Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 12/28/17
From Press Release
The Intercollegiate Men’s Lacrosse Coaches Association inducted longtime Swarthmore Men’s Lacrosse head coach Avery Blake Sr. ’28 Hall of Fame Class earlier this month.
Blake began coaching at his alma mater in the 1931 season and coached for 29 with the Garnet. He amassed a career record of 180 wins, 107 losses, and two ties (.626 win percentage) in his time with Swarthmore and then went on to coach for 10 seasons at the University of Pennsylvania and two more at Villanova University.
Blake Sr. boasted a 66-46-1 record at Penn and helped the Quakers win five Penn-Del championships.
The Garnet won state titles in 1940 and 1947 and claimed a share of the title with Penn State University in 1948 and 1951. Swarthmore also won the Penn-Del Lacrosse League title in 1950, 1952, 1953, 1957 and 1959 and recorded five separate seasons with just a single loss.
Additionally, Blake coached 49 All-Americans during his tenure, including his son Avery Blake Jr., a four-time All-American who is a member of the Garnet Athletics Hall of Fame.
Blake Sr. served as the head coach of the Wildcats from 1970-72. During his three years he helped the 1971 then varsity club team reach a national ranking of 9 which they earned after they defeated nationally ranked UMBC in April of 1971.
Steve McLaughlin played three years for Coach Blake at midfield and the impact his former head coach had on him still lasts today.
“At 67 I still think of Coach Blake almost daily for what he taught me when I played Lacrosse at Villanova. Concentrate and focus were his message every day on the practice field and in games. He knew that the mental part of the game was as important if not more so than any physical ability. To be your best you had to pay attention and not be distracted by the myriad other things in life that could cause you to be less than yours.”
Blake Sr. played lacrosse at Swarthmore College from 1925-28 and was later named the head coach at his alma mater and held that position for 29 years (1931-59). During that time the Garnet’s were 180-107-2 (.626) and won state titles in 1940, 1947, and a shared title in 1951. Swarthmore also won the Penn-Del Lacrosse League title in 1950, 1952, 1953, 1957 and 1959.