Hall of Fame
The 1973 men’s lacrosse team was among the greatest teams in Washington and Lee’s illustrious athletics history.
That season, the Generals posted the first undefeated regular-season (13-0) in program history and completed the year with a 14-1 overall record. W&L ranked as high as fourth in the national polls and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division I Tournament.
The 1973 campaign was the culmination of the ascension of the lacrosse program in the early 1970’s. W&L had just one winning season in the decade prior, and finished the 1969 campaign with a 1-9 record. The Generals rose to an 8-3 record in 1970 and continued with an 11-2 in 1971 and a 12-3 mark in 1972.
The roster consisted of 32 players, including eight seniors and 11 juniors, spearheaded by the leadership of team captains Don Eavenson ‘73, Sam Englehart ‘73 and Chip Tompkins ‘73.
The Generals featured a potent offense that averaged 15.9 goals per game, while a stingy defense surrendered an average of just 8.5 goals per game.
The season began with a 17-10 victory over Morgan State and along the way, W&L knocked off some of the most prestigious names in the sport. In April, there were wins over Princeton (12-11), Towson (12-11), Duke (26-7) and North Carolina (14-9). The regular-season ended in mid-May with a dominating 15-11 victory over defending Division I National Champion Virginia. It was W&L’s first win over the Cavaliers in 15 years and the first in a five-year winning streak against the Wahoos.
After completing the regular-season with a 13-0 record, the Generals received a bid to the NCAA Division I Tournament for the second straight season and recorded the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, knocking off Navy, 13-12, in a four-overtime thriller at Wilson Field.
W&L suffered its only loss of the season a week later when it dropped an 18-7 decision to Maryland in the semifinal round. That Terrapins squad, considered to be one of the all-time greats in lacrosse history, went on to defeat Johns Hopkins for a second time that season to claim the NCAA Division I Championship.
Following the season, six players were named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-America teams. Englehart, an attackman, midfielders Ted Bauer ‘74 and Skip Lichtfuss ’74, Eavenson, a defenseman, and goalkeeper Skeet Chadwick ‘74 were all named to the first team. Attackman Bryan Chasney ‘74 was an honorable mention selection.
Bauer, Chadwick, Lichtfuss and attackman Dave Warfield ’75 all went on to play for the United States National Team after their W&L careers had ended, while Head Coach Jack Emmer was an assistant coach with the 1974 National Team and head coach of the 2002 National Team.
As of 2019, 12 players, coaches and staff from the 1973 team have been individually enshrined in the W&L Athletics Hall of Fame. Additionally, four others from the 1973 squad, Bauer, Chadwick, Lichtfuss and Emmer, have been elected to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
