Honoring a true champion

Friends of Evan Brady sell T-shirts on campus for Evanfest fund

By Chris Goldberg

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/11

    Penn State senior captain Andrew Mackrides felt he had to do something special to honor the memory of a fallen friend who had inspired so many people while battling bone cancer.

    So, Mackrides thought, there could be no better way to spread the word about Evan Brady’s courageous fight than to use the sport Evan loved so much: lacrosse.

    This past spring, Mackrides and men’s lacrosse players at six other colleges and universities began selling T-shirts to raise money for Evanfest (www.evanfest.com), a foundation that in only two years has raised nearly $150,000 for families that have a child battling a life-threatening illness.

    In just a month, Mackrides and nine of Evan’s friends, as well as Evan’s younger brother, Drew, raised $3,000 and sold over 500 T-shirts, that have the Evanfest logo and e-mail addess.

    The money raised by Evanfest, which culminates each April with a youth lacrosse festival at Malvern Prep, goes directly to families to help pay for medication, doctor’s bills or any fees associated with caring for a child with a serious illness.

    Mackrides and Evan were friends and neighbors and teammates at Malvern Prep, a perennial Philadelphia lacrosse power.

    Both were youth standouts with great potential, but in September of 2001, when Evan was 15, he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma, a deadly childhood bone cancer. Evan, despite many setbacks, became known more for his strength and love of life and how he interacted with friends and family with optimism rather than despair.

    Evan died three years ago at the age of 19, shortly after graduating from Malvern Prep. But many close to Evan still are determined to spread his message.

    “I was trying to get the guys to understand that, being Division I athletes, sometimes we take things for granted and we don’t understand others are struggling,” said Mackrides, an Academic All-American choice this year at Penn State. “Seeing Evan go through the struggle - and yet at the same time seeing him have the positive attitude - it was the most inspiring thing.”

    To boost sales and raise awareness for the cause, Mackrides and Villanova captain Ryan Holloway, with help from the Brady family, recruited several more of Evan’s friends who were playing college lacrosse.

    Those who began selling T-shirts during the 2008 season included Mike Creighton at Notre Dame, Steve Layne at Loyola, Mike Avato at Drexel, Matt Conaway at Cabrini College and Drew Brady at Villa Julie. Also, Dan Liva and Tim Atkins assisted Holloway at Villanova, Casey Grugan assisted Conaway at Cabrini and Andrew Quercetti sold T-shirts as a member of the club team at Penn State.

    Holloway, Creighton, Layne, Liva, Atkins and Quercetti also graduated from Malvern Prep, while Avato went to Springfield-Delco, Drew Brady went to Penncrest, Conaway went to West Chester East and Grugan attended Ridley. All are schools in suburban Philadelphia.

    Mackrides, Holloway and Quercetti have since graduated. But the rest of the group, and more friends being recruited by Evan’s father, Bill Brady, plan to sell a revised version of the T-shirts next spring.  

    “The idea behind selling the T-shirts is to try and raise more money for families in need, but we also wanted to gain more awareness (for Evanfest),” said Avato, entering his senior year. (CONTINUE) 

Team USA star Dolente keeps Brady's legacy alive

By Chris Goldberg

Phillylacrosse.com, posted 8/11

    Matt Dolente was named to the All-World Team and honored as the Outstanding Midfielder during the summer while leading Team USA to the International Lacrosse Federation Under-19 championship in British Columbia, Canada.  

    Dolente, who will be a sophomore at Johns Hopkins this year, won over 65 percent of his face-offs in the tournament and figures to be a pivotal player for the Blue Jays as they try to return to the NCAA Division I championship game.

    And who taught him how to take a face-off as a young lacrosse player at Malvern Prep?

    The answer: Evan Brady, a student-coach who died three years ago due to bone cancer and has become the inspiration for a fund that has raised nearly $150,000 in two years for families that have a child battling a life-threatening illness.

    Dolente was three years younger than Brady, who volunteered to serve as a player-coach after being diagnosed in 2001. Dolente said Brady taught him the fine points of winning face-offs, but also about being a winner in life. 

    “I didn’t start playing lacrosse (seriously) until high school and Evan was first one who taught me how to face off,” Dolente said. “He got me going in that direction. He gave me the fundamentals, and made a big impact on me as a person, not just a player.”

