David Morrow (sports)
Encyclopedia
David K. Morrow is an entrepreneur, businessman, and former lacrosse
defenseman. He starred as a member of the Princeton Tigers men's lacrosse
team from 1990 through 1993. He was a three-time United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association
(USILA) All-American (two-time first team). He is a co-founder of the Major League Lacrosse
(MLL) and an innovator of the titanium
lacrosse stick
and hockey stick
.
He is the most recent defenseman to earn the NCAA Lacrosse player of the year award and a two-time NCAA Lacrosse defenseman of the year. He was a three-time first team All-Ivy League
selection. In his four-year college career, Princeton won the school's first NCAA tournament Championship, two Ivy League Championships and earned the school's first four NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship
tournament invitations. Following college, he represented Team USA in the 1994 and 1998 World Lacrosse Championship
s and was named to the 1998 All-World Team.
His equipment company, Warrior Sports
, is a leading equipment provider to professional, collegiate and interscholastic teams and players. It provides a variety of equipment and has propagated the interest in titanium material for use in lacrosse and ice hockey
equipment. He has expanded professional lacrosse from box lacrosse
to field lacrosse
by co-founding the MLL.
. He attended Brother Rice High School
in the nearby Bloomfield Township
in Oakland County
.
Bill Tierney
convinced him to use his speed to run with the offensive players and to keep his stick in front of them, which encouraged him to adapt his natural speed to the sport. He earned his first start as a sophomore in 1991.
In one season Morrow broke or bent 25 aluminum lacrosse sticks. After tinkering with the lacrosse stick design at his father's shop, Morrow introduced a titanium version of the stick in the 1992 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
tournament. Morrow scored two goals in the 16–14 semifinals victory over North Carolina
in the first game using the titanium stick. Princeton went on to win the tournament, its first NCAA national championship. During the 1993 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
tournament, Morrow shut down Loyola
's Kevin Beach, who had 6 goals in the first round game. He was selected to the All-tournament team that year. During his four years, Princeton earned its first four berths in the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship
. The 1992 and 1993 teams were undefeated 6–0 outright Ivy League champions.
Morrow was a first team USILA All-American Team
selection in 1992 and 1993 and a third team selection in 1991. He was a three-time first team All-Ivy League selection (1991, 1992 and 1993). Morrow is one of only two and the most recent defenseman to earn the Lt. Raymond Enners Award
as the NCAA Lacrosse player of the year award. He twice earned the Schmeisser Award
(1992, 1993) as the NCAA Lacrosse defenseman of the year. Morrow was selected to the NCAA Lacrosse Silver Anniversary team in 1995. Morrow was drafted by the Philadelphia Wings
during the 1994 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft
. He won gold medals at the 1994 and 1998 World Lacrosse Championships and was named to the 1998 World Lacrosse Championship All-World team.
In 1991, one of his father's customers was attempting to modernize the snowshoe
with experimental materials such as titanium. At the time, lacrosse sticks were made of aluminum that could get bent during the game. Morrow was breaking and bending sticks at a rapid rate. Morrow noticed titanium was lighter and more durable than aluminum. Thus, at his father's suggestion, he incorporated it into the lacrosse stick the following year. A year later, he began his own business, selling his first sticks in February 1993. In 1993, he was affiliated with the Philadelphia Wings
but became a free agent
. Morrow was selected for Team USA that would compete at the 1994 World Lacrosse Championship. After being named to the 1998 All World team following the 1998 World Lacrosse Championship
, he retired from competitive lacrosse to focus on the business.
Today, lacrosse sticks by all manufacturers use titanium, and players at all levels use titanium sticks. Morrow's idea led to his own business venture, Warrior Lacrosse, which is named after the Brother Rice High School Warriors whom he played for in high school. Morrow sold his company to New Balance
in January 2004 but continues to be the President and CEO of Warrior Sports. As of 2001, Warrior and its 50 employees were the official equipment supplier of the U.S. Men's National Teams program and the MLL. As of 2007, Warrior Sports held a 40% market share
. The company had several divisions including Warrior Lacrosse, Brine Sports, Warrior Sports Canada and even Warrior Hockey. As of 2007, it had 600 employees and over 150 National Hockey League
players using titanium hockey sticks. Warrior sports sponsors over 200 youth programs, tournaments, and camps each year. It also sponsors professional and intercollegiate teams. In addition, the company puts on clinics and demonstrations around the world.
