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Gary Gait

Gary Gait and his brother, Paul, are perhaps two of the best lacrosse players of all time. They have changed lacrosse forever with their exciting style of play and their intensity. From the college level up they have inspired others to play and to enjoy lacrosse.

Gary was born on April 5, 1967 in Victoria , British Columbia . At the age of 20, he began to attend the University of Syracuse . At Syracuse , he was awarded first-team All-American honors in 1987, ’88, ’89, and ’90. During these years, the twins also led helped win the NCAA Championship three times. He won the Division I Outstanding Player of the Year in ’89 and ’90. Gary finished his career at Syracuse as the all-time leading scorer with 192 goals. He was also seventh on the Syracuse all-time points leader.

Gary and his brother were drafted in the first-round by the Detroit Turbos. Paul and Gary shared the Rookie of the Year honors and led the Turbos to the championship. Gary also played with his brother for the Philadelphia Wings where they won a championship. Gary won the MVP award six times. He also holds the NLL career leader in goals and points. He also has the most points in a season and most goals in a season.

Gary and his brother have been playing MLL since 2001. During this season, Gary and Paul led the New York Lizards to the championship. He was traded the next year to the Baltimore Bayhawks. He has played there and coached since 2001. He led them to the championship in 2005.

Paul Gait

Paul Gait and his brother, Gary, are perhaps two of the best lacrosse players of all time. They have changed lacrosse forever with their exciting style of play and their intensity. From the college level up they have inspired others to play and to enjoy lacrosse.          

Paul was born on April 5, 1967 in Victoria , British Columbia . At the age of 20, he began to attend the University of Syracuse . Paul was primarily a goal scorer, and was very dangerous. At Syracuse, he was awarded first-team All-American honors in 1988, ’89, and ’90. During these years, the twins also led helped win the NCAA Championship.

In 1991, he first began to play for the National Lacrosse League. Paul played in the NLL until 2002 when he retired. The two were drafted by the Detroit Turbos in the first round right after they finished college. The two brothers led the team to the 1991 league championship. They also shared the Rookie of the Year honors. In 1994, the two also led the Philadelphia Wings to a league championship. During this game, Paul was awarded the MVP honors with his eight goals. Later, he was moved away from his brother to the Rochester Knighthawks. This team won the league championship in 1997. The two were reunited in 2001 with the Washington Power.   

Paul was an eight-time first-team All-Pro and three-time second-team All-Pro in the NLL. In 2002, he played for the Washington Power where he was the NLL’s most valuable player. During that season he recorded a career high 60 assists, 54 goals, 114 points, and 107 loose balls. In 2005, Paul came out of retirement to join his brother for a final playoff push.       

Les Bartley

Les Bartley may not be familiar to non-lacrosse players. However, though he wasn’t a famous player like the Gait twins. Les played a large part in the upbringing of lacrosse through his coaching.

Bartley became the assistant coach of the Buffalo Bandits in 1992. He became the coach after the previous coach started the season 0-3. The team won 22 straight games. They won the championship both years. However, on February 22, 1994 the streak ended, but Les has begun to make his mark.

In 1995, Les encountered his only losing season, going 3-6. But the very next year, he rebounded back and won the championship for Buffalo for the third time. In 1997, Les left the Bandits, after going 36-13 over six seasons.

In 1998, the Major Indoor Lacrosse League became the National Lacrosse League. The first Canadian team was added at this time in Ontario . Being an Ontario native, Bartley was willing to help the team. In 1999, the Ontario Raiders became the Toronto Rock. Les coached there for five years. Four times he helped them win the championship. During his time with the Canadian team, Les worked as a collective bargainer for the NLL. He helped the players’ association reach an agreement prior to the 2005 season.

In 2003, Bartley retired as general manager and coach of the Rock. He was forced to retire to fight colon cancer. He had a tumor removed in late 2003. However, through all of this, he continued to be the vice-president of the Toronto Rock. Les was named Executive of the Year in 2005 Six days later, on May 15, 2005 , Les Bartley lost the battle to cancer. He died only 18 hours after the Rock won their first championship without him as a coach.

Les had a 51-19 record in the five seasons in the NLL. He was 9-1 in the postseason. Bartley’s overall record was 93-38 in the regular season. Les also went 18-4 in the postseason, making him the NLL’s most winning postseason coach. To show recognition to Bartley’s efforts as a coach, the coach of the year award will be called the Les Bartley Award. The NLL announced that he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006 at the all-star game being held in Toronto .

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