By Florida State Coach Bill Harkins

Obnoxious title isn’t it! Well, I scoured the internet as best I could to find any other program with a more interesting and exciting schedule than FSU this year, and I couldn’t find one, including all those varsity programs. This year we get to do the following:

Play a box game in Amway Arena as a doubleheader against our arch rivals (I think you spell it G-a-t-o-r-s) as part of a doubleheader before the Orlando Titans (NLL) game. I don’t know a damn thing about box, so helping me on the sidelines (is that what it is called in box?) will be Casey Powell and Jack Kaley. Coach Kaley and I will be back fresh from Frankfurt, Germany, where we will have spent a few days picking our German National Team for this summer’s World Championship in Manchester, England. It sounds more glamorous on paper than it is in reality; a 4-day round trip—3-a-days in Frankfurt in the middle of January—I will look like Ralphie from A Christmas Story while there.

We also have a great and highly competitive schedule this spring. We get to play in The Wounded Warrior Project “Face Off for a Cause” (more on this event later in the blog). Host the Southern Shootout—great competition. Go to California for 4 tremendous games, come home, go to Knoxville for 2 terrific games, and then end our regular season playing the Gators, on Senior Day in Doak Campbell Stadium right before the spring football game (capacity 86,000) and hope to fill it!!! I am not even mentioning the rest of the great teams we get to play in Tally.

Then our goal is to also go to the SELC Championships and the National Championship in Denver again this year. Now, honestly, doesn’t that sound like a hell of a lot of fun!!! Even if you’re an FSU (or Harkins) hater, you have got to say “that’s one hell of an exciting spring!”

Fall ball went well, although we had the fewest games we’ve ever had. Our freshman played 2 games beating UNF (16-6) and the Tallahassee Trojans men’s team (20-9). Our full squad beat Florida Southern (D-II) 13-6 and Florida 20-10 this past Friday night.

Now to “Face Off for a Cause,” an awareness and fundraising tournament held for the benefit of the Wounded Warrior Project. The Wounded Warrior Project’s mission is to raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of severely injured service men and women, help severely injured service members aid and assist each other, and provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of severely injured service members. It’s where world class lacrosse and the Wounded Warrior Project become one team.

We are hopefully going to expand this charitable event around the country for next spring, including: Atlanta, Denver, Texas, Ohio, New York, and Charlotte. I will be working on getting D-I teams as headliners for each city and then enlist the participation of other D-II, D-III and, most of all, MCLA teams from those areas. The events will also include high school games. Additionally, I will be seeking Chairmen for each event from those areas, all of whom I hope are MCLA volunteers. Now, it is with great pride that I announce the first Chairmanship—Ken Lovic has agreed to be the Chairman for the Atlanta event: can’t do better than that.

I will be “working the crowd” at the coaches convention in December in Baltimore and hope to nail some venues and commitments. Orlando already has a commitment from Army & Providence for next year. I also think we will have St Leo’s vs. C.W. Post.

If anyone wants to assist or volunteer to be a Chairman please email me at bill@fsulacrosse.com. If anyone wants to complain about my lousy blogs please email waesche@fsulacrosse.com; he will enjoy nothing more than reading every stinkin’ one of them to me.

Finally, we did our videos for Championship Productions. After finishing them I felt terrible as I thought it was very disjointed and hoped we didn’t waste their time and film. I mostly directed it toward high school coaches, since I didn’t think that Pietramala and Cottle would be waiting anxiously at their computers for the announcement to come out that they were released. The report from the film editors came back with a great preliminary report, which relieved a lot of anxiety on my part. Hopefully they help someone out there. They are scheduled for a February release.

Next is the coaches convention, start of spring lax, picking the German national team, building up to Feb. 6th first game against Auburn…I will have more to say as we get closer to the season.

ANNOUNCMENT:   Corey Noonan our 4X All American and 4X SELC “Offensive Player of the Year” has just been tendered a contract by the Orlando Titans (NLL).

Bill Harkins started coaching back in 1967 in a summer league. He has coached at the high school level and has been the Head Coach of Florida State since 2004. He also is an assistant coach for the German National Team.

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