    Dolente said he always wanted to wear Evan’s No. 19, but it was taken at Malvern Prep and also at Johns Hopkins. So, so jumped at the chance to wear 19 for Team USA in Canada this July.

    As he continues his career at Hopkins, Dolente plans to keep Brady’s memory close to his heart.  

    “Before games and before warm-ups I take a knee by the sideline and say a prayer,” Dolente said. “I always think about him. I ask Evan to watch over me and keep me healthy.

     “Sometimes, when luck goes my way, I consciously think that maybe it was him.”

Wayne's Maxwell K. Brindle, 20, of Drexel, will be remembered

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/26
    Gari Brindle said her son, Maxwell Knickerbocker Brindle, will be remembered for many strong traits – including his work ethic, his humor and his zest to take on new challenges.
    Mr. Brindle, 20, of Wayne, died June 18 as a result of neck injuries from a bicycle accident in Radnor Township. A former student in the Radnor School District who eventually graduated from a New England prep school, Mr. Brindle recently completed his freshman year at Drexel University where he was a defender on the lacrosse team.
    One of Mr. Brindle’s favorite places, his mother said, was Camp Pasquaney, an all-boys’ camp in Hebron, N.H.
    “He loved that camp and he went there for three summers, when he was 13, 14 and 15.” said Mrs. Brindle. “It was a very old, traditional camp with no electricity and it was fantastic because he was so active.
    “They went on hikes and went sailing and swimming at the waterfront. He loved learning new things and physically challenging himself. That’s the type of kid Max was – he’d learn to snowboard, ride horses or anything that presented itself.”
    Mr. Brindle first took up lacrosse at the middle school level and attended Radnor High School for two years before spending one year at the Oakley School in Oakley, Utah.
    “They did have a lacrosse team out there and Max was named Defensive Player of the Year for the whole state,” said Mrs. Brindle. “He was so modest and he’d say, ‘But mom, it’s Utah.’
    “The funny thing was that he actually ran cross country in the fall. We liked to say he ran cross country like a football player.”
    Brindle later attended Salisbury School in Connecticut where he was graduated. Mr. Brindle was a First Team All-New England selection as a senior and was named his team's Defensive Player of the Year. He also played football, where he was an All-League selection and the team's Defensive MVP at linebacker.
    This year for Drexel, the powerfully-built, 6-foot-2 Mr. Brindle played in five games as a defender, but had stamped himself as a player with a strong future. Also strong academically, Mr., Brindle was enrolled in the LeBow College of Business at Drexel.
    “He took prep work very seriously,” said Mrs. Brindle. “He was diligent in his training. Some thought weight training may be tedious, but I am not sure he ever missed a workout. That was part and parcel of the whole sport.”
    One of Mr. Brindle’s great talents was mimicking famous characters and people. He could do a great imitation of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kermit the Frog, and also enjoyed mimicking his coach at Salisbury, his mother said.
    Mrs. Brindle also noted that her son - who was working at the Verizon store in Wayne - was a huge Phillies fan and had been to Clearwater with the family for spring training several times.
    Besides his mother, Mr. Brindle is survived by his father, Peter and mother Gari; a sister, Alex; an aunt and uncle, Becca and Tom Lieb; and cousins Nikki, Jessi, and Zack Lieb.
    A life celebration will be at 10 a.m. July 4 at the Willows, 490 Darby-Paoli Rd., Villanova.
    Memorial donations may be made to Camp Pasquaney Scholarship Fund, 19 Pasquaney Lane, Hebron, N.H. 03241.

Dana M. Swan II, 1st coach at Haverford Coll., recalled as pioneer

By Chris Goldberg

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/23
    The lacrosse world is mourning the loss of Dana M. Swan II, 76, of Haverford, who formed and coached the first men’s lacrosse team at Haverford College.

    Mr. Swan, who also served as athletic director and associate director of admissions at Haverford in his 34 years there, died of Lymphoma June 10 at his residence.
    Mr. Swan, a standout football, basketball and baseball player at Swarthmore High and Swarthmore College, first played lacrosse with the Philadelphia Lacrosse Club after graduating college.
    He soon took a job as an assistant football coach at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., where he also became an assistant lacrosse coach. Later he became head lacrosse coach there.
    Mr. Swan moved back to Delaware County to accept the job as head football coach at Haverford College in 1968, but the program was disbanded in 1972. At that time, he decided to start a club lacrosse program to fill a void, according to his second wife, Joan Swan.

