By Rod Pierce
As a teenager living in Jimersontown, we would meet after school and play football in front of the Haley Community Building every day. The game of lacrosse didn’t really exist on the Rez in Allegany. It wasn’t until 1976 when Steve Gordon decided to put a team together. He asked us if we wanted to learn and play the game of lacrosse. With excitement, we agreed to give it a try. Steve was about to request a donation from the Tribal Council for equipment and jerseys. Steve contacted Tuscarora Wes Patterson to make a visit to Allegany with box lacrosse sticks.
I remember meeting the legendary Wes Patterson and being told he had the hardest and fastest “wind up” back in the day. He worked with two boxes of lacrosse sticks and a few goalie sticks. I was fifteen years old at the time and we were all excited to get a real box woody stick in our hands. There were a handful of us like, Howard, Joey, Brian, Earl, Charlie, Steve, Kory, Max, Jim, Matt, Al and Lou. The sticks costs $20 for all leather and $15 for leather/nylon. My first stick was all leather in trying to keep it traditional.
We had decided since Steven Gordon was instrumental in getting the team off the ground that he would be our coach, he agreed. Our team was called the Allegany Arrows! Team colors were blue and white. At the time, we didn’t have a lacrosse box to practice so the back of the Haley Building was our practice area on the lawn. The goal was set up against the brick wall and we painted the crease with spray paint.
Our first season had four or five games in the beginning. Since there were no lacrosse boxes, we played our home and away games at the Gil Lay Arena. I remember losing all the games that first year, many of us were in the penalty box or we would end the game with a floor fight emptying the players bench each time. I remember Coach Gordon telling us, “You guys can’t win a game but you sure can fight.” Another person I need to mention who helped us was Freddie “John Boy” Johnson. John Boy had moved from Buffalo to Allegany in the mid 70’s. John Boy was from Six Nations and played lacrosse growing up. He would show up after work and suit up as goalie during our practice. The box team lasted two or three years.
Shortly after our careers of box lacrosse was folding up, the Council advocated for a high school field lacrosse team. The Council made a donation to the Salamanca High School for field lacrosse equipment and coaching staff. Our first high school coach was Jim Bennett, a NCAA All American collegiate lacrosse player. Boy did he have his work cut out trying to teach the game of field lacrosse to us. It was our first time picking up a field stick made with plastic. Everyone who was on the Allegany Arrows signed up for the high school team as well. That first year was a struggle to learn the rules of the game. Again, many of us were in the penalty box and a few fights happened. The high school team continued for many years and helped the growth of lacrosse exist in Allegany into the 1980’s.
Since the high school team was the highlight each year, box lacrosse took a backseat and no team existed. It was almost twenty years since an Allegany box lacrosse team existed. If you wanted your child to play on a box lacrosse team, they would travel to join the Newtown Minor Lacrosse team or other reserves.
My son played high school lacrosse during the week and on weekends, him and his buddies would play box lacrosse. After watching the young boys play for hours in the front yard with their woodies, I knew it was time to build a lacrosse box.
My family had owned a business at the time, which I purchased all the materials to build a lacrosse box. I remember talking to the late, JoJo Redeye who was the Recreation Director asking for a location for the box. JoJo said the only place that has enough room for construction would be behind the Haley Building next to the gazebo area. I said “no problem!”
This project was something I couldn’t do alone, so I put the word out to the other fathers and friends who could donate their time building Allegany’s first lacrosse box since the Kinzu relocation period occurred. Guys like Ed Printup, Charlie Spruce, Todd Kettle, Jason Cooper and myself started on the box. Without any power tools or electric, we started digging the holes in the ground for each post by hand. I think we dug 7 or 8 holes by hand before my late good friend Jay Lichy showed up with his uncle’s tractor and auger. Jay was our hero that summer and if it wasn’t for him and his uncle’s tractor, we would’ve taken weeks or maybe months to dig the holes “haha”. In no time we were all putting the plywood on the post for the boards. It became a community project to construct the box. After completion, the boys had a real lacrosse box to play box lacrosse. It was a dream come true!!
That following year, JoJo had the late Cleo John install lighting at the box. During the spring, the boys played school field lacrosse and box lacrosse all summer and fall. I remember the boys making their teams and playing under the lights until midnight. War hooping when somebody scored the winning goal echoed in Jimersontown. It wasn’t long before the Allegany Arrows joined the box lacrosse league. I believe it was the Bantams age that ventured out into the league to bring home the championship there that year. The following years was the growth of the Allegany Arrows Minor Lacrosse League at each age level.
Since the construction of the box in the early 90’s, lacrosse has become a community sport at all ages. With the expansion of the Allegany Community Center, the “old box” definitely had it’s memories, losses, victories and will be remembered as the foundation of the Allegany Arrows Lacrosse Team.
Rodney conducted a Q&A within the lacrosse community:
Q: What do you think the benefits would be for the students and the school system to have a lacrosse team at Salamanca?
A: Response from Wade Spruce,
Alfred State Freshman – Bucktown
“It would be incentive for them to keep in school and for them to advance their lacrosse skills and abilities.”
A: Response from Phyllis Lay,
Public Relations Officer- Pinewoods
“I think the main benefit would be for the identity of the Indians. They will excel in this sport, more than likely, and it will give them the feeling of equality.”
A: Response from Rodney Pierce,
Construction Worker – Salamanca
“First of all, lacrosse is an Indian sport. I think what will benefit the students is that they will feel more at ease in school and more of their culture will be seen throughout the school. Lacrosse is more a part of our culture and reintroducing it back into the school will reintroduce our culture and give our students pride and respect for one another.”
A: Response from Steve Maybee,
Child Care Worker – Jimersontown
“I think for the students it will be pride in being Native American playing a game from their heritage. Hopefully, everybody will think about it and understand that this is one thing to be proud about being Native American.”
A: Response from Josh Maybee,
Salamanca Sophomore – Jimersontown
“I hope it would help better the historical background of the tribe and the people and to help get a better knowledge of what their ancestors did.”
