Finally another NCAA Title

On Memorial Day 25 years ago, the most successful Syracuse University sporting effort had its first national success as the underdog Orangemen took out the heavily favored Johns Hopkins Blue Jays for the school's first NCAA title in lacrosse. Sean Kirst wrote a great, though longwinded, story about them team, including Roy Simmons Jr. famously mispronouncing his opponent's name "John Hopkins" and that the sky would start out "Blue Jay blue" but end with an Orange sunset (Rasheed Wallace may want to take notes from Simmons  from this one instance of trash-talk that is just much more demeaning than his guaransheeds) at a banquet the night before the game, where Syracuse rallied from a 12-5 deficit in the 3rd quarter to eke out a 17-16 win that might have been the stimulus of the recent lacrosse growth sport (US Lacrosse claims that it is the fastest growing sport in the US) as it mainstreamed a run'n'gun style of play that lacrosse had not seen produce a championship team up to that time. It also helped increase popularity of the sport in the Syracuse area (Dave Ryan even mentioned the high school that we all went to as being a powerhouse, which is hilarious because it's been quite the draught of sectional championships, I think since 1992?).
Anyways, shit was ridiculous. We all played lacrosse once or twice, but mostly we gave it up before high school, but respect it because it's Syracuse's old stand-by. Plus, Jim Brown played it. Jim Brown is scary with just pads and a helmet playing football. But Jim Brown with a wooden stick? That's a nightmare for most. Mike Leveille was real steady on attack (he got the MOP), Matt Abbott reduced the risk of clears by just taking them himself (he fucked up one, but he did 3 or 4 clears on his own), Sid Smith, from the Six Nations, harassed Hopkins attack the whole day, and John Galloway, who fucked our school up on occasion, made some key saves. This despite the efforts of Mike Gvozden, the Brazilian soldier, and Paul Rabil, who had six goals, one of which occurred with 3 SU players on him. It was actually a good game, although not really a nailbiter. It was real sweet as they ran out the clock four corners style like Dean Smith.