    "He thought the men, who had been football players, were sort of at loose ends," his wife said in an interview. "So he decided to form the club sport. And then everybody got into it and he had said, 'I’ll teach it to you.'"

    The following the year, the sport was moved to the varsity level and the school has maintained a strong Division III program for years. Mr. Swan remained as head coach until 1986 and was athletic director from 1969-82. He served in the admissions department from 1983 until retiring in 2002.
    "The first game ever played at Haverford was the first game many of the players had ever been involved in," said his wife. "But there was such a great spirit among the original players.

    "They loved it, and gave their all. Dana was always a very understanding coach, and very demanding."

    Current Haverford College coach Mike Murphy struck up a strong friendship with Mr. Swan, his wife said. She added that Murphy and President Steve Emerson, one of Mr. Swan's first players in the 1970s, recently helped present Mr. Swan with a special gift.

    "Their present coach is a wonderful gentleman, and he conferred with Dana," she said. "When Dana was in the nursing home, the lacrosse team made a beautiful framed shirt. The shirt had all the signatures of this year’s lacrosse team and the coaches. It was a lovely tribute, and it showed how much he meant to the program."

    Mr. Swan often had former players come to his home to talk about their times at Haverford or to ask for advice about life. This fall the college will dedicate its new turf field in honor of Mr. Swan, and name it Swan Field.

    "He was very perceptive about other people’s feelings and concerns and he just had a way of zeroing in on what was needed," his

wife said, also adding that she and Mr. Swan were college sweethearts and reunited at their 40th college reunion.
     Mr. Swan was born in Philadelphia and served two years in the Marine Corps. He is survived by his wife, Joan (Nelson), daughters Betsy Swan of Pennsylvania, Susan Swan Smith of Texas, and Martha Swan Melichar of Florida; a stepson, Marc Aumuler; and nine grandchildren. Mr. Swan's first wife, Priscilla (Boston), died in 1995.

    A memorial service was held Saturday at Haverford Friends Meetinghouse, 855 Buck Lane, Haverford. A religious service was held June 13 at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church.
    Donations may be made to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Dana W. Swan Memorial Fund, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Box 62, Chincoteague Island, Va. 23336.

Katie Samson cherishes her annual homecoming at Radnor

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, posted 4/26
    Katie Samson admits she is one of the luckiest people around – after all, who gets to have thousands of people come to their homecoming every year?
    Saturday at Radnor, Samson enjoyed perhaps the most special homecoming yet at the 8th Annual Katie Samson Lacrosse Festival.
    Samson, after all, is the namesake for the charity event that has raised approximately $800,000 for spinal cord injury research and short-term care for spinal cord patients. This year’s festival drew the largest field (48 high school teams and many youth teams) ever and featured nearly every ranked boys’ and girls’ team in the Philadelphia area, according to local polls.
    For Samson, this event held even greater meaning. For one, her alma mater got to host the event, which for the first time was held at one site.
    After the morning games, Samson was introduced at the turf field by her former coach, veteran Radnor mentor Phyllis Kilgour. A presentation was made for $10,000 to the Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in the name of the Katie Samson Foundation.
    Samson – who now resides in Tucson, Ariz. - said she is amazed by the growth of the event and how the entire Philadelphia lacrosse community has embraced the role of fundraising.
    “It’s really overwhelming because I spend a large major of the year not in Philadelphia,” she said. “When I come back it’s overwhelming, emotionally, to see the amount of support. There are so many friends and family members here.”
    “Plus, there’s the importance of young people having (more than just) an event to play for. They now can fundraise for the event themselves.”
    Samson noted how high school players assist in the fundraising drive by selling Wings tickets and encouraging fans to attend the event.
    “Every year it keeps getting bigger and bigger and one team wants to outdo another team for fundraising,” she said. “When have you ever heard of a high school kid wanting to compete to fund raise? That’s tremendous that we can instill that in a young athlete in high school."

