As the assistant coach at Johns Hopkins in the early 2000s, Seth Tierney played a key role in recruiting Baltimore native Kyle Harrison to Homewood. There were a lot of things that Tierney didn’t know during the many afternoons he spent at Friends School watching Harrison playing in games, but there was one thing he was pretty sure about.
“He just moved differently,” Tierney said. “I didn’t know what type of lacrosse player he was going to be, I didn’t know we were going to win a national championship together, I didn’t know he was going to be a Tewaaraton Award winner, I just knew he moved differently. He has that ‘it’ factor.”
For Tierney and his head coach, Dave Pietramala, “it” was enough to convince them that Harrison was somebody they wanted in their program.
“I knew that if he brought all of his ingredients, and he accepted all of our ingredients, this was going to be a successful relationship,” Tierney said. “We were thrilled to get him.”
The rest, as they say, is history.
Harrison became one of the most decorated players in the long history of Johns Hopkins lacrosse, becoming a three-time All-American, the national player of the year and a Tewaaraton Trophy winner, and leading the Blue Jays to an undefeated national championship as a senior in 2005.
On January 6, he will also take his place as one of the game’s all-time greats as he officially gets inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
For Harrison and his college teammates, that NCAA title was the fitting capper to a four-year run that included un unblemished record at Homewood Field, with zero losses on home turf for the Class of 2005.
“That run was pretty fabulous,” Tierney said, “and Kyle was uncoverable in his last three years. There was not a player in the country that could cover him, and he proved that. At big moments, he had big goals, but the best part is that he was never about himself. He was about making his teammates better and making them more confident.”
Harrison continued his legendary career after Hopkins with two tours on the U.S. men’s national team (2006 & 2014), as well as a long and successful run in professional lacrosse. Through it all, Harrison stayed true to his own style.
“I played my game the entire time,” Harrison said. “I was never a volume scorer, or a ball-dominant guy. I was going to face-off, play the wing on face-offs, play defense, play offense, and when a big play needed to be made -- whatever that big play was -- make it. That was it.”
Tierney has remained close to Harrison throughout the years, and points to one of the key factors in his friend’s long and sustained presence in the sport.
“He handled everything like a professional,” Tierney said. “There was always great balance in Kyle’s life. The highs are never too high, the lows are never too low. He’s been a leader in our sport, and committed to leaving the game better than how he found it.”
Tickets
Tickets are now on sale for the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, hosted by USA Lacrosse on Saturday, January 6 at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel. All tickets must be purchased online in advance. Tickets include open bar, hors d'oeuvres, dinner, and dessert. The event begins with a cocktail reception, sponsored by Axia Time at 5 p.m.
