ITHACA, N.Y. – What the 1971 Cornell men's lacrosse team accomplished was unprecedented, defeating Maryland, 12-6, on June 5, 1971 to win the first-ever NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship. Today, 50 years later, the accomplishments of the Big Red continue to be fondly remembered and celebrated. That will be no different this weekend when the team is inducted into the Upstate Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame on Sunday, Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. at Traditions at the Links in East Syracuse, N.Y.
The 1971 Big Red squad is just the sixth team to be inducted into the Hall of Fame among 22 classes of inductees. Joining Cornell as part of the 2021 class for the Upstate Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame is Matt Abbott, Brett Bucktooth, Josh Dennis, Tom Grimaldi, Beth (Ames) Hewitt, Dick Pepper, and Carl "Ket" Weist. With the 1971 team's induction, it becomes eligible for the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
The induction celebration will be held at Traditions at the Links on Sunday, starting with a cocktail reception at 4 p.m. Dinner will follow at 5 p.m. with the induction to the Hall of Fame commencing at 6 p.m. The event is open to the public, and tickets may be purchased through Thursday for $55 per guest. Questions should be directed to David Alexander, President of the Upstate Lacrosse Foundation, at dalex@upstatelacrossefoundation.org.
Cornell went an impressive 13-1 in 1971, winning 13 straight contests in route to the national championship, losing only its first game of the season to Virginia, 10-9. Led by captains John Burnap, Al Rimmer, and Bob Shaw, the Big Red went a perfect 6-0 in Ivy League play and held an impressive 10-1 record at the conclusion of the regular season. Cornell drew Brown in the NCAA Quarterfinals, defeating the Bears, 10-8, on May 22, 1971 at home on Schoellkopf Field. The Big Red edged Army in the semifinal, 17-16, on May 29, 1971 in West Point, N.Y. to set up a national championship bout against the Terrapins. Cornell would beat Maryland to claim its first of three NCAA Championships in the 1970s (1976, 1977), with legendary head coach Richie Moran guiding the Big Red to all three.
Following the 1971 season, Moran was named the recipient of the Morris Touchstone Award as the Division I Coach of the Year, in what would be the first of three times that Moran would bestow that honor (1977, 1987). Burnap and Bob Rule also earned national accolades, as Burnap won the Schmeisser Cup as the nation's outstanding defenseman and Bob Rule claimed the Ens. C.M. Kelly, Jr. Award as the nation's top goaltender.
Burnap and Rule were two of four Big Red players that were named first team All-Americans, with Rimmer and Shaw also earning the distinction. Bob Buhmann, Bill Ellis, and Glen Mueller received All-America accolades as well, earning honorable mention recognition.
Read more about the Big Red's spectacular victory over the Terrapins in Christian Swezey's piece commemorating the 50th anniversary of Cornell's triumph in the inaugural NCAA Championship game. The piece is adapted from his forthcoming book in the spring of 2022, We Showed Baltimore: The Lacrosse Revolution of the 1970s and Richie Moran's Big Red.