   Samson, who became paralyzed from the chest down after a sledding accident in 2000, is happy her family is so involved in lacrosse. One of her brothers, Brian Samson, is the head coach for the Conestoga boys. Another brother, Dave Samson, is an assistant coach for Germantown Academy’s boys
    Katie’s father, Peter Samson, is still coaching the Radnor 8th grade travel team, and her mother, Bannie Ackerman, coaches the Radnor Middle School 8th grade team. Katie, in fact, coached that team herself four years ago and was delighted to see that, now as seniors, that group is undefeated.
    “The lacrosse community is really a special community,” Samson said. “Being an athlete and being a lacrosse player prior to my injury and having so many of my family members still involved, it’s great to see it continue to grow.
    “I got to coach that one year and it was a great way to reconnect back to lacrosse. I miss it so much, but coming back every year brings me back to it.”

Katie Samson Festival continues to grow bigger in eighth year

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/24
    It is a celebration of lacrosse and the spirit of competition.
    And what better way to celebrate the nation’s fastest growing sport than to raise money for medical research and care for spinal cord patients and do it by collecting the finest array of scholastic lacrosse talent possible?
  Saturday at Radnor High School, the 8th Annual Katie Samson Lacrosse Festival will showcase 48 top boys’ and girls’ public and private teams from the Philadelphia and surrounding area.
    The Festival was devised to promote sportsmanship and camaraderie throughout the Philadelphia lacrosse community. It has grown into such a major event that approximately $800,000 has been raised for research and short-term aid for patients of spinal cord injury.
    Organized by volunteers from the Philadelphia regional lacrosse community and the Katie Samson Foundation, the event is inspired by the courage and resolve of a former lacrosse player who has taught us all about abilities, not disabilities.
    Katie Samson, a 1998 Radnor High graduate, led Middlebury College to a Division III national title in 1999. The following winter she suffered spinal cord trauma in a sledding accident, paralyzing her from the chest down.
    Samson’s life changed, but not her determination and spirit. She rehabilitated herself, returned to Middlebury and continued as a Dean's list student and helped coach her team to two more NCAA championships.
    Samson graduated cum laude with a double major in anthropology and art history and was nominated by college friends to carry the Olympic torch towards the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.
    Today, Samson resides in Arizona and volunteers for the Aurora Foundation, a non-profit that supports young women with disabilities through leadership programs and mentoring. She also teaches photography at a community college and has continued to participate in sports.
    “We are proud to be able to support research and also to improve the quality of life of folks with spinal cord injuries,” said Dr. Murray Grossman, the Katie Samson Foundation President. “It’s a devastating condition, but there are tons and tons of things that can be done.
    “Katie is enthusiastic and she wants to go ahead and live her life. She’s an inspiration in that regard.”
   This year’s field of teams is the largest ever. For the first time, the boys and girls will play at the same site; the boys formerly played at Haverford School. This field is also loaded with talent as all 10 teams in the Phillylacrosse.com Boys Top 10 and seven of the teams in the Phillylacrosse.com Girls Top 10 will be competing.
    The action heats up immediately at 9:30 a.m. with six games, including a girls’ game between No. 3 Springfield-Delco and No. 7 Episcopal Academy (Turf field).
    At 11:30 the feature boys’ game will pit No. 1 La Salle – the fourth-ranked team in the country according to Inside Lacrosse – and No. 4 Ridley (Prevost field). Also at 11:30, the No. 1 girls’ team, host Radnor, meets Germantown Academy.
    Then, at 1:30, there is a boys’ game between No. 3 Haverford School and No. 7 Downingtown East. At 3:30, the No. 6 Conestoga boys meet New Jersey prep power Lawrenceville School.
    On the girls’ side, No. 5 Abington faces Lawrenceville at 1:30 and No. 4 Great Valley meets Agnes Irwin at 3:30.
    The Festival is being tabbed as one of the biggest one-day lacrosse events ever on the East Coast.
    “We have tried to feature local teams,” Grossman said. “We’ve had requests from New York to Baltimore, but we wanted to keep it local.”
    “We feel strongly that we wanted to highlight local teams. Gradually, over the years, there have been lots and lots of demand for people to participate.”
    The Festival started with six boys’ games, all pitting private and public schools. Four years ago girls’ games were added; first they were played at Haverford College and then at Radnor. Now, for the first time, all games are at one venue.
    “It’s the first year it’s all together at one site and it’s very exciting,” Grossman said. “All the schools played consecutively, so the girls can play and then watch the boys’ game for their school and cheer them on. Conversely, so can the boys. Normally, they don’t get to do that.”
    The event is expected to draw over 5,000 people. Grossman said that several former Philadelphia professionals should be on hand, including former Eagles lineman Mike Mamula and former Flyers captain Keith Primeau. Members of the Philadelphia Wings professional lacrosse team also are expected.
    Additionally, many college coaches will be on hand to see the best that Philadelphia has to offer in lacrosse.
    Samson will be at her alma mater and be a part of two presentations, one at 11:30 a.m. and another at 1:30 p.m.
    Younger fans can enjoy a variety of games at the Fan Zone, which will be stationed at both ends of the campus. The Fan Zone will features speed shooting, wall climbing, face painting and other events.
    There also will be plenty of refreshments.
    Grossman wanted to cite event organizers Bill German, Kathy Early, Mike Barnes and Claire Girton for their tireless efforts to run the Festival.
    “This began as a way of thanking Peter Samson for all his support and contributions to the community,” said Grossman of Katie's father, “and, of course, because we all love Katie.”
Evanfest lacrosse festival is a special fundraiser event

