Haverford men’s lacrosse was a comparatively late bloomer but wasted no time in springing into full flower. Then-athletic director and football coach Dana Swan, who had coached lacrosse at Washington & Lee, inspired a club team at Haverford in 1971, most of whose members had never handled a stick before.
The team “went varsity” the next year and almost reached the .500 level in its first season. Several football players became the mainstays of the early teams, particularly Doug Nichols ’73 as the gridiron game breathed its last at Haverford. Another early player was Steve Emerson ’74, President of the College 2007-11, who won the Rolex Achievement Award for excellence in lacrosse and professional life.
In 1974, a rivalry with Swarthmore began. Haverford leads the series 27-19. The Fords won nine straight against Swarthmore from 1991 through 1999 and six straight from 2005 through 2011. By the late 1970s, the team was fully competitive with rivals in the old Middle Atlantic Conference. Two Lower Merion (Pa.) High School lacrosse stars became Haverford classmates, Ray Lemisch ’79 and All-American Richie Schwab ’79. Both Schwab and Jeff Jollon ’97 represented Haverford in the North-South All-Star Game.
Swan coached until 1986. His successors have been Stewart Moan, David Hooks, Greg Zecca, Mike Murphy, Colin Bathory ’99, Brendan Dawson, and Nick Taylor. Under Zecca, Haverford defeated Centennial Conference rivals almost yearly, and in 1998 recorded its first victory over perennially-excellent Franklin & Marshall. The winning goal in that overtime classic was scored by Brian Bean ’98, who was selected as Haverford's first Centennial Conference Player of the Year. Bean, from Loyola in Baltimore, led the conference in scoring (48-34-82) as the Fords posted their highest Centennial finish ever in 1998. He ranks third among Haverford career scorers (146-118-264) behind ’98 teammate and 2001 STX/USILA honorable mention All-America Chris Anderson ’01.
Anderson, a three-time first-team All-Centennial pick and 2001 North-South game selection, surpassed Bean to become the Fords' career goal scoring leader (195) and the Centennial's all-time point producer (195g-80a-275 pts). Anderson broke his own Haverford record of 57 goals from 1999 with 65 goals in a career-best 65-19-84 senior season. Haverford has always been blessed with fine goalkeepers as well, including Uri Wurtzel ’89, Scott Schimpff ’95, Verizon Academic All-America Ian Pitha-Rowe ’99, former Division III Player of the Week John Michals ’04, and most recently All-Americans K.C. Peterson ’07, Joe Banno ’12, and Eric Caliendo ’16.
In 2006, head coach Mike Murphy led Haverford to a team to a national ranking and a postseason appearance for the first time ever. Murphy's men's lacrosse team had five All-Centennial Conference selections in 2006.
Haverford set a school record for wins (11) in 2008 and earned its third straight conference playoff berth, but more importantly, the Fords received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school's history. In 2010, under first-year head coach Colin Bathory ’99, the Fords captured their first Centennial Conference tournament title and made it to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament.
Away from its home on Swan Field, Haverford has taken spring trips to Florida, Colorado, California and North Carolina in past years. As lacrosse has widened beyond its traditional hotbeds in Maryland and Long Island, Haverford's roster has diversified and most parts of the country are represented. The Fords also maintain a 16-day non-traditional fall season with a large regional tournament as its climax.