2022 NILCA Hall of Fame Inductee Bios
Joe Baccarella
The upcoming 2023 spring season will be Joe’s 40th year of coaching high school lacrosse. His coaching career began as soon as he graduated from Sewanhaka High School in 1981. He volunteered in the fall of 1981 with the JV Football team at Sewanhaka and then in the spring of 1982 with the JV lacrosse team.
Joe’s lacrosse coaching career has taken him to several schools in Nassau County. Starting out at Sewanhaka High School, he was fortunate to have the tutelage of Tom Flatley (NILCA HOF 2019). After leaving Sewanhaka, he ended up at Farmingdale HS as a JV assistant under the tutelage of Varsity Head Coach Bob Hartranft (NILCA HOF 2019). His head coaching career started at Plainview HS in 1994. He had the pleasure of working with Mike Hungerford for 5 of the 6 years there. After 6 years, he took the Head Lacrosse job at South Side HS in 2000 after being encouraged by Doc Dougherty (NILCA HOF 2019). The Cyclones won the 2004 NYS Class B Championship along with assistants Steve DiPietro and Brian Spallina. After leaving South Side in 2007, he coached at a few different schools including Cold Spring Harbor. At CSH, he had the chance to work alongside and learn from Dennis Bonn, from his friend, former classmate at Sewanhaka, and Future NILCA HOFer, for 2 seasons as a volunteer assistant. Joe has coached the JV at Farmingdale HS for the last several years under the tutelage of Mike Hungerford, Varsity Head Coach.
Joe served as the equipment manager for the NY Saints from 1988-2003. During that time of great experience, he met many great players and coaches. He served as Assistant team Manager for USA U-19 team in 1992, 96,99, 2003, and 2008. During those games, he worked with NILCA HOFers: Tom Flatley, Doc Dougherty, John Kenney, Chuck Apel, Tim Flynn, Bob Hartranft, Joe Cuozzo, John Linehan, Jack Moran, Kevin Giblin, and John Nostrant. Joe coached the Long Island Empire Team on 2 occasions, serving as an assistant coach in 1998 and head coach in 2003. Both teams won gold medals.
Volunteer service and giving back to the game has always been important to Joe. He has coached both boys and girls in the Farmingdale PAL program and has been involved with the PAL Lacrosse Organization for many years. He served as the Farmingdale Boys Lacrosse Director and now serves as the treasurer for Long island PAL (the largest youth league in the US). He has also served as Vice president and President of the Nassau County Lacrosse Coaches Association.
When USA Lacrosse decided to dissolve its High School Committee due to restructuring, Joe was serving as the Nassau County Area Chair and Secretary of the High School Committee. With this, Joe was instrumental in forming, along with Ren Pettinelli, NILCA. Since 2010, Joe has been serving as Vice President.
Joe has been blessed in receiving several awards throughout his coaching career. In 1997 he was named Conference A Coach of the Year by NCLCA. He was named Nassau County Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2013. He was recognized as Man of the Year by NCLCA in 2005. He was inducted into the Sewanhaka HS Hall of Fame in 2012 and the LI Metro Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2017.
Joe currently serves as a director, along with 7 other coaches, for the Long Island Lacrosse Showcase which has served both Nassau and Suffolk high school lacrosse players since the NYS Empire State Games folded. The LI Lacrosse Showcase has helped many players be seen by college coaches.
Joe has been married to his best friend, Suzanne, for 30 years. They have 3 children, Alicia(28), Erica (26), and Joseph(24). They have one granddaughter, Kathryn(6) and are awaiting their grandson, Christian.
Terry Crowley
Terry Crowley’s passion for lacrosse started at the age of 8 years old in Massapequa, NY. Over the last 50 years, that spirit has never wavered.
The game of lacrosse has given Coach Crowley many rewards and opportunities to pay it forward. Having been coached and mentored by some of the best, he knew when he hung up his cleats that it was time to give back to the game he loves so much. In 1990, Terry moved to South Florida. In 1992, he became the US Lacrosse Florida representative. From there, the journey of starting grass roots recreational and high school programs began.
In 1994, Terry co-founded with Jerry Kraus, the Coral Springs Tomahawks Lacrosse program where he coached and served as the Director for 7 years. The Tomahawks had elementary, middle school and high school teams for boys and girls. In 1999, Terry was awarded the US Lacrosse Coach of the Year, South Florida.
