Maryland Athletics, WASHINGTON, D.C. – Former Maryland men’s lacrosse star Frank Urso has been named as a 2016 Tewaaraton Legends recipient as announced Friday night by the Tewaaraton Foundation. Penn State’s Candace Finn Rocha is the female legends recipient, while Tina Sloan Green will receive the Spirit of Tewaaraton.“We’re excited that such a great player in Candace Finn Rocha will go down as the first-ever female Tewaaraton Legend,” said Tewaaraton Foundation Executive Director Jeff Harvey. “And also being able to honor one of the best to ever play the game in Frank Urso, as well as a true trailblazer for African-American female athletes is going to make this a truly special year.”

The Tewaaraton Legends Award annually honors recipients who played college lacrosse prior to 2001, the first year in which the Tewaaraton Award was presented. Recipients are chosen on the basis that their collegiate performance would have earned them a Tewaaraton Trophy, had the award existed when they played. The previous four Legends Award winners are Syracuse’s Jim Brown (2011), Cornell’s Eamon McEneaney (2012), Johns Hopkins’ Joe Cowan (2013), Navy’s Jimmy Lewis (2014) and Syracuse’s Brad Kotz (2015).

Frank Urso began his lacrosse career at Brentwood (N.Y.) High School, earning secondary school All-American honors in 1972. At the University of Maryland, Urso become one of four players ever to earn first-team All-American honors in each of his four seasons (1973-76). Urso played midfield for the Terrapins, winning NCAA Championships in 1973 and 1975, ACC championships in 1973, 1974 and 1976, and still holds the Terrapins’ record for goals by a midfielder with 127. He received the McLaughlin Award as the Outstanding Midfielder in Division I in 1974, 1975 and 1976. In 1975, Urso received the Lt. Raymond Enners Memorial Award as the Outstanding Player in Division I. In 1976, he represented Maryland in the North/South Collegiate All-Star game.

Urso played for the U.S. Men’s National Team that won gold at the 1974 World Lacrosse Championship in Melbourne, Australia. After graduating from Maryland, he played for McGarvey’s Lacrosse Club and Maryland Lacrosse Club. He was elected to the Long Island Metropolitan Lacrosse Hall of Fame and the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1991. He is entering his ninth season as head boy’s lacrosse coach at Garnet Valley (Pa.) High School.

“In all my years of playing and watching lacrosse, Frank Urso was the most dominant player I have ever seen,” said two-time All-America teammate Jake Reed. “Yet even more amazing was the type of guy he was in the locker room. He was a fantastic teammate and was always available to help anyone in need. Frank was an incredibly dynamic offensive player with the ability to run by anybody. He was a fantastic goal scorer, but ever more amazing was his vision. He could make passes from anywhere on the field and was the complete player.”

All three recipients will receive their awards at the Tewaaraton Award Ceremony, June 2, 2016, in Washington, D.C.

The Tewaaraton Foundation will unveil the 2016 Tewaaraton Award Watch List live at a special fundraising reception in New York City on Feb. 23. Check Tewaaraton.com for more details.

For more information on the Tewaaraton Legends Award or to attend this exciting event, visit tewaaraton.com. Like and follow The Tewaaraton Foundation at facebook.com/tewaaraton, twitter.com/tewaaraton and instagram.com/tewaaraton.

About The Tewaaraton Foundation

First presented in 2001, the Tewaaraton Award is recognized as the preeminent lacrosse award, annually honoring the top male and female college lacrosse player in the United States. Endorsed by the Mohawk Nation Council of Elders and U.S. Lacrosse, the Tewaaraton Award symbolizes lacrosse’s centuries-old roots in Native American heritage. The Tewaaraton Foundation ensures the integrity and advances the mission of this award. Each year, the Tewaaraton Award celebrates one of the six tribal nations of the Iroquois Confederacy – the Mohawk, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora – and presents two scholarships to students of Native American descent. To learn more about The Tewaaraton Foundation, please visit www.tewaaraton.com.

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