With each passing year, the Chesapeake Chapter of USA Lacrosse Hall of Fame banquet gets better and better.
This year’s induction banquet, held Thursday at the Annapolis Elks Lodge, might have been the best yet.
A near-sellout crowd that included a who’s who of the local lacrosse community turned out to pay tribute to the Class of 2023. Five new inductees — Colleen Anderson, Brian Jackson, David Jones, Haywood Miller and Acacia Walker-Weinstein — were welcomed into the shrine.
It was another memorable night filled with plenty of emotion and nostalgia.
This event is all about paying tribute to the Hall of Fame inductees long after their playing careers have ended. What makes the night so special is that they get to share the honor with their families, friends, former teammates and coaches.
Haywood Miller played his last lacrosse game in 1981, his senior year at Harvard. I served as master of ceremonies for the Hall of Fame banquet and joked that Haywood had forgotten how good he was in the stick sport.
Indeed, Miller was quite surprised when informed this past fall that he had been selected for induction into the Chesapeake Chapter of USA Lacrosse. That news began a process that sent him scurrying down to the basement to dig up old news clippings and other memorabilia.
Those scrapbook items provided a reminder of what Miller accomplished during a highly decorated prep career at Wroxeter Academy and Severna Park High. There was an article announcing Miller had been named Baltimore metro-area Player of the Year by the News American.
That makes Miller one of a select few Anne Arundel County players to ever earn that honor. Others that come to mind are St. Mary’s attackmen Brian Wood (1983) and Dan Marohl (1996) along with Severn School midfielder Ryan Wade (1990), all of whom were chosen Player of the Year by The Baltimore Sun.
Miller also discovered an article reporting that he was one of only 10 players selected to the Evening Sun 20th Anniversary All-Metro boys lacrosse team. He had completely forgotten about what he now calls “my all-time highest honor.”
That’s really saying something considering Miller became a three-time All-American and four-time All-Ivy League selection at Harvard. He helped lead the Crimson to the Ivy League championship and a berth in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament in 1980.
Miller was the top close defenseman on the fabled 1977 Severna Park squad that compiled a 13-1 record, captured the Class AA regional championship and was ranked No. 1 in the final Baltimore-metro area poll compiled by the Evening Sun.
John Barnes, who played alongside Miller at both Wroxeter and Severna Park, was responsible for nominating his former teammate for the Chesapeake Chapter Hall of Fame. Barnes provided plenty of supporting information along with letters of recommendation that effectively boosted his candidacy.
This is a good time to point out that if there is someone you believe is deserving of induction into this hall of fame you should take the time to nominate them. The Chesapeake Chapter selection committee does a good job of reviewing All-American lists and other historical records to identify worthy candidates but welcomes and encourages nominations.
Once Miller was selected for induction, Barnes went above and beyond by rallying his former Wroxeter and Severna Park teammates to attend the banquet to show support for him.
An entire table of former Maryland men’s lacrosse players turned out to pay tribute to Jackson, a talented and intimidating close defenseman who was a two-time All-American. The Gambrills native was the top shutdown defender for the 1987 Maryland squad that went 12-0 and was ranked No. 1 nationally throughout the season.
Almost all of the former Terps in attendance — Steve Beardmore, Dan Coughlan, Doug Poindexter and Tom Worstell to name a few — were members of that 1987 club that is still considered among the greatest in program history.
Jackson was also surrounded by a large contingent of close family members, including his wife, brother and sister-in-law. The 1982 Arundel High graduate who currently resides in King George, Virginia, was so inspired by the event he vowed to do more to support lacrosse in Anne Arundel County.
That sentiment has become a consistent theme among those inducted into the Chesapeake Chapter of USA Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Zach Wade and Jacque Weitzel were members of the Class of 2022 and got to know each other better during the banquet, having realized they had many mutual friends.