In 2003, while watching a recreational game in Boca Raton, Terry, his wife Barbara and Mike Shutowick, thought that the town of Parkland could host a successful recreational program. The Parkland Redhawks were founded in 2003. This start-up program eventually blossomed to over 250 players spanning from Kindergarten to 8th grade for boys and girls encompassing over 15 teams and is still going strong today. In 2004, Terry was approached by Marjorie Stoneman Douglas to coach their high school boys’ team where he won the Florida State Championship in 2007 and continued coaching there till 2009. He was awarded the US Lacrosse Coach of the Year, South Florida again in 2007. That same year, Terry coached Team South in the US Lacrosse HS National All-star game in Denver, CO.
Terry was inducted into the US Lacrosse South Florida Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2010, Terry continued his coaching career at St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale where, to date, he has won State Championships in 2016, 2017 & 2022 with the boys’ team and was the Assistant Coach on the Girls State Championship team in 2021. While at St. Thomas, Terry has been awarded the Sun-Sentinel and Miami Herald Coach of the Year over 10 times. He was also recognized as the Florida Dairy Farmers Coach of the Year in 2016, 2017 & 2022.
In 2016, with the help of Jeremy Wehby and Patrick Hauser, he met with the City of Plantation and formed the Plantation Patriots recreational program. The most recent recreational program he helped build was the Lighthouse Point Mariners that started in 2021.
As a Head Coach and Director of Program, Terry has been known to deflect any of the credit to his coaching staff, players and the people that surround him – George Smith, Twan Russell, Matt Cahill, Billy Leahy, John Devoe, Matt Papponetti, Dillon Giorgis, Richie Guglielmo, Kelly Gonzalez, among others and especially John Kirby for handling the pre-game phone calls and giving sound advice.
Terry gives his time selflessly in order to promote the growth of the game of lacrosse. Over 1000 players in South Florida have had the opportunity to be introduced to lacrosse. His bond with the players is what motivates him to continue teaching this great game. There are many South Florida players, both boys and girls, that have gone on to successful college careers at schools such as Duke, Johns Hopkins, US Naval Academy, Maryland, Towson, Hofstra, Lehigh, Ohio State, Stoney Brook, West Point, Furman, Washington College, Catholic University, Stevens Tech and many more.
Terry’s career can best be described as written by a Sun-Sentinel reporter about him where it was stated that “Terry Crowley is the Pied Piper of Florida Lacrosse.” He looks forward to continuing to grow the game that he loves so much!
Henry "Skip" Flanagan
Dr. Henry “Skip” Flanagan came to Avon Old Farms in 1972, and quickly distinguished himself as an outstanding teacher, coach, and school administrator. Skip was the chief architect of the outstanding lacrosse tradition at Avon Old Farms. Skip’s understanding of the game and phenomenal ability to work with young people resulted in the establishment of one of the most well-respected lacrosse programs at the prep school level. Skip coached many outstanding teams and players, but his 1979 team was undefeated and earned the New England Division I Prep School title. Thanks to the firm foundation fashioned through Skip’s hard work, skill, and perseverance, Avon Old Farms lacrosse remains one of the premiere programs in the country.
Skip then moved to Western Reserve Academy in 1982 where he was the Head of School and lacrosse coach for 26 years. Many at Western Reserve credit Skip with rebuilding the school, both literally with the renovations and additions of several buildings on campus, and figuratively with the impact he had on the school’s administration, faculty, and students. On the lacrosse field his success continued. He coached teams to multiple titles including an OHSLA Championship in 2001. He was also instrumental in the continuation of the Midwest Scholastic Lacrosse Association. When the association’s tournament needed a location, Skip, as WRA’s headmaster, stepped up and provided an outstanding facility for the tournament for the next 27 years, allowing it to expand to include more teams, as well as a girls tournament.
In 2010, he returned to Avon Old Farms as a Dean and Head Lacrosse Coach. Since then, Coach Flanagan led the Winged Beavers to numerous Founders League titles and a New England Championship.
Throughout his near 50-year coaching career, Skip served as a head or assistant coach at Princeton and Michigan Universities; the Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey; Saint Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, Florida; and the England National Team. With his influence and direction, Skip has guided thousands of young lacrosse athletes into major NCAA programs and beyond.
In addition to writing a book on lacrosse (Basic Lacrosse Strategy for Young Players), Skip was one of the first to start a summer camp for young, talented, and enthusiastic players, making him personally responsible for introducing and advancing the game to thousands of young people.
