Chicago Machine
Encyclopedia
The Chicago Machine is a mens field lacrosse
team that plays in Major League Lacrosse
that was based in Chicago, Illinois until the franchise left after the 2009 season to be a travel team in 2010. The team then transferred its roster to the reborn Rochester Rattlers
on November 23, 2010 when it was announced that the team's roster would be moved there. In January it was announced that in 2012 an expansion team would move to Columbus, Ohio
. Later that team was revealed to be the reborn Machine franchise, rebranded as the Ohio Machine
.
in Lisle, Illinois
.
The Machine finished the 2006 season on August 12. The team became the first and to date only MLL team to go the whole season without a victory
. The team lead most of game against the Dragons on August 12 only to see the Dragons tie the game at the end of regulation and then win the game in overtime.
After losing their season opener in 2007, the Machine won their first game in franchise history on June 2 defeating Denver. The Machine had lost a league record 13 consecutive games (including all 12 games in 2006). They have yet to place any better than fourth in the Western Conference.
In December 2006, the Machine announced that its home field for the 2007 season would be Toyota Park
in Bridgeview, Illinois
.
From 2006 to 2008, they were in the Western Conference. With the MLL contraction for the 2009 season from 10 to 6 teams (due to the state of the U.S. economy), there will only be one conference.
John Meister first signed on with the Chicago Machine in March 2006, he helped to start the team, and was the President from 2006–2009. He left the Chicago Machine September 2009 to pursue other opportunities. After Kevin Finneran
was fired from the Chicago Machine after the inaugural season John Meister took on the role of general manager as well as president of the Chicago Machine.
John Algie took over as President for the 2010 season. In 2010 the team elected not to play any games in the Chicago metropolitan area and instead chose to compete as a traveling team
with its "home" games being scheduled in a variety of potential MLL expansion markets. On November 23, 2010, Inside Lacrosse.com reported that the Machine franchise would be moving to Rochester, New York
and would assume the team marks of the inactive Rochester Rattlers
franchise. The team will play at Marina Auto Stadium. The Rattlers played in this stadium during their tenure in Rochester before relocating to Toronto, Ontario. (An expansion team
at Columbus will revive the Chicago nickname for the 2012 season as the Ohio Machine
.) The revived Machine will have the same light blue and black uniforms as the old Chicago Machine and will carry it's history.
Machine attackman, Kevin Leveille, was named to play in the 2006 Major League Lacrosse All-Star game on July 6, 2006 in Boston, MA. Leveille was also named an alternate on the 2006 USA team to compete in the IFL World Championships in Ontario, Canada from July 13–22, 2006.
Michael Culver, Machine defenseman, was voted 2006 New Balance Sportsman of the year by both general managers and coaches of each of the ten Major League Lacrosse teams. Culver received this award after starting all 10 games for the Machine and recording 27 ground balls. Culver is a leader both on the field and off. Off the field he helped the community by donating half of his 2006 salary to the Children's Heart Foundation.
In the November 2005 expansion draft, the Chicago Machine drafted Philadelphia Barrage Midfielder Doug Shanahan as their first pick.
The Chicago Machine also drafted Todd Rassas in the 2005 supplemental draft. He is a local product from Northfield, Illinois. He was a three time All-American at Notre Dame, Captain of the 2002 Gold Medal Team USA and part of the 2006 Team USA.
Another Machine draftee, Lyle Shirley, is a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame at Lake Forest College
.
It is not uncommon for retired athletes to become sports broadcasters when they retire. However, the Chicago Machine may be the first team to have a former broadcaster become a professional player. In the December 2005 supplemental draft, the Machine drafted former WCAV-TV
anchor Zach Heffner.
