POP QUIZ.
CAN YOU NAME THE FASTEST GROWING
SPORT IN THE UNITED STATES?
THE ANSWER IS LACROSSE.
AND THE RATE OF ITS GROWTH HAS
BEEN REMARKABLE.
ESPECIALLY HERE IN MINNESOTA.
THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
HASN'T ADDED A MEN'S SPORT IN
DECADES.
WITH THE GAME EXPLODING IN
POPULARITY, DAVID MCCOY
WONDERED, COULD LACROSSE BE
NEXT?
IT GIVES YOU A NEW RESPECT
FOR THE DEDICATION OF COLLEGE
ATHLETES.
AT THE DOME BY 5:30 FOR A
6:00 A.M.
PRACTICE AND THESE
GUYS AREN'T EVEN ON SCHOLARSHIP.
WE'RE TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING
THE OTHER D-I TEAMS ARE DOING ON
OUR OWN.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF
GOPHER'S MEN'S LACROSSE.
IT'S NOT A D-I SPORT BUT IT'S
ACTING LIKE ONE.
RICH HAS BEEN THE HEAD COACH FOR
THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
ON CAMPUS HE'S DEVELOPED THEM
INTO A NATIONAL CONTENDER AND
RANKED 18th.
GOOD TAKE.
HE HAS HIS EYES ON SOMETHING
EVEN BIGGER.
DIVISION 1 STATUS.
A RISE REFLECTING OF THE GROWTH
OF THE SPORT HERE IN MINNESOTA
AND NATIONALLY.
IT GREW SO FAST OR IT'S
GROWING SO FAST THAT IT WENT
FROM BEING OFF THE MAP TO
DIRECTLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
RADAR.
LACROSSE HAS BEEN THE FASTEST
GROWING SPORT IN THE COUNTRY FOR
MORE THAN A DECADE NOW.
THE NUMBER OF PLAYERS GROWING
MORE THAN 300% SINCE 2001 AND
NOWHERE IN THE COUNTRY IS IT
GROWING FASTER THAN MINNESOTA.
THERE'S A NUMBER OF BOY'S HIGH
SCHOOL TEAMS HAS GONE FROM 11
CLUB TEAMS IN 1999 TO 82
SANCTIONED THIS YEAR.
THAT NATIONWIDE GROWTH AT THE
YOUTH AND HIGH SCHOOL LEVELS HAS
SPURRED RAPID EXPANSION IN THE
COLLEGE RANKS, TOO.
IT'S THE FASTEST GROWING SPORT
IN MEN'S AND WOMEN'S BY A LARGE
MARGIN.
BUT THAT GROWTH HAS COME MOSTLY
AT THE DIII AND D-II WOMEN'S AND
WOMEN'S D-I.
IT'S BEEN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE FOR
D-I MEN'S TEAMS.
ESPECIALLY AS THOSE IN THE MOLD
OF MINNESOTA.
SINCE 2009 ONLY 14 SCHOOLS HAVE
ADDED D-I TEAMS.
IT'LL BY 15 BY 2019.
ONLY SEVEN HAD SCHOOLS WITH
FOOTBALL.
IN FACT, SINCE NOTRE DAME ADDED
MEN'S LACROSSE IN 1981, ONLY ONE
BCS SCHOOL HAS ADDED A MEN'S
TEAM.
MICHIGAN IN 2012.
THERE AREN'T AS MANY D-I
OPPORTUNITIES AT THE NCAA LEVELS
AS WE HAVE PLAYERS FOR.
THEY'RE GOOD PLAYERS.
HE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT
CHANGED.
HE'S PUSHING MINNESOTA INTO
POSITION AND SPOKEN WITH
MICHIGAN'S COACH A NUMBER OF
TIMES HOPING TO FOLLOW THEIR
BLUEPRINT.
THE PROCESS IS LONG AND IT
TAKES A VILLAGE FUND RISE
RAISING, ORGANIZATION, YOU'RE
WORKING AND OPERATING LIKE A
TEAM AND HOPEFULLY BUDGET WORKS
OUT ON THE UNIVERSITY SIDE.
THEY RECOGNIZE THE TEAM AND
THEY'RE ABLE TO FUND IT.
THERE'S A LOT MORE TO IT.
AS I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO
THIS AS A STATE, AS A
UNIVERSITY, THERE ARE A LOT OF
MOVING PARTS.
SUCH AS TITLE XI COMPLIANCE.
THE WOMEN'S CLUB TEAM WOULD NEED
TO MAKE THE JUMP, TOO.
THEY WENT TO THE NATIONAL TITLE
GAME LAST SEASON.
THE BIG ONE, AS YOU MIGHT
EXPECT, IS MONEY.
MICHIGAN NEEDED TO RAISE $5
MILLION TO FUND ITS MEN'S AND
WOMEN'S PROGRAM AND NEEDED TO
BUILD A DEDICATED LACROSSE
FACILITY.
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR DETERMINED THE
SCHOOL WOULD BENEFIT.
EVEN THOUGH IT'S A NONREVENUE
SPORT SAYING IT WOULD STRENGTHEN
MICHIGAN'S BRAND AND TAKE IT TO
PARTS OF THE COUNTRY IT HADN'T
GONE.
THERE'S A LOT TO HAPPEN AND
IT'S EXPENSIVE.
ONE ADVANTAGE, THE BIG TEN
STARTED SPONSORING THEM IN 2014
PUTTING MINNESOTA PERHAPS IN A
BETTER POSITION.
IT CERTAINLY OPENS THE
DISCUSSION.
MINNESOTA COULD BE READY IN
AS SOON AS FIVE YEARS.
IT HAS THE INTEREST AND THE HOME
GROWN TALENT BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE
THE FACILITIES AND IT DOESN'T
HAVE THE MONEY.
MARK COYLE SAYS MINNESOTA ISN'T
IN A POSITION TO ADD PROGRAMS
AND DOESN'T PLAN TO IN THE NEAR
TERM POINTING OUT IT ALREADY HAS
THE FOURTH MOST.
HE SAID THE QUESTION OF ADDING
PROGRAMS IS ONE OF THE MOST HE'S
ASKED.
HE DOES WANT THE DEPARTMENT
REFLECTIVE AT TRENDS AT THE HIGH
SCHOOL LEVEL TO ENSURE IT'S
PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE
FUTURE AND IT'S ALWAYS
EVALUATING THE MIX OF SPORTS IT
OFFERS.
THAT SOUNDS LIKE LACROSSE AS THE
NEXT LOGICAL STEP.
HE SAYS WHEN THE UNIVERSITY IS
READY, HIS TEAM WILL BE, TOO.
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE
THAT CARE ABOUT THIS SPORT.
WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN TOGETHER.
WE JUST NEED A PATH.
AS WE KEEP GROWING, IT'LL BE
UNDENIABLE AT SOME POINT AND
THEY'LL HAVE TO TAKE ACTION.
IT'LL HAPPEN.
DAVID MCCOY, WCCO SPORTS.
LACROSSE ISN'T THE ONLY CLUB
SPORT WITH ITS EYES ON MOVING
UP.
NOTABLY MEN'S SOCCER HAS LONG
SOUGHT TO JOIN MINNESOTA'S WOMEN
PROGRAM AND HAVE A STADIUM.