ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell Department of Athletics & Physical Education is pleased to announce its partnership with artist Jim Fenzel, as he releases a series of prints depicting the legendary players who have made the Big Red men's lacrosse program one of the most storied in collegiate lacrosse.  Red/White Scrimmage is the first in the series and is available now at the artist's website: www.JimFenzel.com.

Red/White Scrimmage depicts some of the great players in Cornell history playing against each other at Schoellkopf Field. There will be 77 special release prints made, with a portion of the proceeds going to Cornell Athletics. Additionally, the artist will gift one print to the Cornell Hall of Fame Room for display.

“It's a wonderful piece,” says former Cornell head coach Richie Moran. “When you look at the piece, all of those numbers were worn by a number of players, so the numbers on the jerseys are significant, not just the actual player being represented. Other than No. 10 and No. 21, all those numbers are still worn here. Those numbers are the backbone of the program. Additionally, the red and white scrimmage was always intense and well played. They were always like a playoff game because neither team wanted to lose. So to Cornell lacrosse, those red/white scrimmages were extremely vital because they were a stepping stone for our season.” 

In addition to Red/White Scrimmage, Fenzel has released a second piece entitled 87 v. 76.  Both pieces will be unveiled at the Cornell tailgate of the Big City Classic this weekend in East Rutherford, N.J., as the No. 6 Big Red battles No. 12 Princeton in the final game of the regular season.

Thoughts From The Artist
My dad, Mickey Fenzel '71, played for the Big Red men's lacrosse team from 1969-71. I was just a toddler in 1976. Bob Shaw, Al Rimmer, Bob Rule, Mike French, Eamon McEneaney, Bill Marino, Chris Kane, Bob Hendrickson—those guys were legends I knew of, but did not witness.

In the mid-eighties, my brother and I spent time behind the nets at Schoellkopf—well behind the nets, as ball boys. We felt part of the ride for the amazing 1987 journey.  We loved those ridiculous jerseys in which the horizontal Cornell and vertical Lacrosse shared an “L”.

We were in the Dome on April 11, 1987 for the most riveting 19-6 game I ever watched.

We manned the endlines of the 'Kopf on a hot May Sunday when it seemed the whole town of Ithaca had spilled into the crescent to watch Adelphi nearly topple the Big Red.

We made the trip to Rutgers for Memorial Day weekend. The Saturday rematch with the 'Cuse kept the dream alive, but my brother and I had red, tear-streaked faces on Monday.

I got to shoot on Paul Schimoler one afternoon in 1994. He was on the turf in preparation for the World Games; I was a freshman at Georgetown. In a way, that's where this painting was born. In my fiction, at that moment, he was the Schimoler of the 1988 tournament, and I was both the kid who cheered for him and the college player I wanted to be. 

“Red/White Scrimmage” salutes the Cornell Lacrosse tradition that predates the players depicted and will carry on into the future. It asks, what if? What if my childhood heroes and their heroes before them, along with my son's idols (who saw his first Cornell game in 2010 vs. Army in the NCAA playoffs) could share the field in their prime?

It juxtaposes yesterday's sticks and equipment with today's ever changing gear; Schoellkopf field provides a timeless setting; and it sparks a thousand memories.