In 1981 a group of ex-college players, led by Mike Campbell and Bert Smith, decided to start a club team to try to continue to follow their passion for the game. Their search for players led them to the Lacrosse Foundation, which had a directory of members in West Michigan, and one of the names on the list was Tom Mitchell. While Tom declined to join as a playing member, he was one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the idea, acting as a financial guardian angel and as the coach of the newly formed team.

   It also turned out that Tom had a very distinguished lacrosse pedigree. He started playing the game at The Friends School in Baltimore, a premier prep powerhouse in lacrosse. He then attended Penn State University, where he excelled at defense, earning All-American honors in 1942 and playing for the North squad in the North-South College All-Star game. After serving a stint in the US Navy, he played for the Mount Washington Lacrosse Club which for many years was the top men’s club team in the country.

   A series of job transfers kept those lacrosse skills dormant until that call from Mike Campbell. After a few years with the Grand Rapids Club team, Tom began pondering the possibility of getting a program started in the EGR schools. Since the sport was still unheard of by most, this would not be an easy undertaking.

   Tom then decided to form a Michigan chapter of the Lacrosse Foundation since they had programs to assist with the start-up of new school teams. Through lobbying of the athletic director and the recreation departtment, lacrosse was introduced as a new activity in gym class at the middle school, using STXBall, which were all-plastic sticks with a plastic ball. Kids had a fun time trying to pass and catch along with learning the concept of the slash! Field lacrosse with “real” equipment soon followed, and Tom recruited Rick Morris as the first coach of the East Grand Rapids program.

   Of course, having only one team is kind of like being the only lawyer in town – one lawyer starves but two get rich! Around that same time in the mid-1980’s, Dr. Jamie Engel was graduating from Notre Dame where he played lacrosse, and was moving back to Forest Hills. He was interested in starting lacrosse in the Forest Hills District, and together with the rest of the Engel’s family began a program at Forest Hills Central.

   Thus the roots of a hotly contested rivalry between EGR and FHC were born some 18 years ago! Besides playing each other two or three times a year, the teams would travel to Detroit, Chicago and South Bend in search of fresh opponents.

   Lacrosse in West Michigan stayed at this two-team level for the next ten years, but since then it has exploded! There are now 14 high schools in West Michigan that field lacrosse teams. Not surprisingly, many of the coaches of these programs have come out of the original Grand Rapids Lacrosse Club. Mike Schanhels coached East to its first state title. Mike is now in charge of the Grand Haven program. Steve Schousen is assisting with East’s freshman program. Bill Zimelist and Rick Becker have headed up the Catholic Central and West Ottawa programs and John Reinartz as the varsity coach of Forest Hills, assisted by Bill Horn.

   Some have even turned to the dark side. Bert Smith and Mike Campbell have both moved to officiating games in West Michigan today.