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, posted 4/3
    There could be no better way to honor the memory of Evan Brady.
    Saturday at Malvern Prep, 25 youth boys’ lacrosse teams from the Delaware Valley will participate in the second running of Evanfest, a festival to raise money for families with children that have life-threatening diseases.
    Evan Brady, of Newtown Square, was a young lacrosse player with great potential who died 3 years ago at the age of 19 due to osteogenic sarcoma, a childhood bone cancer.
    To honor Evan’s fight, spirit and love of lacrosse, the Malvern community helped his father, Bill Brady, create Evanfest.
    “It was brought to me by Malvern Prep coach John McEvoy and a few of the families very involved in Malvern lacrosse and close to Evan,” said Brady, the event chairman. “They wanted to do something for Evan in his memory.
    “The best thing to do with the money is to give it to families with a child with a life-threatening illness. We know all too well the mental and emotional strain, but it’s also a huge financial drain.”
    Last year the event, featuring Under-13 and Under-15 teams, helped raise $46,000 with funds going to 14 families. This year’s event has grown significantly, and Brady – who said six families have already been provided assistance – is looking to raise $80,000.
    The money is coming from private and corporate donations, as well as fees from the teams participating.
    Evan’s story is one of courage and determination. He was diagnosed with bone cancer on September 11, 2001, and was told to forget lacrosse. He missed most of his freshman year at Malvern Prep while enduring chemotherapy and an operation to remove his femur.
    But Evan wanted to stay involved with lacrosse and served as a student-coach as a sophomore and junior, crutches and all. His cancer, however, spread to his spine and lungs in his senior year.
    Evan, though, remained optimistic and graduated from Malvern Prep while earning a scholarship to St. Joseph’s University based on an essay describing his experiences dealing with cancer.
    But soon after graduation, Evan had his leg amputated and he died on Sept. 21, 2005. His spirit, however, continues.
    “We call it a festival,” Brady said, noting the rain date is next week. “We stress having fun. It’s not about winning.”
    This is one time when everybody wins.
North Carolina players honor
the memory of Hill's Rip Davy
By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/20
    The memory of Philadelphia lacrosse legend Ralph “Rip” Davy, III continues to live on for the North Carolina men’s lacrosse team.
    The Tar Heels have dedicated their season to the former North Carolina great by wearing Rip’s old uniform number, 13, on their helmets. They opened their 2008 season Saturday at Chapel Hill by crushing Bellarmine (Ky.), 15-2.
    North Carolina, ranked 10th in the nation in the USILA Coaches Poll, returns all but two members of a squad that went 10-6 last year.
    Davy, a 1975 graduate of The Hill School in Pottstown, died of an apparent heart attack at the age of 51 in Wilmington, N.C. the Broomall native was a high school All-American under coach Harry Price and was captain of the football, wrestling and lacrosse teams while also serving as school president. Davy became one of the first players from the Philadelphia area to excel at the collegiate level and earned All-American honors as a defender at North Carolina (Class of 1979).
    Davy was inducted into the Pennsylvania Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2000.
    Attending Saturday’s game were Davy’s wife, Margo, and sons, Brooks and Will, as well as his mother, Nancy, sister Wendy, brother Kirk and his two teenage daughters.
    “The day was just a regular game for the Heels but for us, it was a lifetime memory in the making,” Margo Davy said. “John Haus (North Carolina’s coach) called me to ask if it was OK for the team to wear Rip’s number on their helmets this season, and of course, I gave the thumbs up.
    “He invited us to the season opener against Bellarmine. Once on campus, we found John and he introduced Will and Brooks to the captains, then the boys went with the captains to the locker room. From there they got to follow the team on to the field and eyewitness the coin toss. They spent the rest of the afternoon watching from the sidelines.”