Morrow founded the MLL along with Jake Steinfeld
, Timothy Robertson and Jim Davis
. He originally served on the prospective league's advisory committee. In 2001, Morrow's newly opened six-team MLL opened as a professional field lacrosse
complement to the box lacrosse
National Lacrosse League
. It opened on June 7 at Homewood Field
in Baltimore near the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. The league has been successful and has been televised on ESPN2
since 2003. It is under contract to be televised on the network until 2016.
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
defenseman. He starred as a member of the Princeton Tigers men's lacrosse
Princeton Tigers men's lacrosse
The Princeton Tigers men's lacrosse team represents Princeton University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's lacrosse...
team from 1990 through 1993. He was a three-time United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association
United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association
The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association is an association of institutions with varsity college lacrosse programs in all three NCAA divisions, founded in 1885.-Awards:...
(USILA) All-American (two-time first team). He is a co-founder of the Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse, or MLL, is a professional men's field lacrosse league that is made up of five teams in the United States and one team in Canada.- History :...
(MLL) and an innovator of the titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
lacrosse stick
Lacrosse stick
A lacrosse stick or crosse is a long-handled racket used to play the sport of lacrosse. Players use the lacrosse stick to handle the ball and to strike at opposing players...
and hockey stick
Hockey stick
A hockey stick is a piece of equipment used in field hockey, ice hockey or roller hockey to move the ball or puck.- Field hockey :Field hockey sticks have an end which varies in shape, often depending on the players position...
.
He is the most recent defenseman to earn the NCAA Lacrosse player of the year award and a two-time NCAA Lacrosse defenseman of the year. He was a three-time first team All-Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
selection. In his four-year college career, Princeton won the school's first NCAA tournament Championship, two Ivy League Championships and earned the school's first four NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship
NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship
The annual NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament determines the top men's field lacrosse team in the NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III....
tournament invitations. Following college, he represented Team USA in the 1994 and 1998 World Lacrosse Championship
1998 World Lacrosse Championship
The 1998 FIL World Lacrosse Championship was the eighth edition of the premier international men's lacrosse tournament. The event took place in Baltimore, Maryland under the auspices of the International Lacrosse Federation. This was the second time that the tournament was held in Baltimore,...
s and was named to the 1998 All-World Team.
His equipment company, Warrior Sports
Warrior Sports
Warrior Sports is a manufacturer of lacrosse and ice hockey equipment and apparel based in Warren, Michigan, United States.-History:Warrior Sports was founded in 1992 by David Morrow, a former lacrosse player. In 2004 Warrior Sports was acquired by privately-held New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc...
, is a leading equipment provider to professional, collegiate and interscholastic teams and players. It provides a variety of equipment and has propagated the interest in titanium material for use in lacrosse and ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
equipment. He has expanded professional lacrosse from box lacrosse
Box lacrosse
Box lacrosse, also known as indoor lacrosse and sometimes shortened to boxla, LAX or simply box, is an indoor version of lacrosse played mostly in North America. The game originated in Canada, where it is the most popular version of the game played in contrast to the traditional field lacrosse game...
to field lacrosse
Field lacrosse
Field lacrosse, sometimes referred to as the "fastest sport on two feet," is a full contact outdoor men's sport played with ten players on each team. The sport originated among Native Americans, and the modern rules of field lacrosse were initially codified by Canadian William George Beers in 1867....
by co-founding the MLL.
Background
Morrow was raised in , a suburb of Detroit, where his father operated a tubing shop. He was a defenseman in both lacrosse and hockeyHockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
. He attended Brother Rice High School
Brother Rice High School (Michigan)
Brother Rice High School is a Roman Catholic all-boys non-residential college prep school with approximately 700 students located in Bloomfield Township, Michigan . Until 1993 its address was in neighboring Birmingham, Michigan's postal district. In 1993 the U.S...
in the nearby Bloomfield Township
Bloomfield Township, Oakland County, Michigan
Bloomfield Charter Township, known officially as The Charter Township of Bloomfield, is a charter township of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 41,070....
in Oakland County
Oakland County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census, there were 1,202,362 people, 471,115 households, and 315,175 families residing in the county. The population density as of the 2000 census was 1,369 people per square mile . There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 per square mile...