Field lacrosse
Field lacrosse, sometimes referred to as the "fastest sport on two feet," is a full contact outdoor men's sport played with ten players on each team. The sport originated among Native Americans, and the modern rules of field lacrosse were initially codified by Canadian William George Beers in 1867....
team that plays in Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse, or MLL, is a professional men's field lacrosse league that is made up of five teams in the United States and one team in Canada.- History :...
that was based in Chicago, Illinois until the franchise left after the 2009 season to be a travel team in 2010. The team then transferred its roster to the reborn Rochester Rattlers
Rochester Rattlers
The Rochester Rattlers are a Major League Lacrosse professional men's field lacrosse team based in Rochester, New York. They are a charter member of the MLL. From their inaugural season in 2001 to 2005, they were in the National Division. From 2006 to 2008, they were a member of the Eastern...
on November 23, 2010 when it was announced that the team's roster would be moved there. In January it was announced that in 2012 an expansion team would move to Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. Later that team was revealed to be the reborn Machine franchise, rebranded as the Ohio Machine
Ohio Machine
The Ohio Machine is a Major League Lacrosse professional men's field lacrosse expansion franchise that will begin play in the 2012 MLL season along with the Charlotte Hounds as part of the league's plan to have 16 teams by 2020...
.
Franchise History
The establishment of a Chicago Major League Lacrosse expansion franchise was announced on August 21, 2005. Along with expansion teams representing Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Denver, the Chicago Machine became part of the Western Conference of the MLL in 2006. The team played its home games in 2006 at Sports Complex at Benedictine UniversitySports Complex at Benedictine University
Sports Complex at Benedictine University is a multi-purpose stadium in Lisle, Illinois, just outside Chicago. It was built in 2004 and holds 3,000 people. Benedictine University host their home games at this stadium, and the stadium was home to Major League Lacrosse's Chicago Machine in their...
in Lisle, Illinois
Lisle, Illinois
Lisle is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 22,930 at the 2011 census, and estimated to be 23,135 as of 2008. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Illinois Technology and Research Corridor...
.
The Machine finished the 2006 season on August 12. The team became the first and to date only MLL team to go the whole season without a victory
Imperfect season
An imperfect season is defined as a team losing all of their games. It is the antithesis of a perfect season, and is often referred to as such in a tongue-in-cheek manner...
. The team lead most of game against the Dragons on August 12 only to see the Dragons tie the game at the end of regulation and then win the game in overtime.
In December 2006, the Machine announced that its home field for the 2007 season would be Toyota Park
Toyota Park (Bridgeview)
Toyota Park is a soccer-specific stadium located at 71st Street and Harlem Avenue in Bridgeview, Illinois. It is the home stadium of the Chicago Fire Soccer Club, members of Major League Soccer . Toyota Park was developed at a cost of around $100 million. The facility opened June 11, 2006...
in Bridgeview, Illinois
Bridgeview, Illinois
Bridgeview is a village in Cook County, Illinois in the United States. It is located approximately from the Chicago Loop. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 16,446...
.
From 2006 to 2008, they were in the Western Conference. With the MLL contraction for the 2009 season from 10 to 6 teams (due to the state of the U.S. economy), there will only be one conference.
John Meister first signed on with the Chicago Machine in March 2006, he helped to start the team, and was the President from 2006–2009. He left the Chicago Machine September 2009 to pursue other opportunities. After Kevin Finneran
Kevin Finneran
Kevin Finneran is an American lacrosse coach. In 2006, he was the head coach and general manager of Major League Lacrosse's Chicago Machine. Prior to becoming the team's first head coach Finneran had played in the MLL. He played with the Long Island Lizards from 2001 to 2004 and the Philadelphia...
was fired from the Chicago Machine after the inaugural season John Meister took on the role of general manager as well as president of the Chicago Machine.
John Algie took over as President for the 2010 season. In 2010 the team elected not to play any games in the Chicago metropolitan area and instead chose to compete as a traveling team
Traveling team
In professional team sports, a traveling team is a member of a professional league that never or rarely competes in its home arena or stadium. This differs from a barnstorming team in that the latter does not compete within a league or association framework...
with its "home" games being scheduled in a variety of potential MLL expansion markets. On November 23, 2010, Inside Lacrosse.com reported that the Machine franchise would be moving to Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
and would assume the team marks of the inactive Rochester Rattlers
Rochester Rattlers
The Rochester Rattlers are a Major League Lacrosse professional men's field lacrosse team based in Rochester, New York. They are a charter member of the MLL. From their inaugural season in 2001 to 2005, they were in the National Division. From 2006 to 2008, they were a member of the Eastern...
franchise. The team will play at Marina Auto Stadium. The Rattlers played in this stadium during their tenure in Rochester before relocating to Toronto, Ontario. (An expansion team
Expansion team
An expansion team is a brand new team in a sports league. The term is most commonly used in reference to the North American major professional sports leagues, but is applied to sports leagues worldwide that use a closed franchise system of league membership. The term comes from the expansion of the...
at Columbus will revive the Chicago nickname for the 2012 season as the Ohio Machine
Ohio Machine
The Ohio Machine is a Major League Lacrosse professional men's field lacrosse expansion franchise that will begin play in the 2012 MLL season along with the Charlotte Hounds as part of the league's plan to have 16 teams by 2020...