He is already a member of the United States Lacrosse Association Hall of Fame, having been inducted into both the Connecticut and Ohio branches. He is also enshrined in the Avon Old Farms Hall of Fame, was selected as the 2018 “Man of the Year” by the Western New England Lacrosse Association, and was presented with The Governor’s Citation by his home state of Maryland for his contribution to the sport.
Outside of coaching, Skip has served on the board for the Tewaaraton Award, was a member of the USILA National Rules Committee, and is a former President of the Midwest Lacrosse Association. He was also a great player himself. He won a state championship and earned all-Maryland honors in high school before going on to play at the collegiate level for Rutgers and Michigan Universities.
Scott Craig
Scott Craig is a 1972 graduate of West Islip High School where he played both football and lacrosse. At Cortland State he received a physical education degree and played 4 years of football and one of lacrosse. Scott’s extensive coaching career began in 1977 at Mepham High School as the varsity football team’s line coach. He then moved on to Northumberland High School in Virginia as the head football coach for the 1978 and 1979 seasons. In the fall of 1980 Scott returned to West Islip High School where he would teach physical education for the next 34 years. During this time he coached varsity football as the defensive coordinator for 24 years. Scott also coached West Islip Lacrosse for 40 years, 31 of them as the head coach (1988-2018). Scott coached all 31 of those seasons with defensive coordinator and longtime friend Bill Turri whom he feels is just as responsible for the team’s success as he is.
The teams that these two coached amassed a record of 480-119-1. They won some form of a championship in 28 of these 31 seasons. They had 31 playoff appearances winning 9 Suffolk “A” titles, 7 Long Island titles and 5 New York Sate “A” titles. In 2007 and 2010 the team was ranked #1 in the Nation. Scott has been selected as a league or division Coach of the Year 12 times, Suffolk Coach of the Year 5 times and Newsday Coach of the Year 4 times. He was inducted into the Metropolitan Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. Scott will be inducted into the West Islip Athletic Hall of Fame this coming May.
Scott has been retired since 2018 and still resides in West Islip where he raised his children, Shane and Nicole, alongside his wife Karol. Scott was proud to have coached his son who played on two of the State Championship teams. Nicole, Shane and Shane’s wife Ashley all teach and reside on Long Island. Scott and Karol winter in Ft. Meyers, Florida where they work on their golf games. They just recently welcomed their first grandchild, Kennedy Elizabeth, and Scott is very proud to add ”Pop” to his resume.
Kevin Giblin
A native of Binghamton, New York, Kevin is a 1985 graduate of Washington College, and a two-time captain for the Shoreman Men’s Lacrosse Team. Kevin’s 1985 team was inducted into the Washington College Athletic Hall of Fame with teammates John Nostrand & Rick Sowell among others.
Kevin built the Georgetown Prep Little Hoyas program from the ground up, including STX/Inside Lacrosse National Championships in both 2003 and 2006. Once established as one of the premiere programs in the nation, his teams at Georgetown Prep were the model of excellence and consistency, being ranked nationally 17 times, including five total national Top 5 finishes. His teams were ranked #1 in the State of Maryland in 2003, 2006, 2007 & 2011 and were consistently in the top 10 in the Washington Post rankings each year from 1990-2014. Over the course of his twenty-seven years at Georgetown Prep, Kevin had 36 players selected as High School All-Americans.
From 2017 to 2019, Kevin was the head lacrosse coach at Bishop O'Connell High School, delivering the three best seasons in school history and playoff berths in the VISAA state tournament each year. Before accepting his current position at Mount St. Mary’s University, Kevin capped off his run at Bishop O’Connell by being named the 2019 WCAC Coach of the Year.
Overall, as a high school head coach, Kevin posted a remarkable career record of 457-108 and was inducted into the Potomac Chapter of US Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2007.
In addition to his coaching achievements at the high school level, Kevin was the founder of the Club Blue Lacrosse Program, and he served as Head Coach of the Maryland Free State teams in both 1999 and 2005. Kevin was selected as the Maryland State Lacrosse "Man of the Year" in both 2007 and 2015, and he served as an Assistant Coach for the USA U-19 gold-medal winning team in 2008.
Prior to arriving at Mount Saint Mary’s University, Kevin served in the Catholic School Education Profession for 30 plus years in several different capacities, ranging from an Assistant Head of School, Department Chair, Teacher, and Coach.
