From Press Release

WASHINGTON, January 23 – The Tewaaraton Foundation is pleased to announce the 2017 Tewaaraton Legends and Spirit honorees. The 11th Spirit of Tewaaraton recipient is Mario St. George Boiardi, and the 2017 Tewaaraton Legends are former Virginia star Cherie Greer Brown and former Army star Peter Cramblet. The Spirit of Tewaaraton is presented to an individual who has contributed to the sport of lacrosse in a way that reflects the spirit of the values and mission of the Tewaaraton Award. Past recipients include Dick Edell, Diane Geppi-Aikens, Sid Jamieson, A.B. “Buzzy” Krongard, Roy Simmons Jr., Richie Moran, Bob Scott, Brendan Looney, Oren Lyons and Tina Sloan Green.

After earning 11 varsity letters at Landon School, George Boiardi went on to become Cornell’s 2001 Rookie of the Year and a four-year starter for the Big Red. A captain of the 2004 team, George tragically lost his life on March 17, 2004 when he was struck in the chest with a ball during a game on Cornell’s Schoellkopf Field. As an accomplished student, athlete and campus leader who was committed to helping those less fortunate, George lived by the motto that “well done is better than well said.” George planned to serve with Teach for America on South Dakota’s Rosebud Reservation following his graduation, and his legacy lives on through the annual 21 Run, which benefits local literacy efforts in Ithaca, a cause dear to Boiardi’s heart.

“I am forever grateful for my experiences shared with George Boiardi while he was a player and captain of the Cornell lacrosse team,” said Jeff Tambroni, head coach at Penn State and the coach at Cornell from 2001-2010. “He was a soft-spoken, fun-loving, loyal and compassionate young man off the field. At the same time, he was a courageous, competitive, hard-nosed and humble leader on it. George offered his voice and opinions sparingly, but effectively, as he impacted and supported so many people around him. His legacy and spirit continues to grow in the hearts of so many former teammates, family and friends. He remains the most compassionate and impactful teammate I have ever coached. While we continue to mourn the loss of George, I take comfort in the time that we spent together and from the many lessons that were learned. I am grateful to be able to pass these lessons along to my children and current team today.”

The Tewaaraton Legends Award annually honors recipients who played college lacrosse prior to 2001, the first year in which the Tewaaraton Award was presented. Recipients are chosen on the basis that their collegiate performance would have earned them a Tewaaraton Trophy, had the award existed when they played. The previous five Legends Award winners are Syracuse’s Jim Brown (2011), Cornell’s Eamon McEneaney (2012), Johns Hopkins’ Joe Cowan (2013), Navy’s Jimmy Lewis (2014), Syracuse’s Brad Kotz (2015), Maryland’s Frank Urso (2016) and Penn State’s Candace Finn Rocha (2016).

The recipient of the 2017 Tewaaraton Women’s Legend Award presented by the IWLCA, Cherie Greer Brown was a three-time first-team All-American and the 1994 NCAA Division I Defensive Player of the Year at Virginia. A four-time member of the U.S. Women’s Team, Greer Brown was inducted into the U.S. Lacrosse National Hall of Fame in 2009, and in 2000 was named to Lacrosse Magazine’s All-Century Team. 

“Cherie Greer was simply the most outstanding lacrosse player to ever wear a Virginia uniform and the top collegiate and U.S. player of her time,” said Jane Miller, Greer’s coach at Virginia. “She played with grace, style, speed and skill. In her final year, she led the country in scoring while being named the ‘Defensive Player of the Year,’ a very unique accomplishment. Cherie always put the team first. She never took credit but she always shouldered the responsibility for the team’s success. You will not find a more humble superstar. Cherie Greer was a treasure we were fortunate to have at the University of Virginia for four years. She was a coach’s dream, a teammate’s dream, and now a very deserving legend.”

Pete Cramblet graduated from Army as the lacrosse program’s all-time leading scorer, having compiled 150 points. Cramblet became the first Army player ever to reach 100 career goals, finishing with a then-record 107 tallies. In Cramblet’s junior year, he helped Army to a share of the 1969 national championship when the Black Knights finished 10-1. His senior year was the season that etched his name into the Academy’s lacrosse lore. Cramblet, inducted into the U.S. Lacrosse National Hall of Fame in 1986, posted 33 goals and 19 assists, en route to earning the 1970 Jack Turnbull Award as the country’s top attackman and the Lt. Ray Enners Award as the nation’s most outstanding player.

“Prior to an Army-Navy game, we had a four-man rotation on attack: Marty Knorr, Tom Cafaro, Pete and Darby Boyle,” said U.S. Lacrosse National Hall of Famer Ace Adams, who coached Cramblet at Army. “Darby was our captain and it was time for other three guys to start over Pete. I got the other three together and said, ‘This is Darby’s last game and I think he should start.’ Without hesitation Cramblet put his hand up and said, ‘I don’t have to start, Coach.’ At the start of the game Navy’s coaches were running up and down the sideline saying, ‘Where is No. 2?’ Later in the first quarter, he went in and scored four goals in Army’s victory. He was the top star and it has stuck with me that he so quickly gave his starting spot to Darby. He was very quick and could usually gain a step on his defender.”

All three recipients will receive their awards at the Tewaaraton Award Ceremony presented by Under Armour, June 1, 2017, in Washington, D.C.