    Margo Davy said her sons have been lifelong Tar Heel fans and were thrilled to get this special treatment.
    “I just think it was spectacular of John to give our boys such attention,” she said. “As lacrosse players themselves, they have followed UNC since they were old enough to walk. I remember Rip’s dad giving them both sticks the day they were born. It was a thrill for them to be with the team and see John coaching from close up.”
Lacrosse world mourns Hill's Rip Davy, who blazed path for Philly
By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 1/27
    Harry Price, the long-time boys’ lacrosse coach at The Hill School, recalled Ralph “Rip” Davy, III as a “man among boys.”
    “Usually in high school you need to have one or two superstars to have a chance,” said Price. “And Rip was our superstar. Everybody knew he’d be the one to take the one big shot. More often than not, he came through in the clutch."
    The lacrosse world continues to mourn the loss of Davy, who died suddenly of an apparent heart attack Jan. 16 at the age of 51 in his home in Wilmington, N.C.
    Mr. Davy, a native of Broomall, was an All-American at Hill School in Pottstown under Price and in his senior year, 1974-75, was captain of the football, wrestling and lacrosse teams while also serving as school president. Mr. Davy became one of the first players from the Philadelphia area to excel at the collegiate level and earned All-American honors as a defender at North Carolina (Class of 1979).
    He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2000.
    Price, who served as head coach at The Hill for 27 years, said Mr. Davy first made his mark on the lacrosse field in the 1973 Eastern Pennsylvania championship game against West Chester.
    “I can remember fairly vividly that Rip was a sophomore and was on JV that year,” Price recalled. “I brought him up for that game and he was best player we had on the field that day. I should have brought him up well before. He was fantastic, but we lost.”
    Price said, however, that Mr. Davy was much more than a great athlete.
    “Rip was just such a great guy,” he said. “He was president of the student body, and he was greatly admired by kids and faculty.”
   On the field, Price said Mr. Davy exhibited the essence of leadership, strength and tenacity.
    “It was almost like having a coach on the field for me,” he said. “He was someone I had great respect for. I trusted his judgment, and he was always a gentleman.
     “The other thing about Rip is that he wanted to play the whole game, which you just don’t do at midfield. But he played every second of every game his senior year, which is brutal. We would put him on attack to rest him.”
    Mr. Davy, an avid golfer, was a successful real estate developer known for his great wit.
    Services were held for Mr. Davy Jan. 21 in Wilmington and also on Saturday at the United Church in Rowayton, Ct. More than 500 people attended each service.
    “He was such a loving husband and father and always generous,” said his wife, Margo. “His family came first in his life. He was my rock, and my life companion.
    “The thing that certainly endeared him was his attitude about life, and his smile.
    “The world lost a winner.”
    Formerly of Darien, Conn., Mr. Davy has resided in Wilmington for three years. He is survived by his wife Margo and two sons Will and Brooks; also by his mother Nancy Davy; two brothers, Kirk and Brett (also a lacrosse player at UNC from 1986-89), and a sister Wendy.
    After graduating from The Hill School, Mr. Davy went to North Carolina on what Price believes was a partial scholarship. Mr. Davy quickly earned a full scholarship when he was switched to defense.
    “They weren’t too sure about him, but it quickly became evident when they switched him to defense that he was that good,” Price said. “He was a big and powerful boy who probably ran a 4.6 in the 40.”
    Davy later became an ambassador for the sport of lacrosse. He helped coach club lacrosse in Manchester, England, and later coached the team at Oxford University.
    “He was a bright and well-educated young man who was articulate,” Price said. “He was a very good representative for the sport.”
   In lieu of flowers, gifts in support of youth athletic programs may be made to Cape Fear Academy, The Rip Davy Memorial Fund, 3900 South College Road, Wilmington, N.C., 28412