Gary Charles Gait (b. April 5, 1967 in
Victoria, British ColumbiaVictoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada. Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Victoria is a major tourism destination seeing more than 3.65 million visitors a year who inject more than one billion dollars into the local economy. Victoria is a cruise ship port where...
) is a professional
lacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin that is played using a small solid rubber ball and a long-handled racquet called a crosse or lacrosse stick. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose netting that is designed to hold the lacrosse ball...
player for the
Rochester KnighthawksThe Rochester Knighthawks are a professional lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League. They play in Rochester, New York at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial. The Knighthawks were previously members of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League from 1995 to 1997...
of the
National Lacrosse LeagueThe National Lacrosse League is the league of men's indoor lacrosse in North America. It currently has 11 teams; three in Canada and eight in the United States. Unlike other lacrosse leagues which play in the summer, the NLL plays its games in the winter...
and the
Toronto NationalsThe Toronto Nationals are a men's field lacrosse team based in Toronto, Canada, which began play in the 2009 Major League Lacrosse season, becoming the first-ever Canadian team in MLL history. They will play their home games at BMO Field, which is also home to Major League Soccer's Toronto FC...
of
Major League LacrosseMajor League Lacrosse is a professional men's field lacrosse league that is made up of five teams in the United States and one team in Canada. The league currently has all six teams in one conference.- History :...
. Gait is also the former head coach of the NLL's
Colorado MammothThe Colorado Mammoth are a member of the National Lacrosse League. They have played at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, since the 2003 season....
. He is a member of the
United States Lacrosse National Hall of FameThe US Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame, located in Baltimore, Maryland on the campus of Johns Hopkins University, is operated by US Lacrosse...
and the
National Lacrosse League Hall of FameThe National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame was established on June 16, 2005. The National Lacrosse League has teams in the United States and Canada...
, and is widely regarded as the best lacrosse player of all time, just above his twin brother
PaulPaul Gait is the current head coach of the Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League, and is a former player. Paul and his twin brother Gary have both played for the in the National Lacrosse League, the Western Lacrosse Association, and Major League Lacrosse...
. A fairytale finish to his playing career earned him every possible major lacrosse title; he scored four goals in the last quarter of
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's historic 15-10 victory over the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the final of the
2006 World Lacrosse ChampionshipThe 2006 Warrior World Lacrosse Championship, held in London, Ontario from 13–22 July 2006, was won by Team Canada and featured a record twenty-one competing nations...
, his last ever international game.
In 2007, Gait returned to his
alma materAlma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother". It was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, and in Medieval Christianity for the Virgin Mary. In modern times it is ordinarily used to refer to the university or college a person attended...
Syracuse UniversitySyracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, U.S.A.. It was founded as a university in 1870, but its roots can be traced back to a seminary founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832 which eventually became Genesee College...
to become the head coach of the Orange
women's lacrosseWomen's lacrosse, sometimes shortened to wlax or lax, is a non-contact sport played with twelve players on each team. Originally played by the indigenous peoples of the Americas, the modern women's game was introduced in 1890 at the St Leonards School in Scotland...
team.
College career
Gary Gait and his twin brother Paul Gait both attended
Syracuse UniversitySyracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, U.S.A.. It was founded as a university in 1870, but its roots can be traced back to a seminary founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832 which eventually became Genesee College...
and played in the
NCAAThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a voluntary association of about 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States and Canada...
, setting many records during their time there. Gait was a three-time first team
All-AmericaAn All-American "team" is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific All-America and typically referred to as All-American athletes, or simply...
n and once Honorable Mention All-American at Syracuse. He graduated as the Orangemen’s all-time goal leader with 192. He led the team to three Division I Championships. He was NCAA Player of the Year in both 1988 and 1990 and was Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament in 1990. Gait was also widely known for his acrobatic "Air Gait", where he would jump over the crease from behind the goal, scoring while in mid-air, and land on the opposite side of the crease, a move which was later banned in the NCAA.
NLL career
Gait started playing in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League (later the
National Lacrosse LeagueThe National Lacrosse League is the league of men's indoor lacrosse in North America. It currently has 11 teams; three in Canada and eight in the United States. Unlike other lacrosse leagues which play in the summer, the NLL plays its games in the winter...
