The Best Sports Information Directors in Lacrosse

These are my people, even if they don’t like me.

Ladies, and gentlemen - subscribers both binary and non-binary - the lacrosse season is upon us! Yes - Division One lacrosse starts THIS weekend. Check your local listings. 

As such, I would like to begin by saying sorry - TO ABSOLUTELY NO ONE! 

SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTORS -  HEAR ME! YOUR JOB CAN BE HARD, BUT IT IS ALSO JUST POSTING SPREADSHEETS ON TIME. YOU WIELD POWER AKIN TO A GOD AS IF IT WERE JUST THE ABILITY TO ORDER DOORDASH - AND YOU CAN'T EVEN DO THAT IN A TIMELY MANNER! YOU ARE A BANE TO MY EXISTENCE - A BANE, I SAY!

There. I got it out of my system. 

Look, if you had been combing the internet for the last several years searching for updated rosters to do your job, you would be a tad upset, too. They’re just…never there on time. Especially when you need them to be or if you’re in the NESCAC.

I also have a complicated relationship with college sports information directors. It goes all the way back to my time as a D-3 coach a decade ago. My SID just constantly made fun of me. At first, it was fun. We had good banter. And then…I realized he was doing it when I wasn’t even there to my own players and, well, that was not a great day for either of us.

But I’m not a D-3 coach anymore and it’s time to unburden myself of this facile grudge by giving props to the best SIDs I have ever worked with in my other job as a lacrosse writer.

Kevin Edelson, Boston University

Some guys get on this list because they’re just good at their jobs. Edelson is on here because he’s great at his job. The man is straight up and always reachable.

He took time to respond to my emails when he was on paternity leave. Right now it feels like a goblin is trying to claw its way out of my knee and I don’t want to talk to anyone. But I don’t have a baby crying in my ear. That’s dedication.

He even got me pizza once.

John Stark, Syracuse University

Besides having the same name as the great general who coined the New Hampshire state motto of “Live Free or Die”, this John Stark has done so much for lacrosse that it’s almost silly. The short of it is that he’s one of the best integrators of modern social media techniques working in the medium right now. 

Formerly of Towson, Stark is now manning the helm of the biggest orange ship in the port of college lacrosse - Syracuse. His work is as gregarious and dedicated as he is. Unyielding and neverending in his pursuit of making even a meme into a great post for his teams.

Jerry Price, Princeton University

Jerry Price is one of those guys who knows who you are before you even step into the press box. I’m the sort of person who jumps into conversations with a comment across the room, and it annoys people. Until they get to know me and they realize that I’m not hijacking, I’m adding and then listening. The voices in my head - they make me speak my mind, I trust them. One of them sounds just like Jerry Price. It’s deep and confident with a wry lilt at the end of most questions. 

Price is old school in the best way possible. He can recall the stats of any Princeton player he has ever covered like he was reading off a mental menu in God’s drive-through.

Dave Vatz, Towson University

Vatz is a constant and consistent source of stats and knowledge and I’ve had the leisure of working with him for several years. Numbers file this guy’s name in a spreadsheet.

Vatz is now at Towson - ironically taking the place of Stark who went to Syracuse - and is the only SID in the history of the game to ever have to apologize to me for the behavior of his former head coach. (That’s a fun story for another day, but if you know - you know.)

I appreciate him for that and I appreciate what he does for the Tigers even though I don’t cover that area of the country anymore.

Happy Lacrosse season, everyone. This season we are adding “Office Hours” to the rotation - this is a reminder to send in your questions now to LacroCity@gmail.com - as well as the return of #HawkTalk.

Thank you for subscribing, and thank you for reading.