Philly legends Sweeney (LSM, Springfield-Delco), Bowers (umpire, Upper Darby) are inducted into USA Lacrosse Hall of Fame
January 10, 2024 by Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 1/10/24
From USA Lacrosse
The Hall of Fame Class of 2023, pictured left to right, Devon Wills, Kyle Harrison, Laura Hebert, Kyle Sweeney, Lynn Bowers, John Danowski, Katie Chrest Erbe, and Bob Shaw.
Eight lacrosse greats were formally inducted as the newest members of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame Saturday evening during a festive celebration at Baltimore’s Renaissance Harborplace Hotel.
The Class of 2023 features five members — Springfield-Delco graduate Kyle Sweeney (Penn State), Katie Chrest Erbe, Kyle Harrison, Bob Shaw, and Devon Wills – who were officially inducted as truly great players, two others – Upper Darby alum Lynn Burnes Bowers (Penn State) and Laura Hebert – inducted as truly great officials/contributors, and one member – John Danowski – inducted as a truly great coach.
Still active as an elite official on the field, Bowers has been a women’s game official since 1992. During her career, she has worked 11 NCAA Division I championship games and 18 Division I semifinal games. Off the field, Bowers has had leadership positions in both the Collegiate Women’s Lacrosse Officiating Association and the Philadelphia Women’s Lacrosse Umpires Association, and has served in training and mentoring roles for women’s lacrosse officials at all levels.
“I love officiating. Simply put, it has brought me absolute joy. I am absolutely passionate about officiating,” said Bowers, who then closed her acceptance speech with a personalized version of the ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas poem, detailing her life as a women’s game official.
Sweeney was a three-time All-American at Georgetown University and used his athleticism to help revolutionize the long-stick middie position during his collegiate and professional career. After college, Sweeney enjoyed a long and successful professional career, playing in both Major League Lacrosse and the National Lacrosse League while garnering all-star honors 10 times. He also played on the 2006 and 2010 U.S. Men’s national teams, capturing gold in 2010 while being named to the All-World team.
“When I was playing, it wasn’t as common for long poles to carry the ball down, be involved in the offense, to score or have assists,” said Sweeney, who often served as an offensive threat in addition to being a shutdown defender. “The general sentiment was basically ‘get the ball and get the heck off the field.’”
Nearly 40 current Hall of Fame members gathered in Baltimore to welcome the Class of 2023.
The National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, a program of USA Lacrosse, was established in 1957 to honor men and women who by their deeds as players, coaches, officials and/or contributors, and by the example of their lives, personify the great contribution of lacrosse to our way of life. Since its inception, nearly 500 lacrosse greats have been recognized in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame & Museum, which is located at USA Lacrosse Headquarters in Sparks, Maryland.
Bios
Kyle Sweeney
Sweeney, a Springfield-Delco and Penn State grad and former Barrage and Wings standout, is being inducted as a truly great player. He was a three-time All-American at Georgetown University while also being named twice as the ECAC’s Defensive Player of the Year, as well as the league’s Rookie of the Year in 2000. A long-stick middie, Sweeney graduated from Georgetown in 2003 as the Hoyas’ all-time leader in ground balls with 229. After college, Sweeney enjoyed a long and successful professional career, playing in both Major League Lacrosse and the National Lacrosse League while garnering all-star honors 10 times. He won four MLL championships over the course of 15 years. Sweeney also played on the 2006 and 2010 U.S. Men’s national teams, capturing gold in 2010 while being named to the All-World team. He has been previously inducted into the Springfield High School Hall of Fame and the USA Lacrosse Philadelphia/Eastern PA Chapter Hall of Fame.
Lynn Burnes Bowers
Bowers, a Philly umpire legend, is being inducted as a truly great official. Still active as one of the top officials on the field, Bowers has been a women’s game official since 1992, when she earned her first Local rating. She earned her National rating in 1997, and during her career, she has worked 11 NCAA Division I national championship games and 18 Division I semifinal games. She has also served as the lead official for championship games in the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, CAA, and Ivy League, among others. Off the field, Bowers has had leadership positions in both the Collegiate Women’s Lacrosse Officiating Association (CWLOA) and the Philadelphia Women’s Lacrosse Umpires Association (PWLUA), and has served in training and mentoring roles for women’s lacrosse officials. Bowers has also been a frequent presenter at the USA Lacrosse Convention. She was previously inducted into USA Lacrosse Philadelphia/Eastern PA Chapter Hall of Fame in 2017. Bowers starred at Upper Darby High School where she received All-Delco accolades. Her playing career continued at Penn State where she was a member of the 1989 National Championship team.