.
College career
In his first year at Princeton, he nearly quit the lacrosse team when he realized that because of his background, he was behind the other players in his understanding of the game. He felt he might be better off focusing on ice hockey. Princeton head coachHead coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Bill Tierney
Bill Tierney
William "Bill" Tierney is a Hall of Fame lacrosse coach at the University of Denver.Tierney played collegiate lacrosse at Cortland State, where in 1973, he played on the USILA national championship team...
convinced him to use his speed to run with the offensive players and to keep his stick in front of them, which encouraged him to adapt his natural speed to the sport. He earned his first start as a sophomore in 1991.
In one season Morrow broke or bent 25 aluminum lacrosse sticks. After tinkering with the lacrosse stick design at his father's shop, Morrow introduced a titanium version of the stick in the 1992 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
1992 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
The 1992 tournament championship game was played at Franklin Field in front of 13,150 fans. Princeton completed a 13 and 2 season by defeating Syracuse in two overtime, 10-9, to win the Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship. The win marked the first NCAA tournament title for the Tigers, but...
tournament. Morrow scored two goals in the 16–14 semifinals victory over North Carolina
North Carolina Tar Heels men's lacrosse
The North Carolina Tar Heels men's lacrosse team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's lacrosse...
in the first game using the titanium stick. Princeton went on to win the tournament, its first NCAA national championship. During the 1993 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
1993 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
The 1993 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament was the 23rd annual Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament. Twelve NCAA Division I college men's lacrosse teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament.The championship game...
tournament, Morrow shut down Loyola
Loyola Greyhounds men's lacrosse
The Loyola University Greyhounds are the NCAA Division I men's collegiate lacrosse team that represents Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, Maryland...
's Kevin Beach, who had 6 goals in the first round game. He was selected to the All-tournament team that year. During his four years, Princeton earned its first four berths in the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship
NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship
The annual NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament determines the top men's field lacrosse team in the NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III....
. The 1992 and 1993 teams were undefeated 6–0 outright Ivy League champions.
Morrow was a first team USILA All-American Team
USILA All-American Team
The USILA All-American Team is an honor given annually to the best American men's college lacrosse players at their respective positions by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. The term All-American is derived from the same practice in American college football, in which the...
selection in 1992 and 1993 and a third team selection in 1991. He was a three-time first team All-Ivy League selection (1991, 1992 and 1993). Morrow is one of only two and the most recent defenseman to earn the Lt. Raymond Enners Award
Lt. Raymond Enners Award
The Lt. Raymond Enners Award is an award given annually to the NCAA's most outstanding player in men's college lacrosse. The award is presented by the USILA and is named after Raymond Enners, who attended the United States Military Academy, class of 1967, and served in the U.S. Army during the...
as the NCAA Lacrosse player of the year award. He twice earned the Schmeisser Award
Schmeisser Award
The William C. Schmeisser Award is an award given annually to the NCAA's most outstanding defenseman in men's college lacrosse. The award is presented by the USILA and is named after William C. "Father Bill" Schmeisser, a player and coach for Johns Hopkins University in the early 1900s. ...
(1992, 1993) as the NCAA Lacrosse defenseman of the year. Morrow was selected to the NCAA Lacrosse Silver Anniversary team in 1995. Morrow was drafted by the Philadelphia Wings
Philadelphia Wings
The Philadelphia Wings are a member of the National Lacrosse League, a professional box lacrosse league in North America. They play at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
during the 1994 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft
National Lacrosse League entry draft
The National Lacrosse League entry draft is an annual event where the general managers of National Lacrosse League teams choose eligible players for their rosters from US college programs and Canada's junior lacrosse system....
. He won gold medals at the 1994 and 1998 World Lacrosse Championships and was named to the 1998 World Lacrosse Championship All-World team.
