Hempstead, NY – Hofstra's legendary coach and administrator Howard "Howdy" Myers and two-sport alumnus Renzie Lamb will be among the eight members of the Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association's (IMLCA) second Hall of Fame class this December, the organization announced.
Joining Myers and Lamb, who played lacrosse and football under Myers at Hofstra in the 1950s before embarking on a 35-year tenure as Head Lacrosse Coach at Williams College, will be: Bud Beardmore (Hobart, Virginia, Maryland), Henry Ciccarone Sr. (Johns Hopkins), Paul Doherty (Adelphi), Jerry Schmidt (Hobart, Navy, Princeton), Willie Scroggs (North Carolina) and Tony Seaman (C.W. Post, Penn, Johns Hopkins, Towson).
Howard "Howdy" Myers served as Hofstra's director of athletics, head men's lacrosse coach and head football coach for a quarter of a century. His extraordinary coaching talents in both lacrosse and football from 1950 to 1975 made Howdy a legend in both sports. As Hofstra Lacrosse coach, Howdy coached 26 seasons (1950-75) and recorded a 214-139-4 record. His 214 victories remain the most by any Hofstra Lacrosse coach in school history.
Myers coached Hofstra teams that captured eight divisional championships and made four NCAA Division I Championship Tournament appearances. In 1970 he received the F. Morris Touchstone Award as the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division I Coach of the Year. A year later, Myers received the Governor's Trophy for providing continuous and meaningful contributions to lacrosse. The legendary coach passed away in 1980.
A graduate of Chaminade High School in Mineola, Renzie Lamb played three years of varsity lacrosse and football at Hofstra from 1956-1959. After completing his enlistment tenure in the Marines, he accepted a position as a team at Iona Prep High School, where he also coached lacrosse and football.
Lamb then accepted a teaching position at Williams College and also coached lacrosse, football and women's squash during his tenure. He served as the head coach of the Eph's lacrosse program for 35 years, retiring in 2003. Lamb compiled an overall record of 252-184 (.578) and coached 30 Eph student-athletes who earned All-America honors. Twenty-two times he guided the Ephs to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament, winning five titles, and finishing second nine times. Lamb's Ephs qualified for 12 straight ECAC tournaments from 1986-97. At the time, NESCAC schools did not compete in NCAA championships. Williams also captured six Snively League titles and won 19 outright Little Three titles (Williams, Amherst & Wesleyan) under Lamb and won an impressive nine consecutive titles from 1989-97.
"I'm very honored to be going in with contemporaries, my former coach (Myers) and good friends of mine who coached through this period," Lamb told the Berkshire Eagle. "I think the big thing is to be included with them, the old timers."
The IMLCA was created to help build the game of lacrosse, become the premier organization providing coaches development and monitor the integrity of the game. Its membership is comprised of individual men's coaches. To further expose its value, the IMLCA has created relationships with the high school, junior college and collegiate club lacrosse coaches so that they too can benefit from the initiatives of the Association.
"The IMLCA Hall of Fame quickly has become a wonderful reflection of the history of our great game," said J.B. Clarke, IMLCA president and head coach at Limestone College. "It is our collective honor as today's coaches to introduce the second class of inductees who enjoyed tremendous success at schools in all three NCAA Divisions as well as during the USILA championship years prior to the establishment of the NCAA championships."
The inaugural inductees of the IMLCA Hall of Fame were: Fred Acee (Farmingdale and Air Force), Jim "Ace" Adams (Army, Penn and Virginia), Willis Bilderback (Navy), Dick Edell (Baltimore, Army and Maryland), Jack Emmer (Cortland, Washington & Lee and Army), Richard F Garber (Massachusetts), Richie Moran (Cornell), Robert (Bob) H. Scott (Johns Hopkins), Roy Simmons Jr. (Syracuse), Richard Speckmann (Nassau) and Dave Urick (Hobart and Georgetown).
The 2016 inductees were selected by the IMLCA Hall of Fame Committee comprised of Tom Gill, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (chair), Fred Acee (retired), Jack Emmer (retired), Mike Murphy (Colgate), Don Zimmerman (retired), Dan Sheehan (LeMoyne), Tom Leanos (Drew).
The IMLCA Hall of Fame celebration will take place Friday, December 9 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel in conjunction with the IMLCA Annual Convention. Ticket and general information will be available later this month.
