Denver Outlaws Team President, Matt Bocklet, announced the hiring of Ken Clausen as the Defensive Coordinator for the Denver Outlaws for the 2020 season.
“Ken Clausen has been a leader in the game both on and off the field for more than a decade,” said Outlaws Team President, Matt Bocklet. “Ken has a unique talent to see and engage players individually and an ability to get the best out of each of them. When playing in MLL he was a top defender, an ever-better teammate, and helped the Outlaws win our first Championship in 2014. Now we have the great benefit of having Ken’s game sense, knowledge and passion on our sidelines.”
Ken Clausen was selected fifth overall in the 2010 draft by the Denver Outlaws. Clausen missed the 2011-2013 MLL seasons due to multiple knee injuries but returned to the Outlaws in 2014. In his career he saw action in thirty-two games across four seasons and scooped up 90 ground balls. Due to yet another knee injury, Clausen’s career ended in 2016.
Ken Clausen scoops up a groundball in a 2014 Denver Outlaws game. (Photo courtesy of MLL)
Before turning pro, Clausen made a name for himself at the University of Virginia. Clausen recorded a ground ball in 68 of his 70 contests. In 2010 Clausen finished eighth in the nation in caused turnovers per game with a 2.06 average. Clausen was a four-time All-American, three-time first team All-American, and a Scholar All-American. A team captain his senior year, Clausen was the co-winner of the William C. Schmeisser Award annually given to the nation’s top defenseman and was a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award in 2010.
Clausen coached locally for Wheatridge High School, from 2015 to 2017, and is currently a coach for Cherry Creek (with Team President, Matt Bocklet), overseeing the team’s defense. Under Clausen, Cherry Creek won the State Championship in 2019 and boasted the #1 ranked defense in Colorado.
Off the field, Clausen has stayed close to the game. He has worked with Warrior Sports for more than nine years, where he currently serves as the Lacrosse Sports Marketing Manager. He also has been a leader in fundraising for cancer charities in the lacrosse community through Lacrosse Mustache Madness. Clausen co-founded Lacrosse Mustache Madness in 2009 and since its inception, this annual campaign has raised over $1,000,000 for the HEADstrong Foundation whose mission is to improve lives affected by cancer.
“I played the majority of my professional career with the Outlaws, and I am now thrilled to again be a part of the team,” said Clausen. “The Outlaws are one of the most successful professional lacrosse franchises because of the culture that has been built over the last fourteen years. I believe in the vision Matt has laid out and it is an honor to coach alongside a hall-of-famer like Coach Seaman. I love our staff and love our team. I am fired up for the start of the MLL season and the chance to work with the best defensive talent in the game.”
Hutton Jackson is a professional video editor, co-founder/host of Pro Lacrosse Talk and editor-in-chief of Lacrosse Playground. He is also an Emmy-winning associate producer with two major sports networks and oversees Lacrosse Playground's video content as the head coordinating producer. Hutton played four years of college lacrosse at DeSales University where his highest lacrosse accolade was being named to Inside Lacrosse's 2014 All-Name Team with current pros Challen Rogers, Deemer Class and Larken Kemp, an honor that didn't require stepping on the field. When he's not writing on lacrosse, he can usually be found diving around the crease in your local men's league and ranting about Baltimore and D.C. professional sports.
Oliver Marti: Starting an NLL Team in Albany and Investing in the PLL and Epoch Lacrosse (Pro Lacrosse Talk Podcast #130)
byPro Lacrosse Talk
On this episode of the Pro Lacrosse Talk Podcast, Hutton Jackson and Adam Moore are joined by three-time All-American at Brown University, investor in the PLL, and the newest NLL owner Oliver Marti. He discusses moving the New England Black Wolves franchise to Albany, New York, why the city of Albany was chosen and share his thoughts on the team’s potential new identity. He also discusses his time playing for Dom Starsia at Brown University, playing for the New York Saints in the MILL, starting the Connecticut Box Lacrosse League, investing in the Premier Lacrosse League and equipment manufacturer Epoch Lacrosse, and his opinion on the current state of pro lacrosse.
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Pro Lacrosse Talk is the flagship lacrosse podcast of the Lacrosse Playground network covering all three professional lacrosse leagues (NLL, PLL, Athletes Unlimited). Each week throughout the season we’ll recap the games, provide analysis on the teams and feature exclusive postgame and off-the-field interviews with professional lacrosse players, coaches and executives. If you’re a fan of lacrosse podcasts like the Unbuckled Chinstrap, The Inside Feed, Lacrosse Classified or The Crease Dive, then give us a listen.