Kevin earned his B.A. from Washington College, an M.A.T. from Trinity College, and a M.Ed. from Marymount University. Kevin and his wife, Karen, are parents to Liam, Colin, Dempsey, and Cormac and currently live in Rockville, Maryland.
Al Brown
Al Brown, a native of Massapequa Park, NY, was a standout on the football and lacrosse teams at Berner High School. Brown earned a bachelor's degree in health and physical education from C.W. Post College in 1975. He played lacrosse four seasons there, earning All-America honors as a defenseman in 1973 and 1974 and serving as captain for the 1974 team. He also holds a master's degree in Sport Science from Adelphi University,1982. He has been an Independent School teacher, Director of Athletics and Varsity Head Coach of football, boys' and girls' soccer, boys' and girls' basketball, and boys' lacrosse for 46 years. He credits much of his success to his wife, children, loyal and dedicated assistant coaches, and committed student/athletes.
He began his high school lacrosse coaching career at Rutgers Prep School, NJ (1978-82), where his lacrosse teams recorded a 47-25 record. He taught physical education in grades K-12, served as Department Chairperson of Physical Education and was the head boys' soccer and girls' basketball coach. His girls' basketball team won the NJISAA State Championship in 1982. From there, he coached lacrosse at Northfield Mt. Hermon (NMH), MA. At NMH he moved into athletic administration and served as the athletic director, JV football coach and assistant boys' basketball coach in addition to head lacrosse coach. His lacrosse teams recorded a 23-18 record, and he coached his first high school All-American. During his time at NMH, he founded New England Lacrosse Camp in 1983, which has been in continuous operation since that time.
At Vermont Academy, as the Director of Athletics along with head football, basketball and lacrosse coaching, his lacrosse teams won two Northern New England Championships (1987 and 1988), and he was named Northern New England Coach of the Year in 1988. Two of his players were selected High School All-Americans. Brown was selected to coach the North in the HS North-South Game at Johns Hopkins after the 1988 season. His lacrosse teams recorded a 35-8 record in his three years at Vermont.
Brown moved to college coaching and coached the Alfred University, NY men's lacrosse team for seven seasons (1989-95). During that time, he assisted in football, served as the Director of the Fitness Center and was an assistant professor of physical education. The Saxons posted an 85-25 record. His teams won two league championships in the ICAC Independent College Athletic Conference with member schools St. Lawrence, RIT, Clarkson, RPI and Ithaca College. Four of his teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament and two for the Upstate NY ECAC Tournament, winning the ECAC Tournament in his final year. In 1990, Brown was named Division III Coach of the Year by USILA. He coached the North team in the College Division III North-South game in 1992. Alfred University produced the first ever All-American, and overall, 18 AU student athletes were recognized as All-Americans. In October of 2008, Brown was inducted into the Alfred University Athletic Hall of Fame. While at Bates College (1995-2000), Brown was an instructor in physical education, assistant coach of football and the head lacrosse coach. His lacrosse teams posted a 42-34 record and qualified for the New England ECAC tournament in 2000. With the help of Bates College, Lewiston and Auburn recreation departments, and his lacrosse players, Brown started the Lewiston/Auburn Youth Lacrosse program for boys and girls. There are now three high school programs for boys and girls in the Twin Cities, which developed out of the youth lacrosse program. Also during his time at Bates, he authored Coaching Youth Lacrosse for US Lacrosse, published by Human Kinetics.
Brown moved to Portsmouth Abbey School in 2000 as the Director of Athletics. In addition to that title, he served as the head coach of football and lacrosse. He has earned multiple recognitions as Coach of the Year by both US Lacrosse (2010 & 2013) and as EIL Coach of the Year (2008, 2011, 2022). Nine of his Abbey teams have captured lacrosse league championships while 11 of his athletes have been selected US Lacrosse All-Americans and 10 as US Lacrosse Academic All- Americans. His football teams also won three league championships. Coach Brown retired from the athletic director position in 2022 but will continue as the head coach of lacrosse at the Abbey.
Al and Linda Brown have been married for 49 years and have always worked together at the same institutions. Linda has been an instrumental part of every team that Al has coached in providing tremendous support and creating a family atmosphere for all his teams. They have three grown children--Jennifer, Meagen and Taylor--who all grew up around their father's teams and have stayed involved in the game. After more than two decades living and working on campus, Al and Linda plan to split their time between Portsmouth, RI and Rangeley, ME, enjoying visits from their children and five grandchildren--William, Austin, Tucker, Bailey and Grant.
