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| Native Americans had many versions of lacrosse. Some tribes had players hold 2 sticks, one in each hand. | |
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| In the Cherokee tribe lacrosse was known as "Little Brother of War" because it was excellent training for the military. Teams often consisted of 100's even 1000's of players. The goals were set miles apart. More than half of the time players didn't even touch the ball and they used the stick as a weapon to injure the opponents. Games lasted as long as 3 days. | |
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The way lacrosse became the name of the game was the Europeans. They saw the sticks and said they looked like a bishop's crozier which in French is "la crosse." |
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| The 1st official lacrosse game was 1844 and it was Native Americans vs. Europeans in Canada. Similar games were played in 1848 and 1851. The 1st written rules came from the Montreal Lacrosse Club, founded in 1856. The CNLA (Canadian National Lacrosse Association) was established in 1867, adopted the 1st written rules. College lacrosse started in Ivy League Schools. The college league was created in 1905. | |