A new class will be announced on March 25th during the home game vs. Arizona State.
CLASS OF 2010
WALLY POLLOCK – 1965-1969: Considered a founding father of the program that exists today, Pollock was part of a group that played teams such as the University of Denver, Colorado College, Air Force and others and was instrumental to the development of lacrosse at CSU both on and off the field. Wally was a very talented offensive player at the attack position and a leader for his teammates who was targeted by opposing teams defensively. He was able to score seemingly at will and continually provided a positive influence on his teammates. Off the field, he recruited new members and helped develop their games, also working with the school to obtain financial support. The program is what it is today because of the influence and efforts of Wally and his teammates in the late 1960s.
RICK PARIETTI – 1981-1985: Considered by many to be the best player ever to play at Colorado State, Parietti, was a league leading scorer and dominant attackman who led the team during the early 1980s. He was the first professional lacrosse player from CSU when he suited up for the Denver Rifles from 1986-1988 and was a member of the prestigious Team Colorado for many years. In addition, Parietti continued his playing days with the Denver Shots lacrosse club, helping the team win five club championships. He was a key member of the CSU team that fostered the winning tradition still living on today. Parietti currently coaches at the youth level with the Panthers in suburban Denver and was an assistant coach at Arapahoe High School.
WILL SMITHAM – 1994-1997: Will Smitham was an outstanding midfielder and inspirational leader on and off the field. He faced-off, played man-up and man-down and loved the big hit, but is perhaps better known for being one of the best ambassadors for CSU lacrosse. As an officer of the team during his playing days, Smitham was instrumental in bringing Hall of Fame coach Flip Naumburg to Fort Collins in 1997. He was one of the founding members of the CSU Lacrosse Alumni Association, which includes the financial responsibility of the association as well as helping organize the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Showdown. Will Smitham represents much of what it means to be part of the CSU lacrosse family and has been instrumental to the success of the program since the mid 1990s.
MIKE NAPOLILLI – 1999-2002: As a freshman, Mike Napolilli instantly became one of the premiere players in the (then) USLIA. A left-handed sniper from Heritage High School, Napolilli rounded out an attack unit that was one of the best in league history. During his tenure at CSU, the player affectionately known as “Napi” racked up 170 goals and 160 assists, good for second all-time and over 100 points more than the next player on the list. Napolilli played for the USA West team in 2002 that competed against Team USA and others and was drafted by the Colorado Mammoth of the NLL. He played in four national championship games during his career, winning two in 1999 and 2001. Napolilli was a national player of the year in 2001 and a first-team All-American in both 2001 and 2002.
FLIP NAUMBURG – 1996-Present: Last, but certainly not least, Flip Naumburg rounds out the Hall of Fame Class of 2010. Arriving in the fall of 1996, Naumburg took a good lacrosse team and turned them into a great program during his 14 years as head coach. During the stretch of years from 1999-2004, Naumburg led his team to the national championship game in each season, winning three in 1999, 2001 and 2003. He won his fourth national championship with CSU in 2006, becoming the only coach in league history to have done so and still tops on the all-time list. Naumburg won over 150 games during his 14 year career, coaching numerous All-Americans and winning the National Coach of the Year award in 1999. As leader of the CSU program, Naumburg is by far and away the greatest financial contributor of the program and helped establish the CSU Lacrosse Alumni Association. He spearheaded the CSU Lacrosse Ram Camp, which is now in its eighth year as the primary fundraising device for the program. Naumburg is also famous for having invented the Rock-it Pocket and being the co-founder of the Vail Lacrosse Shootout. He was inducted to the Colorado Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2006.
INAUGURAL CLASS OF 2008
Frank Smith was a defenseman for the Rams in the early 1990s and garnered national attention for his physical and intelligent style of play. He was also invited to play in the North/South All-Star Game, remaining the only player in the history of the program to do so. Despite playing slightly before the “golden” age of CSU Lacrosse, Smith still holds his own in the annual alumni game and has all the skills of the prototypical modern defenseman.
JD Doyle graduated from CSU in 1990 as a midfielder and long-stick midfielder. Since his graduation, he has gone on to officiate at every level, including both major indoor and outdoor professional leagues. Doyle has been instrumental in continuing to grow the sport in the state of Colorado and is certainly the most accomplished referee to ever come out of the program. Still at it today, you can see Doyle in action refereeing for MCLA, NCAA, MLL and NLL contests.
Pat Shanley was one of the most prolific scorers in Colorado State University Lacrosse history. Graduating in 1998, Shanley’s numbers place him at 4th all-time with 206 points on 138 goals and 68 assists. The catch is that stats were only kept for his senior season, making this feat all the more incredible. Shanley likely would lead the all-time points list by a long margin if stats were kept prior to his historic season in 1998. With incredible vision and field sense, Shanley single-handedly kept CSU in many games during his decorated career.
Mike Roth followed directly in the footsteps of Shanley, quickly becoming one of the most physical and dominant scorers in MCLA history. His 375 career points are tops all-time for the 2001 graduate and two-time national champion. Roth’s signature game came in 2000 when he scored 9 goals and had 1 assist as the Rams defeated the California Bears in the national semifinals. Roth was a fearless competitor and captain for two years, retiring as one of the most respected players to ever don the Green and Gold at Colorado State.
Mark Plonkey is the youngest of the five inductees, having graduated in 2004. Stepping into a starting role early in his career, Plonkey quickly developed into one of the most feared long-poles to ever play in the MCLA. His stick handling and physical game aside, Plonkey was a natural leader and a bruising intimidator that got better with age. His performance in the 2003 national tournament was one of the greatest by a long pole in the history of the league. Plonkey won national championships in 2001 and 2003 and played in four national championship games.
Minimum of 5 years out of college
No min amount of time played at CSU or a CSU Graduation is required.
Deadline to receive nominations for 2011 is March 2nd
Maximum of 5 nominations allowed each year by any one player or coach (past or present)
Fans, parents, media, etc can not nominate but can notify past players of worthy nominees.
No Minimum, but a maximum of 5 players can be inducted in any calendar year
While only past players and coaches are eligible for the HOF, worthy Fans, supporters, members of the media, university, etc can be nominated and if accepted by majority vote will be recognized and honored by the current team, alumni association and HOF during the hall of fame game.
The selection committee does take into account the number of nominations received for any one candidate so players and coaches are encouraged to nominate individuals even if they know they have already been or will be nominated by another person.
