Johns Hopkins 2021

[Sagittarius A*]

Hopkins lax instagram account is asking for the Top 3 of Hopkins attackmen - Cowan, Wood, O'Neill, Riordan, Piccola, Cook, Thomas, Wittelsberger, Browm if anyone cares

Wood, O"Neill, Thomas

[Slim]

Thomas, O'Neill, Cook (Wood coming in for EMO and shifts out of the box)

[Drcthru]

Hopkins lax instagram account is asking for the Top 3 of Hopkins attackmen - Cowan, Wood, O'Neill, Riordan, Piccola, Cook, Thomas, Wittelsberger, Browm if anyone cares

1) Cowan, who you youngsters might not know averaged 6.5 points per game with a wood stick!
2) Riordan, who scored at least one goal in every game he played at JHU!
3) Thomas, three year 1st team AA and #4 all-time JHU scorer(three years only in those days)!

[Sagittarius A*]

Hopkins lax instagram account is asking for the Top 3 of Hopkins attackmen - Cowan, Wood, O'Neill, Riordan, Piccola, Cook, Thomas, Wittelsberger, Browm if anyone cares

1) Cowan, who you youngsters might not know averaged 6.5 points per game with a wood stick!
2) Riordan, who scored at least one goal in every game he played at JHU!
3) Thomas, three year 1st team AA and #4 all-time JHU scorer(three years only in those days)!

2) Riordan, who scored at least one goal in every game he played at JHU! - Scored a ton, JHU All-Time Scoring Leader
BUT
NEVER won a title or even played in a Title Game.
Where were the points when the team needed them?
Great players put the team on their back in crucial moments and deliver.
To be in the conversation with the best ever at Hopkins, you have to have an NC in your pocket.
No discussion.

[HopFan16]

Hopkins lax instagram account is asking for the Top 3 of Hopkins attackmen - Cowan, Wood, O'Neill, Riordan, Piccola, Cook, Thomas, Wittelsberger, Browm if anyone cares

1) Cowan, who you youngsters might not know averaged 6.5 points per game with a wood stick!
2) Riordan, who scored at least one goal in every game he played at JHU!
3) Thomas, three year 1st team AA and #4 all-time JHU scorer(three years only in those days)!

2) Riordan, who scored at least one goal in every game he played at JHU! - Scored a ton, JHU All-Time Scoring Leader
BUT
NEVER won a title or even played in a Title Game.
Where were the points when the team needed them?
Great players put the team on their back in crucial moments and deliver.
To be in the conversation with the best ever at Hopkins, you have to have an NC in your pocket.
No discussion.

I didn't pick Riordan but this always struck me as a silly argument. The guy was a 4-time All-American, Turnbull and Enners Award winner, and scored 250 pts in his career. HE clearly played at an all-time great, championship-caliber level. That some of his teammates apparently did not is not his fault.

It kinda sorta makes sense in a sport like basketball, because there are only 5 guys on the court, all of them play both defense and offense, and one player can often dictate if games are won or lost. Maybe for quarterbacks in football too, because they have such an outsized impact on the game as individuals. But a single attackman in lacrosse can only do so much on his own—even when he plays at pretty much the highest level possible. Pat Spencer played in only one Final Four, and never in a championship game.

[51percentcorn]

I'm with slim -I never saw Cowan play so I have no thoughts other than stats which are remarkable but I saw all others play in person ALOT
I think the 3 most complete players were Thomas, O'Neill and Cook with Piccola a close 4th. People forget things like the fact that for all his toughness and goal scoring prowess Cookie monster led Hopkins in assists for 3 straight seasons and still holds the single season point record. Embarrassment of riches back in the days to have Thomas/O'Neill/Cook/Wood basically roll on as soon as the other rolled off.

[Chitown]

Joe Cowan.

Just to fill in some facts and give some insights. He played in the "wood stick era". You could only play Varsity for 3 years. He was 1st Team AA for all 3 years. He won the Best Attackman in the USA award, and the Best Lacrosse PLayer in the USA award (I forget the names of those awards). He played on 3 consecutive National Championship Teams, and was the Co-Captain of one his Senior Year.

You don't have to have seen him play to understand that his accomplishments were pretty special. He didn't want to lose. On teams full of both really good and great players (lots of AAs), he was capable of carrying a team on his back. And the best Defenseman on the other team was always assigned to guard him.

I didn't get to see the others play but I am sure they were terrific. But Joe was something "special".

[Sagittarius A*]

Joe Cowan.

He was also drafted by the Colts to play football.
That's pretty amazing in itself.
Pretty incredible athlete and I believe the only Hopkins player ever to be drafted by an NFL team.

[goldeneagle]

All good choices. I like Cowan, Thomas, Cook but we are splitting hairs. I would add Richie Hirsch as meriting of alot more mention than he gets.

