SPARKS, Md. — USA Lacrosse has announced that the induction ceremony for the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame Class of 2021 will be held on October 15, 2022 at The Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley, Md. It will be a highlight of a full weekend of lacrosse activities that will include the U.S. men’s, women’s and USA Select teams competing during the annual Fall Classic.
Due to COVID-19 concerns, no induction ceremony was held in 2020 and that year’s Hall of Fame Class had its induction ceremony postponed until 2021. The National Lacrosse Hall of Fame Committee made the decision not to elect a new class for 2022 to allow the process to get back on schedule following the induction of the Class of 2021.
The eight previously announced members of the 2021 National Lacrosse Hall of Fame class — Sheehan Stanwick Burch, Patty Daley, Jenny Levy, Ryan McClay, John Pirro (posthumous), Tony Resch, Kris Snider, and Beth Stone — will be joined by Steve Stenersen for the 2022 ceremony.
Stenersen, elected by the committee in 2021 following his announced departure from USA Lacrosse but not revealed due to his then active position with the organization, retired as president and CEO last summer.
“His legacy was bringing all of those organizations together that ultimately ended up growing the game substantially,” said Vinnie Sombrotto, chair of the Men’s Selection Committee for the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. “From the kids leagues up to the international level, he worked tirelessly to do that.”
“He’s the rare inductee who had an impact on both games and the committees came together and felt this was the right time for Steve to be inducted,” said Pat Dillon, chair of the Women’s Selection Committee. “Where we are today with USA Lacrosse and the sport potentially on the verge of Olympic inclusion would not have happened without Steve and his leadership. Behind the scenes, I’ve seen how dedicated he was to making USA Lacrosse the organization it is today.”
Stenersen, a two-time national champion as a player at North Carolina, has served in a primary leadership role for the sport since being named executive director of The Lacrosse Foundation in 1984. In that role, he led the movement to create a unified national structure for lacrosse, ultimately resulting in the merger of eight national organizations to form USA Lacrosse. Over the last two decades plus under his leadership, USA Lacrosse invested more than $400 million into the development and infrastructure of the sport, helping it to become one of the fastest-growing team sports in the country. He is being inducted as a truly great contributor.
Tickets for the 2022 National Lacrosse Hall of Fame induction ceremony will go on sale this summer.
Nominations for candidates for the 2023 National Lacrosse Hall of Fame class will be accepted through Dec. 1, 2022. Information on the nomination process is available here.
Initiated in 1957, the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame has annually inducted individuals based on outstanding lacrosse achievement and/or contribution. The mission of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame is to honor men and women, past and present, who by their deeds as players, coaches, officials and/or contributors, and by the example of their lives, personify the great contribution of the sport of lacrosse to our way of life. The honorees are showcased in the Richie Moran Hall of Fame gallery at USA Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Md.