Nov. 11, 2010

Brendan Looney played his first organized lacrosse game one week shy of his 21st birthday. He was a sophomore at Navy and took the field for the 2002 season-opener as a designated riding attackman. He was only a few weeks removed from having left Navy's football program; Looney was a highly regarded wide receiver at DeMatha (Md.) High, but Navy's change to a run-heavy offense limited his opportunities. Initially, lacrosse didn't promise much playing time either. Coaches remember that Looney's throwing and catching skills were so raw in the ’02 preseason they asked him to sit out certain drills.

But Looney attacked his new sport with the speed and strength honed on the football field and a unique toughness. It transformed him into a top defensive midfielder on Navy's best team in recent memory. Looney's last game was the 2004 NCAA Final, played before more than 40,000 fans at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium.

To read the rest of Christian Swezey's feature on InsideLacrosse.com, click here.