) in
1991The 1991 season began on December 29, 1990 and concluded with the championship game on April 6, 1991.-Team Movement:No teams were added, removed, or relocated in the 1991 season...
and won the Rookie of the Year Award. In April
2005The 2005 National Lacrosse League season began on January 1, 2005 and concluded with the championship game on May 14. The Toronto Rock won their fifth NLL championship, defeating the Arizona Sting 19-13 in Toronto....
he announced his retirement; he played his last game on April 22, 2005.
In the opening game of the 2006 NLL season on December 30, 2005, at the
Pepsi CenterPepsi Center is a multi-purpose arena in Denver, Colorado, United States. The building is home to the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League, the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association, and the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League...
in
Denver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the state of Colorado, in the United States. Denver is a consolidated city-county located in the South Platte River Valley on the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, the
Colorado MammothThe Colorado Mammoth are a member of the National Lacrosse League. They have played at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, since the 2003 season....
raised Gait's jersey number (22) to the rafters, making him the second player in NLL history to have his number retired, after Buffalo's
Darris KilgourDarris Kilgour is the head coach and general manager of the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League. Kilgour also played for the Bandits for 8 seasons, before finishing his playing career with the Rochester Knighthawks and Albany Attack. He won three championships with the Bandits, and is...
.
In
2006The 2006 National Lacrosse League season was the 20th season in the history of the league, which began as the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League in 1987. The season began on December 30, 2005 and concluded with the championship game on May 13, 2006....
, both Gait and his brother were among the 5 charter members to be voted into the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame.
In October 2008, a month after it was announced that Knighthawks star John Grant, Jr. would miss the entire 2009 season, the Knighthawks traded forward Andrew Potter and two first-round draft picks to the Mammoth for Gait's playing rights.
On December 26, 2008 Gary's twin brother,
Paul GaitPaul Gait is the current head coach of the Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League, and is a former player. Paul and his twin brother Gary have both played for the in the National Lacrosse League, the Western Lacrosse Association, and Major League Lacrosse...
, was named the Head Coach of the
Rochester KnighthawksThe Rochester Knighthawks are a professional lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League. They play in Rochester, New York at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial. The Knighthawks were previously members of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League from 1995 to 1997...
, reuniting them in sport once again. During the
2009 NLL seasonThe 2009 National Lacrosse League season, the 23rd in the history of the NLL, began January 3, 2009 in Buffalo, Portland, and Sunrise, Florida, and concluded with the Calgary Roughnecks defeating the New York Titans 12—10 in the Champion's Cup on May 15, 2009....
, he was named a reserve to the
All-Star gameNational Lacrosse League All Star Game is a lacrosse game played each year between two teams representing the two divisions of the National Lacrosse League .-1991 :...
.
Coaching
In June 2005, Gait was named head coach of his former team, the
Colorado MammothThe Colorado Mammoth are a member of the National Lacrosse League. They have played at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, since the 2003 season....
. After a 10-6 season in which the Mammoth finished second in the Western Division, Gait led them to an overtime 18-17 win over
CalgaryThe Calgary Roughnecks are a member of the National Lacrosse League based in Calgary, Alberta. The name refers to the roughnecks who work the drilling rigs in Alberta's oil and gas industry...
and a 13-12 win over
ArizonaThe Arizona Sting was a member of the National Lacrosse League from 2004 to 2007. They played at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, from 2001 to 2003 as the Columbus Landsharks. On August 28, 2003, it was announced that the team was relocating to Glendale, Arizona...
before shutting down the East Division champion
Buffalo BanditsThe Buffalo Bandits are a team in the National Lacrosse League . They play at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York. The Bandits played in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League from 1992 to 1997, until the MILL turned into the NLL in 1998....
16-9 in the Championship game. Gait became the first rookie head coach to win a championship since
Tony ReschTony Resch was the head coach of the Philadelphia Barrage of Major League Lacrosse. Resch graduated from Yale University, where he was a two-time All-American and three-time All-Ivy League player. He is the former head coach of the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League from 1994 to...
did it with the
Philadelphia WingsThe Philadelphia Wings are a member of the National Lacrosse League, a professional box lacrosse league in North America. They play at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
in
1994The 1994 season began on January 8, 1994 and concluded with the championship game on April 16.-Team Movement:The only change in teams from the 1993 MILL season to 1994 was the loss of the Pittsburgh Bulls.-Regular Season:...
