Lyle Thompson
Lyle Thompson (born September 9, 1992) is an American professional lacrosse player for the Florida Launch of Major League Lacrosse. He holds the record for the most career points in Division I with 400 and the most career assists with 225.[1] He won the Tewaaraton Trophy in 2014 (co-winner with his brother Miles) and 2015 as the most outstanding player in college lacrosse and is a two-time winner of the Turnbull Award for the top collegiate attackman.[2][3][4]
Early life
Lyle grew up in the Onondaga Nation, NY, one of the five children of Doloris and Jerome Thompson. He began playing lacrosse from a very early age as lacrosse carries spiritual and cultural significance with the Onondaga. He attended LaFayette High School for his Sophomore and Junior years and Salmon River High School where he was an All-American and scored 66 goals and 54 assists in his senior season. His brother Jeremy played lacrosse at Syracuse University, while his brother Miles and cousin Ty were teammates at Albany.
College
Playing for coach Scott Marr at Albany, Lyle started at midfield in his freshman season in 2012, scoring 22 goals and 16 assists along with taking 32 face-off draws. That was his last collegiate season scoring less than 100 points. Moving to the attack position in his sophomore year, he scored 113 in 2013, 128 in 2014, and 121 in 2015. Lyle (along with his brother Miles) is the first Native American player to win the Tewaaraton Trophy; tewaaraton is the Mohawk term for the precursor of modern lacrosse.
As a player for the Iroquois Nationals in the 2014 World Lacrosse Championship, Lyle helped the Nationals place third, their best-ever result in international competition.
Florida Launch
Lyle Thompson had his rookie season in the MLL(Major League Lacrosse) in 2015. He played alongside his brother Miles for the Florida Launch. Lyle's first game was played against the Ohio Machine, and he played a total of eight games for the Launch during the 2015 season. He was drafted as the top overall pick in the 2015 Collegiate Draft by the Florida Launch. He had 22 goals, and 16 assists in his first season in the MLL.
NLL and WILC
On September 28, 2015, Lyle was drafted first overall in the 2015 NLL Draft by the Georgia Swarm. Lyle will be playing alongside his brother Miles on the Swarm. In 2015, Lyle was selected to play for the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) in the WILC. The Iroquois won the silver medal against Canada on September 27, 2015.
Statistics
| Season | GP | G | A | Pts | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 19 | 52 | 69 | 121 | 6.37 |
| 2014 | 18 | 51 | 77 | 128 (a) | 7.11 |
| 2013 | 17 | 50 | 63 | 113 | 6.65 |
| 2012 | 16 | 22 | 16 | 38 | 2.38 |
| Totals | 70 | 175 | 225 (b) | 400 (c) | 5.71 |
- (a) 1st in NCAA Division I single season points
- (b) 1st in career assists
- (c) 1st in NCAA Division I career points
See also
- 2014 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
- Albany Great Danes men's lacrosse
- NCAA Lacrosse Records
References
External links
- New York Times profile
- Baltimore Sun, "Albany's Lyle Thompson has become the face of college lacrosse"
- Lacrosse Magazine interview with Lyle Thompson