[51percentcorn]

I am not trying to disparage Joe Cowan at all - just saying I never saw him play or any substantial film of him playing either so the "something special" lives only in the statistics and accomplishments. We can trot out the Turnbulls for that matter then. Wasn't Doug the 1st 4x 1st team AA and played every position but goalie? Wasn't Jack a 3x AA attackman - captain of the '32 Olympic team and then died in WWII - so there's that. Hopkins even defeated Mt. Washington 2 of the 3 years he played and he has been referred to as the "Babe Ruth of Lacrosse" However, it is true they played about 100 years ago so I really can't say.

[Drcthru]

I am not trying to disparage Joe Cowan at all - just saying I never saw him play or any substantial film of him playing either so the "something special" lives only in the statistics and accomplishments. We can trot out the Turnbulls for that matter then. Wasn't Doug the 1st 4x 1st team AA and played every position but goalie? Wasn't Jack a 3x AA attackman - captain of the '32 Olympic team and then died in WWII - so there's that. Hopkins even defeated Mt. Washington 2 of the 3 years he played and he has been referred to as the "Babe Ruth of Lacrosse" However, it is true they played about 100 years ago so I really can't say.

I saw every home game from 1966-69 and many away games. To keep a ball in a wood stick running alone is difficult. To do it when Pat Donnelly is wailing on you is miraculous. Not just Cowan. Little Jerry Schnydman taking face-offs without having to bend over, Kniep, McCarty on attack. Coker and Goodell at mid. Geoff Berlin and Johnny Kelly in goal. Ben Kaestner, Mike Clark and John Cardillo on defense. Almost all AA. I am so sorry you never saw them play but, many of us old farts remember it well.

[BlueJaySince1947]

Can't dismiss Billy Morrill and Mickey Webster first team AAs for the three seasons they played from 1957 to 1959. Webster fed and Morrill scored ; a deadly combo for sure ! John Jory on the crease in 1957 to 1958 was only second team AA. How many times has Hopkins had two 1st and one 2nd team AA attackman at the same time ???

[Drcthru]

Can't dismiss Billy Morrill and Mickey Webster first team AAs for the three seasons they played from 1957 to 1959. Webster fed and Morrill scored ; a deadly combo for sure ! John Jory on the crease in 1957 to 1958 was only second team AA. How many times has Hopkins had two 1st and one 2nd team AA attackman at the same time ???

1968
Joseph Cowan ______________ 1st
H. Downman McCarty _______ 1st
Philip Kneip ________________2nd

[DocBarrister]

Can't dismiss Billy Morrill and Mickey Webster first team AAs for the three seasons they played from 1957 to 1959. Webster fed and Morrill scored ; a deadly combo for sure ! John Jory on the crease in 1957 to 1958 was only second team AA. How many times has Hopkins had two 1st and one 2nd team AA attackman at the same time ???

Thanks, BJS1947!

Now ... how many others on this forum actually watched Morrill and Webster play in the 1950s?

DocBarrister

[Drcthru]

Can't dismiss Billy Morrill and Mickey Webster first team AAs for the three seasons they played from 1957 to 1959. Webster fed and Morrill scored ; a deadly combo for sure ! John Jory on the crease in 1957 to 1958 was only second team AA. How many times has Hopkins had two 1st and one 2nd team AA attackman at the same time ???

Thanks, BJS1947!

Now ... how many others on this forum actually watched Morrill and Webster play in the 1950s?

DocBarrister

If you did Doc, you are officially senile.

[Drcthru]

My lacrosse epiphysis:https://laxbuzz.wordpress.com/2010/11/0 ... y-22-1967/

[jhu72]

The real star in the Morrill family. 10's if not 100's of thousands of college students in 50s, 60s and early 70s learned calculus from his text book. It was a standard. He played a pretty significant role in the history of lacrosse as well.

[Drcthru]

The real star in the Morrill family. 10's if not 100's of thousands of college students in 50s, 60s and early 70s learned calculus from his text book. It was a standard. He played a pretty significant role in the history of lacrosse as well.

He died on April 11, 1968, while teaching a calculus class!

[jhu72]

The real star in the Morrill family. 10's if not 100's of thousands of college students in 50s, 60s and early 70s learned calculus from his text book. It was a standard. He played a pretty significant role in the history of lacrosse as well.

He died on April 11, 1968, while teaching a calculus class!

Yup, my senior year in high school. I was taught calculus by one of Kelso's students that year, who the following year went on to become an instructor at the Naval Academy.

[10stone5]

My lacrosse epiphysis:https://laxbuzz.wordpress.com/2010/11/0 ... y-22-1967/

Great photo of Joe Cowen in that article,
at an iconic game at Homewood against Navy,
the guy covering Cowan was a top Navy defenseman,
Carl Tamulevich.