Wade (Severn, North Carolina) and Weitzel (Sherwood Forest native, Dartmouth) jointly decided they would both attend the Chesapeake Chapter of USA Lacrosse Hall of Fame banquet every year going forward.
They were among eight Chesapeake Chapter inductees in attendance, which is meaningful and impactful because it shows history and a shared sense of camaraderie among those blessed by the honor. Other past Hall of Famers on hand were Cathy Samaras, Brian Wood, Brian Burlace, Kate Graw Lamond, Dave Gehrdes and Stephy Samaras.
Gehrdes and Stephy Samaras were both there to support Acacia Walker-Weinstein, the former Annapolis High and Maryland standout who is now coach of Boston College women’s lacrosse.
Gehrdes enjoyed an illustrious 23-year tenure as Annapolis High girls lacrosse coach, amassing 308 career victories and three state championships along the way. Samaras was the senior captain of the 1996 Panthers, who won the first state title in program history. Walker-Weinstein was the star midfielder for the 1998 and 1999 teams that secured the other two state crowns.
Walker-Weinstein is now regarded as one of the elite coaches in the game, having led Boston College to the 2021 NCAA Division I national championship. The Eagles are in the midst of an incredible run, having reached the national championship game in six straight seasons.
Walker-Weinstein was surprised when more than a dozen former teammates showed up to the banquet. Leading the way were Lindsey Biles, Kristy Dirks and Sarah Oliphant, all of whom were introduced to lacrosse alongside Walker as members of the St. Mary’s/Annapolis youth program.
Walker-Weinstein, who was also surrounded by her parents, husband and children, called the banquet “one of the greatest nights of my life.” She closed with an inspirational acceptance speech that showed why she is such a successful coach.
Walker-Weinstein talked about the key moments and mentors in her career and how they helped shape her philosophy of “dream big, go for it and don’t be afraid.”
David Jones had a huge contingent of supporters with five tables filled with former teammates from St. Mary’s High and Virginia along with friends and neighbors. He coaches girls lacrosse at the recreation level these days and even had members of that team on hand.
Jones graciously recognized how fortunate he was to have been coached by three Hall of Famers — Dick Long (Potomac Chapter of USA Lacrosse) with the Davidsonville Athletic Association, Jim Moorhead (Chesapeake Chapter) at St. Mary’s and Dom Starsia (National Lacrosse Hall of Fame) at Virginia.
In attendance was Don Sadler, a former Wroxeter Academy and Maryland standout who is a member of the Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame. As offensive coordinator at St. Mary’s High, Sadler was responsible for instilling confidence in Jones when the latter was a 15-year-old sophomore.
Jones spotted Sadler in the audience and spoke directly to him. “I don’t think you realize what a profound impact you made on my career,” he said.
The Chesapeake Chapter of USA Lacrosse was established in 2005 and held two Hall of Fame banquets before disbanding for nearly a decade. It was revived in 2016 with Mark Mozier serving as president and guiding force.
It has developed an active and dedicated Board of Directors and become one of the most impactful of the USA Lacrosse chapters, conducting clinics and all sorts of other outreach.
When it comes to conducting a Hall of Fame banquet, the Chesapeake Chapter has jurisdiction over Anne Arundel, Charles, St. Mary’s and Prince George’s counties. This year, the organization went outside those boundaries to correct a major oversight by inducting Anderson.
Anderson enjoyed an incredible career at what was then known as Loyola College, being named Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year and earning first-team All-American honors as a senior. She still ranks among the all-time leading scorers in Loyola women’s lacrosse history.
Despite those credentials, Anderson was overlooked for selection to the Baltimore Chapter of USA Lacrosse Hall of Fame. That organization is now known as the Greater Baltimore Lacrosse Foundation after losing its chapter status.
That is important because USA Lacrosse has stipulated that to be considered for the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame individuals must first have been inducted into a chapter hall of fame.
Anderson was finally accorded the Hall of Fame status she so richly deserved by the Chesapeake Chapter.