Vail in 1991 comprised of five alumni and many conscripts. In 1992, we fielded 13 grads and volunteers who knew a stanza to Anchors Aweigh. It took us five years to win a championship. The momentum increased leading to additional titles in '97 and again in 2000, which celebrated our tenth anniversary. Since 2000, the Goats have been competitive losing in the title game in 2001 and finishing third in 2003 and 2004.
This has become a family event as the Navy women look forward to the reunion each year just as much as the regulars do. Our entourage routinely exceeds 100 players, family and friends!
Regardless of our on field performance we celebrate our reunion with opening ceremonial BBQ and close with an awards celebration dinner. Old Goat traditions include Navy songs, great humor, side line awards presentations, and an occasional prank. Picking up the pace, what can be in store for this year?
Come join us so you can add your personal mark on the Old Goats in Vail.
Sunday Annapolis Capital on the B-MNLHOF opening
Navy won the varsity game 12 - 9 on Saturday and defeated Army 11 - 10 Friday night in the alumni game.
Navy adds to lacrosse lore with hall of fame gathering (Annapolis Capital)
By
Joe Gross
A literal who's who of Navy lacrosse players turned out Friday night for the ribbon cutting that officially opened the Bilderback-Moore Navy Lacrosse Hall of Fame. It was far more than a simple ceremony,
A huge crowd filed into the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium banquet facility for the event many couldn't believe was actually happening. The long-overdue idea of a Navy Lacrosse Hall of Fame was actually coming to fruition.
It was an emotional, heartwarming reunion, actually a series of reunions. Former players from eight decades of Navy lacrosse gathered as one big family. And those who played together on Navy teams happily greeted teammates with firm hand shakes, glad-to-see-you hugs and happy smiles galore.
And, although everyone knew that the legendary coaches, the late Willis Bilderback and Dinty Moore, were not physically present, you could almost feel that they were there in spirit. The entire evening was, in reality, all about them.
"The new facilities here are fantastic, what a dream. I just wish that Coach Moore and Coach Bilderback could be here tonight to see the facilities and more to see how they're being honored," said Dick Szlasa, who had the unenviable task of taking over for Bilderback, whose teams won nine national championships from 1959 to 1972.
"Being here tonight is one of the highlights of the last 10 years for me," said Szlasa. "I've been away from lacrosse and now it's great to see the young men who played for me here."
Certainly many players who toiled under Szlasa from the 1973 to 1982 seasons, were in attendance for the evening of glorifying Navy lacrosse. Several, he said, were playing in the alumni game that was going on simultaneously.
There were also many Navy graduates who had played for Bryan Matthews, who replaced Szlasa at the start of the 1983 campaign. Matthews, now the athletic director at Washington College, echoed the words of so many others in praising the facilities at the stadium.
"I don't get back over here as much as I would like, but whenever I do get here it's a great feeling for me," Matthews said. "It's a very rare occasion to get this many alums from the lacrosse teams in one place.
"I never dreamed there could be a Lacrosse Hall of Fame here at the stadium. In the time I was here the idea of a Hall of Fame never came up, but it's a great addition," Matthews said.
The oldest of the former players enjoying seeing the spotlight on lacrosse was retired rear admiral and winner of a Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism Mike Rindskopf, who played for Moore on the 1938 national championship game.
An honorable mention All-American, the 89-year-old Rindskopf has lived in this area since his retirement from the Navy 35 years ago and has been working with the Navy Academy all of that time.
"I started playing lacrosse as a youngster here in 1936, the year Dinty Moore arrived and by 1938 we won the national championship," he said, adding that of the eight members of his class on the starting team in 1938, he is the lone survivor.
"The game has changed a heck of a lot since I played, primarily because there are unlimited substitutions now. We could only go in and out once each quarter. There was no changing of midfield sticks all the time," related Rindskopf, who also played varsity basketball and B Squad football at Navy.
"I never, never thought I'd see anything like this, having a Lacrosse Hall of Fame in the football stadium, but I think it's a great thing these young guys have done here," he said. "This means a great deal to Navy lacrosse. It validates what I thought we had back when I played here, that lacrosse was the greatest game you could play."
The throng assembled for the evening got to go through the Hall of Fame area, which is not yet completed, but virtually everyone was thrilled with what they saw. The concept of the Hall of Fame is that there will be mementoes, memorabilia and the like but there will be no elections of individuals. The explanation is that everyone who played or coached at Navy will be a part of the Hall of Fame.
Local builder John Pilli, the captain of Szlasa's first team at Navy and went on to serve as an assistant coach for the Mids. He lives in downtown Annapolis and still gets to almost every home game. Friday night he was among the many turning every which way to see and greet one former teammate after another.
"The guys who put this together united the lacrosse fraternity. They brought so many generations together and that has to be good for Navy lacrosse and for Richie Meade," Pilli said. "This type of thing will be good for recruiting: Young kids will come in and find out they're joining a family.
"Playing at the stadium, having the Hall of Fame and these facilities make this the number one lacrosse venue in the country. I have to give the athletic director Chet Gladchuk a great deal of credit for giving lacrosse a prominent place. This really elevates the visibility of lacrosse," Pilli added.
Mickey Jarboe, one of perhaps 100 All-Americans who turned out to Friday night's event, remembered how good it felt to play games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, thought it was fabulous to have the game's Hall of Fame there too.
The 2002 graduate who came in from San Diego for the event because "lacrosse players are the greatest people in the world" and to be a part of the event he felt was much needed for Navy lacrosse. Now a helicopter pilot, he said he also wanted to be on hand for the Army-Navy game.
Jarboe, who said he didn't know a lot of the former players except for those on his teams, met up with 1965 graduate Pat Donnelly, who played lacrosse and football, and also came in from San Diego. Such meetings of players who had only heard of each other were taking place throughout the evening.
Jack Jones, who was a goalie from 1952 through 1954 and was the goalie coach for many years, talked about the changes in the equipment creating changes in the game. He remembers going into games where clearing would be most essential using a cut down defenseman's stick because he could handle it better.
"It's a faster game now, but that's also about the equipment," said Jones, a long time Severna Park resident who had a son play goalie at Navy in 1982. "The players today have such good stickwork, but they don't have to worry about breaking in new sticks or playing with wood sticks. And they changed the rule to speed the game up."
And there were stories galore being told at every table. One of the best that was overheard was how a Navy player took out a Duke player in the 1954 game and both rolled into Dinty Moore on the sideline. Apparently, nobody knew it, but the coach's leg was broken.
Moore stayed on the field and finished coaching the game and despite complications that nearly took his life, he returned to coach each game through the championship season.
Moore remains Navy's winningest coach with a 159-50-2, while Bilderback's record was 131-26-2. That tells why the new pride of Navy lacrosse will bear the names of the two coaching legends.
And many of the men who played for each of them were on hand Friday night to give testimony to their greatness and to be part of the dedication of the long awaited Navy Lacrosse Hall of Fame.