Les Bartley

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Les Bartley (1954 – May 15, 2005) was a renowned lacrosse coach. He led the Buffalo Bandits to all 3 of their championships in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League (MILL), and won 4 more championships with the Toronto Rock in the National Lacrosse League (NLL).

Bartley became the assistant coach of the Bandits in 1992. When the team started off the season 0-3 in 1992, he became the Bandits head coach. He then led the team on a 22-game winning streak and MILL championships in 1992 and 1993. The streak came to an end on February 19, 1994.

Bartley's only losing season as a professional lacrosse coach came in the 1995 season after going 3-6. In 1996, he coached the Bandits to their third championship in the MILL. In 1997, Les left the Bandits after leading them to a 36-13 record in six seasons.

When the MILL became the NLL in 1998, the league added its first Canadian franchise: the Ontario Raiders, who played in Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario. Bartley, a St. Catharines, Ontario native who worked as a General Motors union representative until retiring in 2004, helped get the new franchise off the ground. As a skilled labor negotiator, he lent his expertise to the league, helping to reach a collective bargaining agreement with the NLL players' association prior to the start of the 2005 season.

In 1999, the Ontario Raiders moved to Toronto and became the Toronto Rock. Les coached the Rock to four championships in five years.

In November 2003, Les gave up his role of Coach and General Manager of the Rock to fight colon cancer. He had a lacrosse ball-sized tumor removed. He maintained the title as Vice-President of the Rock. On May 9, 2005, he was named by the NLL as 'Executive of the Year'.

After his 18-month battle with cancer, Les Bartley died on May 15, 2005, aged 51, in his home in St. Catharines. Bartley died just 18 hours after the Toronto Rock won their 5th NLL Championship.

Bartley led the Rock to a 51-19 record in five seasons in the NLL, and 9-1 in the post-seasons. His overall record of 93-38 (.709) in the regular season and 18-4 (.818) in the playoffs is the most wins of any coach in NLL history.

In recognition of Bartley's contribution to the NLL and his success as a coach, the NLL honored him by naming the annual award given to the league's Coach of the Year as the Les Bartley Award.

In May, 2005, Bartley was named NLL Executive of the Year, and in June, the National Lacrosse League announced the Les would be a Charter member of the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the 2006 NLL All-Star Game in Toronto.