| Mike French | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 13, 1953 |
| Position | Attack/Forward |
| Former NCAA Team | Cornell University |
| Former NLL Teams | Philadelphia Wings |
| Nationality | Canada |
| Pro Career | 1987 |
| U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame, 2001 NLL Hall of Fame, 2007 |
|
Michael "Mike" G. French was a three time All-American lacrosse player at Cornell University from 1974 to 1976, teaming with fellow lacrosse Hall of Fame members Eamon McEneaney, Dan Mackesey, Bill Marino, Tom Marino, Bob Hendrickson, Chris Kane, and Richie Moran to lead the Cornell Big Red to the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship in 1976. French is also currently the co-owner, along with Russ Cline and Chris Fritz, as well as Executive Vice-President of the NLL's Philadelphia Wings.
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French is ranked 9th all-time in NCAA Division I scoring with 296 career points, 3rd in career points-per-game behind fellow Canadian Stan Cockerton, and 5th in career goals. French's top season was 1976 when he scored 65 goals and handed out 40 assists for 105 total points in 16 games, good for 4th all-time in a single season. French and McEneaney led Cornell to one of the great seasons in college lacrosse history in 1976, with an unbeaten record and a 16-13 overtime victory over Frank Urso and the University of Maryland in the NCAA Championship game. This was the first NCAA lacrosse championship to receive national exposure. With the game being decided in overtime and French scoring seven goals, Frank Gifford doing the play-by-play called the finals the most exciting sporting event he had ever seen. During French's career at Cornell, the Big Red went to three straight NCAA tournaments, shutting out Washington and Lee 14-0 in one tournament game, and won 43 games while losing only 4.[1] He was named the USILA player of the year in 1976.
French played for the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League Philadelphia Wings in 1987, leading the league in goals during its inaugural season. He was named the team's general manager in 1988, guiding the Wings to a 33-17 regular season mark and a 7-2 record in the postseason, with three championships over seven seasons. French also coached the Wings for one season in 1994, guiding them to a 6 and 2 record as well as the MILL title. He has been with the Wings since their inception in 1987 and joined the team's ownership group prior to the start of the 1998 season.
Mike began playing box lacrosse in Niagara-on-the-Lake and St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, and did not play field lacrosse until his freshman season at Cornell. French captained the Canadian National Team to the 1978 World Lacrosse Championships upset over a heavily favored U.S. National Team. The World championships have been dominated by the American team every year except 1978 and 1998. In the 1978 title game, the Canadian team rebounded from a 28-4 loss to the Americans in an early round game to beat them 17-16 in overtime for the World title.[2]
French was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1991,[3] the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2001,[4] and the NLL Hall of Fame in 2007.[5] French is currently the only member of both the Canadian and US Lacrosse Halls of Fame.
Additionally, French is currently one of three Partners for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Hospitality & Leisure Advisory practice. French was also a member of the Sphinx Head society while at Cornell.
French is also an investor in Baggataway Tavern, located in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.
| Season | GP | G | A | Pts | PPG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 14 | 63 | 31 | 94 | 6.71 | |
| 1975 | 17 | 63 | 34 | 97 | 5.71 | |
| 1976 | 16 | 65 | 40 | 105 (a) | 6.56 | |
| Totals | 47 | 191 (b) | 105 | 296 (c) | 6.30 (d) |
| ----- | GP | G | A | Pts | GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 6 | 14 | 9 | 23 | --- |
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1970 | Niagara Warriors | OLA Jr B | 24 | 70 | 40 | 110 | 29 | 11 | 17 | 13 | 30 | 7 | ||
| 1971 | Niagara Warriors | OLA Jr B | 24 | 98 | 67 | 165(a) | 24 | 16 | 47 | 34 | 81 | 20 | ||
| 1972 | Niagara Warriors | OLA Jr B | 30 | 112 | 87 | 199(b) | 70 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 7 | ||
| 1973 | Niagara Warriors | OLA Jr B | 24 | 59 | 72 | 131 | -- | 13 | 29 | 42 | 71 | -- | ||
| 1974 | Niagara Warriors | OLA Jr B | 10 | 32 | 33 | 65 | -- | 9 | 16 | 19 | 35 | -- | ||
| 1975 | Brantford Warriors | MSL | 10 | 26 | 17 | 43 | 24 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1976 | Owen Sound Crescents | MSL | 14 | 43 | 35 | 78 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 2 | ||
| 1976 | Brampton Excelsiors | MSL | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 10 | ||
| 1977 | Owen Sound Crescents | MSL | 8 | 16 | 25 | 41 | 11 | 15 | 21 | 37 | 58 | 12 | ||
| 1977 | Brampton Excelsiors | MSL | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 2 | ||
| PRO/MAJOR/SENIOR TOTALS | 32 | 456 | 376 | 832 | 39 | 34 | 49 | 79 | 128 | 26 | ||||