.) The revived Machine will have the same light blue and black uniforms as the old Chicago Machine and will carry it's history.
All-Time Head Coaches
- Kevin Finneran – (2006)
- Lelan Rogers – (2007)
- John Combs – (2008–2009)
- B.J. O'Hara – (2010)
Players of note
Both current Machine star Doug Shanahan (midfielder) and former star Todd Rassas (defensemen) were named to the 2006 USA team after competing together in the 2002 World Championships. The 2006 USA team competed in the IFL World Championships in Ontario, Canada from July 13–22, 2006.Machine attackman, Kevin Leveille, was named to play in the 2006 Major League Lacrosse All-Star game on July 6, 2006 in Boston, MA. Leveille was also named an alternate on the 2006 USA team to compete in the IFL World Championships in Ontario, Canada from July 13–22, 2006.
Michael Culver, Machine defenseman, was voted 2006 New Balance Sportsman of the year by both general managers and coaches of each of the ten Major League Lacrosse teams. Culver received this award after starting all 10 games for the Machine and recording 27 ground balls. Culver is a leader both on the field and off. Off the field he helped the community by donating half of his 2006 salary to the Children's Heart Foundation.
In the November 2005 expansion draft, the Chicago Machine drafted Philadelphia Barrage Midfielder Doug Shanahan as their first pick.
The Chicago Machine also drafted Todd Rassas in the 2005 supplemental draft. He is a local product from Northfield, Illinois. He was a three time All-American at Notre Dame, Captain of the 2002 Gold Medal Team USA and part of the 2006 Team USA.
Another Machine draftee, Lyle Shirley, is a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame at Lake Forest College
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest College, founded in 1857, is a private liberal arts college in Lake Forest, Illinois. The college has 1,500 students representing 47 states and 78 countries....
.
It is not uncommon for retired athletes to become sports broadcasters when they retire. However, the Chicago Machine may be the first team to have a former broadcaster become a professional player. In the December 2005 supplemental draft, the Machine drafted former WCAV-TV
WCAV
WCAV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Charlottesville, Virginia. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter on Carters Mountain. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 6 and in high definition on digital channel 212...
anchor Zach Heffner.
Season-by-Season
| Chicago Machine | ||||
| Year | W | L | Regular season finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 2006 MLL season 2006 Major League Lacrosse season was the 6th season of the league. The season began on May 20 and concluded with the championship game on August 27, 2006.-General information:... |
0 | 12 | 4th in Western Conference | — |
| 2007 2007 MLL season 2007 Major League Lacrosse season was the 7th season of the league. The season began on May 12 and concluded with the championship game on August 26, 2007.-General information:... |
3 | 9 | 4th in Western Conference | — |
| 2008 2008 MLL season The 2008 Major League Lacrosse season was the 8th season of the league. The season began on May 17, 2008 and concluded with the championship game on August 24, 2008.-Pre-season:... |
3 | 9 | 4th in Western Conference | — |
| 2009 2009 MLL season The 2009 Major League Lacrosse season was the 9th season of the league. The season began on May 15, 2009 and concluded with the championship game on August 23, 2009.-Rule changes:... |
3 | 9 | 6th in MLL | — |
| 2010 2010 MLL season The 2010 Major League Lacrosse season was the 10th season of the league. The season began on May 15, 2010 and concluded with the championship game on August 22, 2010.-Team movement:... |
4 | 8 | 5th in MLL | — |
| Totals | 13 | 47 | Regular Season Win % = .217 | Total Playoff Record 0 - 0 Playoff Win % = .000 |
- 2006 Chicago Machine season
- 2007 Chicago Machine season
- 2008 Chicago Machine season
- 2009 Chicago Machine season
- 2010 Chicago Machine season
- 2012 Ohio Machine season