'Wall Ball for Redman' Honors Mark Burnam

Friends and family are leading an effort to honor longtime Haudenosaunee player and coach Mark Burnam as he battles cancer. 

An email circulating through the lacrosse community is asking coaches, administrators, lacrosse enthusiasts and players to hit the wall on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 4:30 for wall ball sessions.

The email reads, "From every wall, every field and every corner of the game, we're standing together to honor the strength, legacy and fighting spirit of Mark "Redman" Burnam — beloved coach, proud player and lifelong leader in The Medicine Game. This is about Redman — and about everyone battling the bully that is cancer."

Burnam was recently selected for enshrinement in the Upstate Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame. He's a 1980 graduate of Henniger High School, where he helped the team win a state championship. He went on to play at Syracuse, helping the Orange to the 1983 NCAA title and a runner-up finish in 1984.

He played in the NLL for more than a decade, winning championships with the Buffalo Bandits in 1992 and 1993, and was a captain for Haudenosaunee teams five times in world championship competitions.

More recently, Burnam has been active as a coach with the Haudenosaunee Nationals, including serving as the head coach for the 2018 senior team that won a bronze medal in Israel at the World Lacrosse championship.

Individuals and teams participating in the wall ball activities are asked to post and share their images and video using hashtags such as #WallBallForRedman and #StickItToCancer.