by Joey Pagano
This fall, the Upstate Lacrosse Foundation, Inc. will induct 10 former local lacrosse players into its Hall of Fame, marking the first class for this new Foundation and the 21st overall.
Once inducted, these former stars will be eligible for the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, and the Upstate Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame will consist of 128 individuals and five teams.
The Foundation began in November 2018, after the Upstate New York chapter of US Lacrosse was closed by the national office,
“We have four coaches, three with recent D-I titles, and the usual few (Syracuse University) grads,” said Foundation president David Alexander.
This year’s inductees:
Jeff Klodzen
A graduate of West Genesee, Jeff Klodzen helped a Wildcats team that featured 13 All-Americans win the state championship in 1985, then went to SUNY-Cortland before playing in the National Lacrosse League for a decade.
He attributes his success to his high school lacrosse experience. “It was ‘do the right thing’ 100 percent of the time,” said Klodzen. “By adhering to that, you were always helping the team and with that background going into college, I really took off.”
John Tillman
Corning native John Tillman was a standout at Cornell University and currently coaches at the University of Maryland.. For him, lacrosse provides foundation for life and relationships, and he said that at Cornell he uncovered his passion for coaching.
“I am very proud of my roots and love coming back to the area,” said Tillman, “Upstate New York helped provide me with a strong foundation that I could utilize the rest of my life.”
Lars Tiffany
The LaFayette native has made it all the way to the top. Earlier this year, Tiffany coached the University of Virginia’s men’s lacrosse team to ACC and NCAA championships. It was his third season as the Cavaliers’ head coach.
Committed to the Native American spirit that created the game, Tiffany said that his time in LaFayette exposed him to talented, well-coached programs.
“I was granted an opportunity to learn the game from my Onondaga friends and to get my butt whipped repeatedly,” Tiffany added. “There is no better motivation than losing.”
Ron Fraser
In 1961, Ron Fraser moved to Camillus. West Genesee was his third school in three years, but here he flourished and became first lacrosse player at West Genesee to earn a scholarship to SU. He’s already a member of lacrosse Halls of Fame on Long Island and in New England.
“Making the Upstate Lacrosse Hall of Fame means a lot to me,” Fraser said. “It’s where I began the game and learned many of the skills I would use the rest of my life.”
Greg Tarbell
Tarbell was an All-American at LaFayette. After two years there, he transferred to SU, where he set a school record of nine goals in a game, a record that stands today.
He also played professionally for the Syracuse Spirit in 1988 and was part of the Iroquois National Team. In January 2018, Greg Tarbell passed away at age 57.
Josh Coffman
Playing at Carthage prepared Josh Coffman for SU. Between the similarity in playing styles and the competition at Carthage, he said, he grew confident he could compete in college.
Besides that, he said, his family “prioritized” hard work, and that has carried him and his brother, Jason, to the Upstate Hall of Fame. Jason was inducted in 2012.
“I feel a little inadequate because my contributions in lacrosse are really over a short period of time,” he said. “ … It’s also a great feeling because I think the quality of players in Upstate is and always has been at the top of the lacrosse world.”
Sarah (Averson) Kellner
Fayetteville-Manlius alum Sarah Kellner attributes her success to her high school coach. She said Kathy Taylor unconditionally believed in her and pushed her to reach her potential, and that her teammates contributed to her success, too.
“Any individual awards I would have been unable to accomplish without my teammates,” said Kellner, who played at Cornell and currently coaches at Regis University.
Andy Shay
Upstate New York provided Andy Shay with the foundation for his lacrosse career. Before becoming a national championship coach at Yale University, Shay established himself at Morrisville Junior College and LeMoyne.
“I like to think I learned a great deal from everyone I interacted with from Upstate New York, from those who coached me, people I’ve played with and people I’ve recruited” he said.
Matt Riter
Transitioning from Homer to SU, Matt Riter learned many things — among them a new position, as in his senior year with the Trojans, his team needed him to move from attack to midfield,.
Though originally frustrating, playing midfield forced him to expand his game and prepared him for college. At the time, Syracuse was the best in the country, he said, so he studied its style, which eased the transition.
Riter said his induction brings his career full circle. “Upstate NY has been known as a lacrosse hot bed, “he said.. It creates a very competitive atmosphere for players to showcase their skills.”
Kenny Nims
The tightly knit community that is Upstate NY lacrosse allowed players like Kenny Nims opportunities to interact with other great players and coaches.
Growing up in Watertown, Nims was thrilled to play at SU, because some of his teammates would be kids he already had bonds with, he said, and that familiarity helped them excel in college.
“It’s humbling to be joining such a legendary group of players and coaches,” he said. “Many of the inductees are people I’ve looked up to and admired my whole career.”
