WASHINGTON, D.C.-Duke University senior attackman Ned Crotty was named the recipient of the 2010 Tewaaraton Trophy as the nation’s top men’s lacrosse player. Crotty collected the award at a banquet at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. Crotty is Duke’s second Tewaaraton Trophy winner after Matt Danowski collected the award in 2007. The other finalists included Ken Clausen (Virginia), Kevin Crowley (Stony Brook), Curtis Dickson (Delaware) and Joel White (Syracuse). Crotty also was a finalist in 2009.
A three-time United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-America choice, including a two-time first team selection, Crotty recently helped lead the Blue Devils to the 2010 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship. In the NCAA Tournament, he totaled a team-high 18 points from six goals and 12 assists. He provided the game-winning assist in the NCAA Semifinal win over Virginia.
Crotty finished the 2010 season as the nation’s leader in assists (3.15/gm) and fourth in points (4.3/gm). He amassed 63 assists, breaking the Duke single-season record of 56 previously held by Danowski. His 63 helpers also rank 10th in NCAA single season history. A native of New Vernon, N.J., Crotty led all Division I players with a career-best 86 points to rank sixth in Duke single-season history.
In 2009, Crotty was selected as the USILA Attackman of the Year as well as ACC Player of the Year after pacing the country in assists. For his career, he totaled 92 goals and 147 assists for 239 points. He ranks second all-time in Duke career history in assists and is fourth in overall points. Crotty also left his name in the NCAA records book, climbing to 18th in career assists.
Crotty departs Duke as one of the most decorated players in Duke lacrosse history. He captured first-team All-America recognition each of the past two seasons and was a second team pick in 2008. A two-time All-ACC selection, he was voted to the ACC All-Tournament team in 2009. During his time with the Blue Devils, the senior captain helped push Duke to a 71-15 record, three ACC Championships, four consecutive NCAA Semifinal appearances and ultimately the 2010 national title.
Description of the Tewaaraton Trophy
The bronze Tewaaraton Trophy featuring a Mohawk native was designed and created by Frederick Kail. Spanning four decades, Mr. Kail has distinguished himself as an accomplished sports sculptor and pre-eminent lacrosse sculptor. With this timeless work of art, he captures the exciting spirit and powerful dynamics of lacrosse with meticulous attention to accurate detail. His depiction of a single unnamed Mohawk player, dramatically surging to the front, profoundly portrays the competitive human spirit and superior athletic ability required to win this award.
Adorned simply in a loincloth and golden eagle feather, the 12-inch figure is foundry-cast in a rich patinaed bronze. It is mounted upon a hexagon-shaped slab of black granite and handcrafted, highly polished exotic Cocobolo wood. The hexagonal base symbolizes the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy: The Mohawk, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora tribes. With some minor decorative exceptions, the stick is a replica of a pre-1845 Cayuga stick belonging to the grandfather of Alexander T. General of the six Nations Reserve in Ontario. The stick was actually an original predecessor of the modern day stick. To assist with the historical authenticity, Thomas Vennum, Jr. the renowned Native American lacrosse historian, and author of “American Indian Lacrosse: Little Brother of War,” served as consultant to Kail through the development stage of the Trophy.
The original castings are part of the permanent collection and are currently on display at the University Club of Washington, DC and the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in Baltimore, Maryland. Bronze replications of this magnificent trophy are awarded annually to the “Most Outstanding” female and male varsity collegiate lacrosse player in the United States.
