| Gary Gait | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 5, 1967 , Victoria, British Columbia, CA |
| Position | Attack/Midfield |
| Height |
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| NCAA Team | Syracuse University |
| NLL Team F. Teams |
Rochester Knighthawks Colorado Mammoth Washington Power Pittsburgh CrosseFire Baltimore Thunder Philadelphia Wings Detroit Turbos |
| MLL Team F. Teams |
Toronto Nationals Long Island Lizards Baltimore Bayhawks |
| Nationality | Canada |
| Pro Career | 1991–2005, 2009–present |
| Shoots | Left/Right |
| U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame NLL Hall of Fame, 2006 |
|
Gary Charles Gait (b. April 5, 1967 in Victoria, British Columbia) is widely regarded as the best lacrosse player of all time, just above his twin brother Paul.[1][2][3][4] He has starred at the NCAA level at Syracuse University, at the professional level in the National Lacrosse League and Major League Lacrosse, and at the international level for the Canadian National Team. Gait has been inducted into the United States Lacrosse National Hall of Fame and the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame.
Currently, he is a retired professional lacrosse player. He also serves as an assistant coach with the Hamilton Nationals in MLL,[5] and as head coach of the Syracuse University women's lacrosse team.[6][7]
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Gary Gait and his twin brother Paul played lacrosse at Syracuse University from 1987 to 1990, where they set numerous records during their time there. Gait was named an All-American by the USILA four times — three times as a First Team selection and once as an Honorable Mention. Gary graduated as Syracuse University's all-time goal leader with 192 career goals. He led the Orange to three NCAA Championships and was named the NCAA Player of the Year in 1988 and 1990 and the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament in 1990. The Gait twins are also widely known for popularizing innovative plays such as behind-the-back passes and shots and the "Air Gait," an acrobatic scoring move where they would jump from behind the goal crease and score a goal in mid-air by dunking the ball over the top goal crossbar and land on the opposite side of the crease.[8] This move was later banned in NCAA play.
Gait started playing in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League (later the National Lacrosse League) in 1991 and won the Rookie of the Year Award. During his NLL career, he set the league record for career points with 1,091.[8] Gait announced his retirement in April 2005 but then returned to NLL play in January 2009 with the Rochester Knighthawks.
On December 26, 2008, Gary's twin brother, Paul Gait, was named head coach of the Rochester Knighthawks, reuniting them in sport once again.[9] During the 2009 NLL season, Gary was named a reserve to the All-Star game.[10]
Gait was honored in the opening game of the 2006 NLL season. On December 30, 2005, at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, the Colorado Mammoth raised his jersey number (22) to the rafters, making him the second player in NLL history to have his number retired, after Buffalo's Darris Kilgour.[11]
In 2006, both Gait and his brother were among the five charter members to be voted into the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame.
Gait played in Major League Lacrosse since its inception in 2001. He was a member of the Long Island Lizards. After the first season, Gait was traded to the Baltimore Bayhawks where he served as a player-coach for the next four years. In 2005, Gait won the Steinfeld Cup as a player-coach. He scored six goals in the Championship Game and was named MVP of that game as well as the season.
Gait initially retired from MLL play in 2005 but recently returned and signed with the Toronto Nationals for their inaugural season in 2009.
Gait, along with his brother, had outstanding seasons with the Victoria Shamrocks of the Western Lacrosse Association. Gait won the Mike Kelly Memorial Trophy as most valuable player of the Mann Cup as a Shamrock in 1997, and shared the most valuable player award with his brother Paul in 1999.[12]
In June 2005, Gait was named head coach of his former NLL team, the Colorado Mammoth.[13] After a 10-6 season in which the Mammoth finished second in the Western Division, Gait led them to an overtime 18-17 win over Calgary and a 13-12 win over Arizona before shutting down the East Division champion Buffalo Bandits 16-9 in the Championship game.[14] Gait became the first rookie head coach to win a championship since Tony Resch did it with the Philadelphia Wings in 1994, a team on which Gait played.[15]
In August 2007, Gait stepped down after two seasons as head coach of the Mammoth[16] and returned to his alma mater Syracuse University, becoming the second head coach in the history of the women's lacrosse program.[6][7] Prior to this position, Gait had served as an assistant coach for the University of Maryland women's team for nine seasons.
On February 3, 2011, Gait was announced as a new assistant coach for the Hamilton Nationals of Major League Lacrosse.[5]
Gait was a member of the Canadian National Team in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2004, and 2006. In that final year, he led Team Canada to a historic 15-10 victory over the United States in the 2006 World Lacrosse Championship, his last ever international game. Gait scored four goals in the final quarter, marking a fairytale finish to his international playing career as the World title gave him every possible major lacrosse title (three NCAA championships at Syracuse in 1988, 1989, 1990; three NLL titles in 1991, 1994, 1995; three MLL titles in 2001, 2002, 2005; three Mann Cups in 1991, 1997, 1999; the Heritage Cup in 2004; and the International Lacrosse Federation World Championship in 2006).
Gait also played amateur lacrosse for the storied Mount Washington Lacrosse Club in the 1990s.[17]
| Season | GP | G | A | Pts | PPG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 17 | 25 | 4 | 29 | 1.71 | |
| 1988 | 15 | 70(a) | 17 | 87 | 5.80 | |
| 1989 | 17 | 51 | 14 | 65 | 3.82 | |
| 1990 | 16 | 46 | 26 | 72 | 4.50 | |
| Totals | 56 | 192(b) | 61 | 253 | 4.52 |
Gait set many NLL scoring records during his career.
Gait was named NLL MVP six times, including five consecutive seasons. Other than Gary Gait, only John Tavares (3 times) has ever won the award more than once.
He was also given the NLL Sportsmanship Award twice, in 2004 (tie with Peter Lough) and 2005.
NLL Weekly and Monthly Awards:
Gait was named the MLL MVP his final season in 2005, sharing it with Mark Millon. That season he also led the league in goals and points with 42 goals and 21 assists for 63 points.
Gary along with his twin brother Paul Gait will be inducted into their home province's highest honour in 2011. The British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame will place the legendary brothers into its Hall on September 13, 2011 in a ceremony in Vancouver, BC.
Gary Gait lives in Fayetteville, New York with his wife, Nicole, and their children Taylor and Braedon. Both of his kids also play lacrosse at Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, New York.
| Preceded by none |
MILL Rookie of the Year 1991 |
Succeeded by Derek Keenan |
| Preceded by none |
MILL Championship game MVP 1991 |
Succeeded by John Tavares |
| Preceded by Paul Gait |
MILL Championship game MVP 1995 |
Succeeded by Pat O'Toole |
| Preceded by John Tavares |
MILL/NLL MVP 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 |
Succeeded by John Tavares |
| Preceded by Paul Gait |
NLL MVP 2003 |
Succeeded by Jim Veltman |
| Preceded by Chris Driscoll |
NLL Sportsmanship Award 2004 (tie with Peter Lough), 2005 |
Succeeded by Sean Greenhalgh |
| Preceded by Scott Urick |
Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game MVP 2003 |
Succeeded by Michael Powell |
| Preceded by Conor Gill |
Major League Lacrosse MVP 2005 (tie with Mark Millon) |
Succeeded by Ryan Powell |
| Preceded by Brian Voelker |
Head Coach of the Baltimore Bayhawks 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 |
Succeeded by Scott Hiller |
| Preceded by Greg Cattrano |
Major League Lacrosse Championship Game MVP 2005 |
Succeeded by Roy Colsey |
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