Professional career
Snowshoe
A snowshoe is footwear for walking over the snow. Snowshoes work by distributing the weight of the person over a larger area so that the person's foot does not sink completely into the snow, a quality called "flotation"....
with experimental materials such as titanium. At the time, lacrosse sticks were made of aluminum that could get bent during the game. Morrow was breaking and bending sticks at a rapid rate. Morrow noticed titanium was lighter and more durable than aluminum. Thus, at his father's suggestion, he incorporated it into the lacrosse stick the following year. A year later, he began his own business, selling his first sticks in February 1993. In 1993, he was affiliated with the Philadelphia Wings
Philadelphia Wings
The Philadelphia Wings are a member of the National Lacrosse League, a professional box lacrosse league in North America. They play at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
but became a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. Morrow was selected for Team USA that would compete at the 1994 World Lacrosse Championship. After being named to the 1998 All World team following the 1998 World Lacrosse Championship
1998 World Lacrosse Championship
The 1998 FIL World Lacrosse Championship was the eighth edition of the premier international men's lacrosse tournament. The event took place in Baltimore, Maryland under the auspices of the International Lacrosse Federation. This was the second time that the tournament was held in Baltimore,...
, he retired from competitive lacrosse to focus on the business.
Today, lacrosse sticks by all manufacturers use titanium, and players at all levels use titanium sticks. Morrow's idea led to his own business venture, Warrior Lacrosse, which is named after the Brother Rice High School Warriors whom he played for in high school. Morrow sold his company to New Balance
New Balance
New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. , best known as simply New Balance, is a footwear manufacturer based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America. It was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch Support Company...
in January 2004 but continues to be the President and CEO of Warrior Sports. As of 2001, Warrior and its 50 employees were the official equipment supplier of the U.S. Men's National Teams program and the MLL. As of 2007, Warrior Sports held a 40% market share
Market share
Market share is the percentage of a market accounted for by a specific entity. In a survey of nearly 200 senior marketing managers, 67 percent responded that they found the "dollar market share" metric very useful, while 61% found "unit market share" very useful.Marketers need to be able to...
. The company had several divisions including Warrior Lacrosse, Brine Sports, Warrior Sports Canada and even Warrior Hockey. As of 2007, it had 600 employees and over 150 National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
players using titanium hockey sticks. Warrior sports sponsors over 200 youth programs, tournaments, and camps each year. It also sponsors professional and intercollegiate teams. In addition, the company puts on clinics and demonstrations around the world.
Morrow founded the MLL along with Jake Steinfeld
Jake Steinfeld
Jake Steinfeld is an American actor and fitness personality. He has a line of fitness equipment called "Body by Jake" and also once hosted a Body by Jake TV show. He also starred on a sitcom on the Family Channel called Big Brother Jake. In 1985, he played a small role in the Jeff Goldblum comedy...
, Timothy Robertson and Jim Davis
Jim Davis (business)
Jim Davis is the Chairman of New Balance and a co-founder of Major League Lacrosse.-Biography:James S. Davis was born in 1943. He attended the Worcester Academy, and he received a Bachelor of Science in biology and chemistry from Middlebury College in 1966...
. He originally served on the prospective league's advisory committee. In 2001, Morrow's newly opened six-team MLL opened as a professional field lacrosse
Field lacrosse
Field lacrosse, sometimes referred to as the "fastest sport on two feet," is a full contact outdoor men's sport played with ten players on each team. The sport originated among Native Americans, and the modern rules of field lacrosse were initially codified by Canadian William George Beers in 1867....
complement to the box lacrosse
Box lacrosse
Box lacrosse, also known as indoor lacrosse and sometimes shortened to boxla, LAX or simply box, is an indoor version of lacrosse played mostly in North America. The game originated in Canada, where it is the most popular version of the game played in contrast to the traditional field lacrosse game...
National Lacrosse League
National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League is a men's professional indoor lacrosse league in North America. It currently has nine teams; three in Canada and six in the United States. Unlike other lacrosse leagues which play in the summer, the NLL plays its games in the winter and spring. Each year, the playoff...
. It opened on June 7 at Homewood Field
Homewood Field
Homewood Field is the athletics stadium of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. It was built in 1906 and has an official capacity of 8,500 people. The name is taken, as is that of the entire campus, from that of the estate of Charles Carroll of Carrollton. It serves as the home...
in Baltimore near the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. The league has been successful and has been televised on ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
since 2003. It is under contract to be televised on the network until 2016.
Personal
As of March 2007, he and his wife Christine, who is also a Princeton alumnus, had three young children: three-year-old Samantha, two-year-old Kevin and newborn Jessica. Christine Schluter, a member of Princeton's Class of 1992, was a geochemist in when she moved to Detroit to work for Morrow.External links
- Morrow at The Baltimore SunThe Baltimore SunThe Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....