, a team on which Gait played.
Gait announced in August 2007 that he was stepping down after two seasons as head coach of the Mammoth to pursue other interests.
Syracuse University Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross has announced that former Orange All-American and lacrosse Hall of Famer Gary Gait has been named the second coach in the history of the women's lacrosse program.
MLL career
Gait has also played in
Major League LacrosseMajor League Lacrosse is a professional men's field lacrosse league that is made up of five teams in the United States and one team in Canada. The league currently has all six teams in one conference.- History :...
since its inception in 2001. He was a member of the
Long Island LizardsThe Long Island Lizards are a professional men's field lacrosse team based in Hempstead, New York, USA, located on Long Island. They are original members of Major League Lacrosse , and lost in the league's inaugural game on June 7, 2001 to the Baltimore Bayhawks , 16-13. From 2006 to 2008, they...
. After the
first seasonThe 2001 Major League Lacrosse season was the 1st season of the league. The season began on June 7 and concluded with the championship game on September 3, 2001.-General Information:...
, Gait was traded to the
Baltimore BayhawksThe Washington Bayhawks are a professional men's field lacrosse team based in Annapolis, Maryland. Since the 2001 season, they have played in Major League Lacrosse. From 2006 to 2008, they were in the Eastern Conference. From the league's inception in 2001 through 2005, they were in the National...
where he served as a
player-coachA player-coach, in sports, is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Such an individual may be called a player-manager in sports where the title "manager" is used instead...
for the next four years. In 2005, Gait won the
Steinfeld CupThe Steinfeld Cup is the trophy given annually to the winners ofthe New Balance Major League Lacrosse Championship. It is named after MLL founder, Jake Steinfeld...
as a player-coach. He scored six goals in the Championship Game and was named MVP of that game as well as
the season2005 Major League Lacrosse season was the 5th season of the league. The season began on May 20 and concluded with the championship game on August 21, 2005...
.
He recently came out of MLL retirement and signed with the
Toronto NationalsThe Toronto Nationals are a men's field lacrosse team based in Toronto, Canada, which began play in the 2009 Major League Lacrosse season, becoming the first-ever Canadian team in MLL history. They will play their home games at BMO Field, which is also home to Major League Soccer's Toronto FC...
for their inaugural season in 2009.
WLA career
Gait, along with his brother, had great seasons with the
Victoria ShamrocksThe Victoria Shamrocks are a Senior A box lacrosse club, based in Victoria, British Columbia. The team competes in the 7-team Western Lacrosse Association .The Shamrocks have won the Mann Cup 8 times...
of the
Western Lacrosse AssociationThe Western Lacrosse Association is an amateur league of men's Senior A box lacrosse sanctioned by the Canadian Lacrosse Association. It consists of seven teams, based in cities throughout southwestern British Columbia. Each year, the playoff teams battle for the right to compete against the...
. Gait won the
Mike Kelly Memorial TrophyThe Mike Kelly Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the Most Valuable Player in Mann Cup competition. The Mann Cup is the senior men's lacrosse championship of Canada...
as most valuable player of the
Mann CupThe Mann Cup is the trophy awarded to the senior men's lacrosse champions of Canada. The championship series is played between the Western Lacrosse Association champion and the Major Series Lacrosse champion...
as a Shamrock in 1997, and shared the most valuable player award with his brother Paul in 1999.
International lacrosse career
1990 - Member of Team
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, finalists in the
World Lacrosse ChampionshipThe World Lacrosse Championship is the world championship for international men's field lacrosse. From its inception in 1967 through the 2006 event, it was sanctioned by the International Lacrosse Federation...
1994 - Member of Team Canada, 3rd place at the
World Lacrosse ChampionshipThe World Lacrosse Championship is the world championship for international men's field lacrosse. From its inception in 1967 through the 2006 event, it was sanctioned by the International Lacrosse Federation...
1998 - Member of Team Canada, finalists in the
World Lacrosse ChampionshipThe World Lacrosse Championship is the world championship for international men's field lacrosse. From its inception in 1967 through the 2006 event, it was sanctioned by the International Lacrosse Federation...