Marshall Chambers
Marshall was a 1950 graduate of Springfield College in Massachusetts where he played and lettered as both and attack man and defensive player for the Springfield Chieftains ( now known as the Pride). Upon graduation, Marshall became mentor of the boys lacrosse team at the Lawrenceville School. In fact Lawrenceville , Exeter and Andover were the first Secondary Schools to support lacrosse dating back to 1882. Marshall rekindled the school’s history and he re-started the program 1959. And so began a 31-year career as head coach.
During that era, Coach Chambers garnered an impressive 354-107 record with his squads. Beloved by the school during his mentorship, at the announcement of his illustrious career retirement , Coach Chambers was honored by the renaming of the lacrosse field, 'Chambers Field’. In 1968 , the United States 1 Lacrosse Coaches Association (USLCA) -comprised of College coaches - began to honor worthy secondary school coaches at the ‘national clinic’ which evolved within the Annual College Lacrosse Business Meeting - Coach Chambers was one of the original 5 coaches named Coach of the Year. Other honors soon followed: the NJSIAA Coach of the Year in 1974, and the Newark Star-Ledger Coach of the Year in 1979. Coach Chambers’ teams captured three state championships ('74,'78','80), one coaches championship ('82), six Pitt Division championships ('82,'83,'84,'87,'88','89), and eight Prep championships ('82-'84, '86-'90). He was also selected to coach the South team at the North/South All-Star game at Newark State College (now Rutgers-Newark) in 1971 and served the same role in 1975.
In 1985 he served the role as Head Coach at the North/South HS Games held at Johns Hopkins. Coach Chambers, always the teacher and mentor, was also was a frequent writer for Lacrosse Magazine.
John Nostrant
John Nostrant matriculated to Washington College from Baldwinsville NY in 1982. While at Washington, Nostrant was a three time second team All -American and his teams played in three consecutive National Championship Games. He was a captain his senior year and was named MVP as well. After College Nostrant played professional outdoor lacrosse for the Baltimore Tribe and indoor for the Baltimore Thunder and Philadelphia Wings . During his time with the Wings and Thunder he was fortunate to play in six consecutive championship games and was named second team all pro twice.
John’s playing career stimulated his interest in coaching as he was surrounded by some of the best players and coaches in the 80’s and 90’s. After graduating in 1986 John stayed on and coached for three years at his Alma mater on Coach Terry Corcorans staff where he learned so much about the game and its nuances.
Nostrant’s High School coaching career started in 1989 at St Albans School and concluded in 2021 at the Gilman School with 28 years in between at The Haverford School in Philadelphia PA. Over that 30 year span John was fortunate to coach with and coach some of the best at their craft. Jesse Hubbard, Luke Ogelsby,Kyle Barrie, Carl Walrath, Drew Supinski, Forry Smith , Dox Aitken , Grant Ament and his son John . Nostrant was a part of a staff that included Mark Petrone and Travis Loving at Haverford School and Rick Sowell at St Albans and again at Gilman. During this time John was fortunate to be named an Assistant on Chuck Apel’s 2008 Gold medal U 19 staff alongside legends Timmy Flynn and Kevin Giblin . In addition he was blessed to coach alongside US Hall of Famer Tony Resch with the Wings and Philadelphia Barrage.
John won 500 games as a High School coach and his teams won 21 Inter-Ac Titles and 2 mythical High School National Championships in 2011 and 2015 where those teams went a combined 49-0 against some of the best competition in the country. Nostrant was named US lacrosse coach of the year in 2011 and NILCA COY in 2015. Due to the success of his teams on the field and his teammates John has been previously inducted into the Baldwinsville HS and lacrosse HOF, The Eastern Pennsylvania Lacrosse HOF and finally the Washington College Hall of Fame. In addition John started Checking For Cancer, a high school lacrosse tournament that has raised over 500 thousand dollars for families battling cancer.
John is married to Gina Nostrant who has supported him and his teams for the duration of their 31 year marriage with meals, physical and emotional support and a lot of love. His three Children blessed him with outstanding high school and collegiate careers. Olivia at High Point, John at Penn State and Marcella at VCU.