Lacrosse Legends

Tom Parker - ManitobaTom began playing lacrosse at Kelvin Community Centre when he was 18 years old . Since the early 1960s, he has played a major role in the promotion, development and growth of the sport of lacrosse in Manitoba.In 1961, Tom took over as player-coach of the Fort Rouge Olympic Lacrosse Club. He later went on to capture four Winnipeg Senior Box Lacrosse League championships: in 1974 and 1975 with the St. Boniface Clubs, and in 1978 and 1983 with the Elmwood Clubs. During that period, in his role as Physical Education Supervisor for the St. Boniface School Division, Tom encouraged the teaching of lacrosse in the school athletic program. Interest in the game continued to gain momentum and soon spread to other school divisions, leading to provincial junior high ‘soft lacrosse’ competitions.Ultimately, Tom, along with a group of teachers from various school divisions with connections to the game, initiated the high school field lacrosse competition in the mid-1980s; that continues on to this day.