2002 - Member of Team Canada, finalists in the Heritage Cup
2004 - Member of Team Canada, winners of the Heritage Cup
2006The 2006 Warrior World Lacrosse Championship, held in London, Ontario from 13–22 July 2006, was won by Team Canada and featured a record twenty-one competing nations...
- Member of Team Canada, winners of the
World Lacrosse ChampionshipThe 2006 Warrior World Lacrosse Championship, held in London, Ontario from 13–22 July 2006, was won by Team Canada and featured a record twenty-one competing nations...
Syracuse University
| |
|
|
| Season | GP | G | A | Pts | PPG | |
|---|
| 1987 |
17 |
25 |
4 |
29 |
1.71 |
|
| 1988 |
15 |
70(a) |
17 |
87 |
5.80 |
|
| 1989 |
17 |
51 |
14 |
65 |
3.82 |
|
| 1990 |
16 |
46 |
26 |
72 |
4.50 |
|
| Totals | 56 | 192(b) | 61 | 253 | 4.52 | |
|---|
- (a) 2nd in NCAA single-season goals
- (b) 3rd in NCAA career goals
Records and awards
Gait set many NLL scoring records during his career.
Gait was named
NLL MVPThe Reebok National Lacrosse League Most Valuable Player Award is given annually to the NLL player who is considered to have contributed most to his team's success...
six times, including five consecutive seasons. Other than Gary Gait, only
John TavaresJohn Tavares is a professional box lacrosse player in the National Lacrosse League and mathematics teacher at Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga Ontario, Canada...
(3 times) has ever won the award more than once.
He was also given the
NLL Sportsmanship AwardThe National Lacrosse League Sportsmanship Award is given annually to a NLL player. It "honors the combination of character and performance" shown by a player.-Past winners:...
twice, in
2004The 2004 National Lacrosse League season began on December 26, 2003 and concluded with the championship game on May 7, 2004. Over 19,000 fans, the second largest crowd ever at an NLL game, packed the Pengrowth Saddledome to watch the Calgary Roughnecks defeat the Buffalo Bandits 14-11...
(tie with Peter Lough) and
2005The 2005 National Lacrosse League season began on January 1, 2005 and concluded with the championship game on May 14. The Toronto Rock won their fifth NLL championship, defeating the Arizona Sting 19-13 in Toronto....
.
NLL Weekly and Monthly Awards:
- Player of the Week (1994-2001) 7 times
- Overall Player of the Week (2002-) 6 times
- Offensive Player of the Week (2002-) 3 times
- Player of the Month 6 times
Gait was named the
MLL MVPThe Bud Light Major League Lacrosse MVP Award is awarded annually to the best performing player of Major League Lacrosse.
...
his final season in
20052005 Major League Lacrosse season was the 5th season of the league. The season began on May 20 and concluded with the championship game on August 21, 2005...
, sharing it with
Mark MillonMark Millon is a lacrosse player in the US. He is an attackman currently under contract to the Long Island Lizards of Major League Lacrosse....
. That season he also led the league in goals and points with 42 goals and 21 assists for 63 points.
MLL Weekly Awards:
- Offensive Player of the Week 2 times
Personal life
Gary Gait lives in
Cazenovia, New YorkCazenovia, New York may refer to either:*Cazenovia , New York, in Madison County*Cazenovia , New York, which lies within the town...
with his wife, Nicole, and their children Taylor and Braedon. His daughter, Taylor, also plays lacrosse at
Christian Brothers AcademyChristian Brothers Academy is a private, Catholic college preparatory school in suburban Syracuse, New York run by the Brothers of the Christian Schools, founded by St. John Baptist de La Salle. Located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, the school has roughly 750 students in grades...
in
Syracuse, New YorkSyracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2000 census, the city population was 147,306, and its metropolitan area had a population of 732,117. It is the economic and educational hub of Central New...
.
Awards
See also
- Career achievements of Gary Gait
- Syracuse Orange men's lacrosse
Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York has an NCAA college lacrosse team nicknamed The Orange. They are a Division I team.Syracuse played its first intercollegiate lacrosse game in 1916, and captured its first USILA championship in 1920. It would go on to win USILA championships in 1922, 24 and 25...