Like many of us, I have been ruminating about the issue of diversity and inclusion relative to the game we all love. The recent circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have been complicated by questions of racial and other social injustices.
There are no easy answers, but one absolute is that without continued, open and honest dialogue, there can be no solutions. I know I certainly don’t have the answers. It’s very difficult, despite one’s own experiences, to put oneself in the shoes of another.
But as I’ve pondered my own personal experiences, specifically within the game of lacrosse, I’ve concluded that it might not always have been so divisive and unjust. While I am aware that the inequities and exclusion do exist, I can’t understand why, because I’ve always believed in merit and giving someone the chance. I choose not to use a broad brush on either side of the discussion.
Consider the story of Kenny Jerkins.
This story starts in the 1980s at the Mount Washington Lacrosse Club (MWC) in Baltimore. For the uninitiated, MWC was an iconic post-collegiate club that was founded in 1904. Up until the 1960s, MWC was arguably the most dominant team in field lacrosse, regularly beating the best in the college ranks. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, since the club was heavily comprised of the finest post-collegiate All-Americans. Prior to the advent of the inclusion of women’s players, coaches, officials and contributors into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1992, one of every five men’s inductees played or coached at Mount Washington at some point. Thus was the legacy of MWC.
I was fortunate enough to spend 35 years (1975-2009) at MWC, the longest tenure in club history — 10 years as a player, 22 years as head coach and the remaining years as the president. Not only did I experience the game at the highest level with the finest players and coaches of the era, but I also gained some perspective on the sport’s diversity and inclusion issues over that time span.
During my tenure at MWC, clubs such as the Long Island L.C., Maryland L.C., Chesapeake L.C., Philadelphia L.C. (aka, Eagle’s Eye and MAB), North Hempstead L.C., Brine L.C., Toyota L.C., Capital L.C. and NYAC were among those that formed the United States Club Lacrosse Association (USCLA). There were more than 50 clubs in the league at its peak.
In 1984, the American Lacrosse League (ALL) started with 29 teams. Because of the growth of the game in the ‘70s and ‘80s, there was a need for more teams as more and more post-collegiate players wanted to continue playing. The ALL afforded that opportunity to players other than the All-Americans and top Division I and Division II and III players who comprised the USCLA.
Mount Washington used to practice two nights a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) and play home games on Friday nights at historic Norris Field and road games on Sundays at other venues. Tuesdays and Thursdays were something that we all looked forward to. First, it gave us all an excuse to get together and play and allowed us to game plan. Since we had our own facility, it was always a benefit that attracted players to our club. Up until the late 1980s (as a result of a change in NCAA competition dates rules) we’d annually play — and defeat — the top college teams such as Cornell’s great 1976-78 teams, Virginia, Maryland, Navy, Hobart and Princeton as well as the Canadian, Australian and English national teams.
During one such weeknight practice in early in the 1986 season, a muscular black man with a significant Afro sauntered through the Norris Field gate on foot with an equipment bag slung over his shoulder and both a lacrosse and hockey stick in hand. I was in my second season as head coach at the time, and I summoned over Dennis Wey, my longtime assistant and close friend, asking him if he had any idea who this man might be. Dennis shook his head no, and so I met the man behind our team bench.
He identified himself as Kenny Jerkins, with a broad smile and a casual affability. I was struck by his physical presence. He was 6-foot-2 and about 240 pounds. He was NFL linebacker big. His handshake was vice-like and although he was wearing sweatpants, they barely contained his disproportionately large thighs. He had a booming voice and a distinctive chuckle which would become one of his most endearing qualities.
Kenny explained that he had always wanted to play lacrosse. As a young adult, he already participated in a semi-pro baseball league (later to become its commissioner) and a semi-pro football league while also playing pickup ice hockey at the Mount Washington Ice Rink. During his trips to the rink, he had seen us playing and practicing at Norris Field. Ultimately, he decided what the heck and summoned the nerve to walk in, introduce himself and inquire if there was any chance that he could “try out” for the Wolfpack.
As a multi-sport athlete that played basketball and from an early age competed with and against players of color in the Baltimore metro area through college and beyond, I guess I never really paid a lot of attention to issues of diversity and inclusion in sports because it wasn’t apparent to me. However, lacrosse has been and continues to be overwhelmingly white.
Admittedly, I was surprised on several levels. One, this young man had never played the game and here he was walking onto a field with college All-Americans and putting himself out there. That, in itself, was impressive. Two, at the time, we had one other black player on the roster of 35, an All-American from Maryland named Curtis Rountree. As years progressed, we had many other people of color play with us at MWC, but the sport was even less diverse then than it is now.
As head coach for 22 years, I had a no-cut policy. If you were willing to attend practices on a regular basis and put in the time to improve your skills, you would get a uniform and suit up for all games. There was never a playing time guarantee for any of our players, since our goal every year — aside from the great experiences we had and friendships we formed — was to win the USCLA championship. We had prospects who upon seeing the caliber of play decided to remove themselves from the roster. We had others who just loved the experience so much that it didn’t matter if they ever stepped on the field in a game situation. However, there was never a season in which even those less-talented players didn’t get some game time, notably in lopsided games. It was awesome to see their teammates root them on and support them.