Here is story from the Lacrosse newsgroup about another Parkie:
A friend forwarded this. Apparently from a UVa or Charlottesville paper:
By JOHN GALINSKY
Daily Progress staff writer
At first blush, it may seem odd that the Virginia men's
lacrosse players would dedicate their 1999 NCAA tournament to a frail,
bookish 55-year-old guy whose primary job is to keep their stats.
But for anyone who knows Doyle Smith, as everyone in the
lacrosse world does, there could be no more fitting source of motivation
for the Cavaliers than the man who has devoted so much of his life to
both the school and the sport.
"We all want to see Doyle go out with a national
championship," said UVa co-captain Tucker Radebaugh. "Giving him that
trophy on the field Monday would be awesome."
After more than three decades as lacrosse's ultimate
statistician and historian, Smith is retiring once the final four is
over. He doesn't want to stop doing the job he loves. But because of
Parkinson's disease, with which he was diagnosed 15 years ago, he feels
he must. A progressive disorder of the nervous system, Parkinson's has
robbed Smith of much of his speech and motor skills. He sometimes is
unintelligible when he talks and he has trouble performing everyday
activities like brushing his teeth. His mind, however, remains as sharp
as ever. And that, more than anything, will be missed.
"Honestly, we can't hope to replace him," said UVa coach Dom
Starsia. "It would take 10 people to try to fill his shoes. In our
sport, he's an icon. He's one of those rare people whose single first
name tells you all you need to know. When you say Doyle, everyone in our
sport knows who that is."
How a guy who never played the game became one of the lacrosse
community's most influential and respected figures is a remarkable
story. "More accident than anything else," he said, modestly.
In fact, Smith spent the first 18 years of his life in Oregon,
blissfully unaware that the sport of lacrosse even existed. That
changed, of course, when he came to Baltimore to study American history
at Johns Hopkins University in 1962.
At Hopkins, lacrosse is like a religion. At the time, each
student was required to play it in physical education class. With his
slight frame, Smith wasn't well-suited to wielding a stick. So he found
out a way to avoid playing -- become the team manager. In other words,
he said, the reason he got involved in the statistics-keeping,
behind-the-scenes side of lacrosse was simple: "Self-defense."
Gradually, though, Smith became absorbed in the sport and his
duties. He was Hopkins' manager for six years, the last two as a
graduate student. When he came to UVa to pursue his doctorate in 1968,
he still did not expect lacrosse would be his life's work. He figured he
would become a history professor or get involved in foreign affairs 97
"ambassador to the UK," he joked.
Instead, he joined the school's sports information department
as a part-time employee and once again immersed himself in the game. He
kept stats for the lacrosse team and was promoted to a full-time sports
information position in 1972. Soon after, he was appointed sports
information director of the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse
Association.
Somewhere along the way, he became known in the sport's inner
circle as Mr. Lacrosse for his encyclopedic knowledge of the game's
history, statistics and rules.
Myron Ripley, who has been an official scorer for Virginia
lacrosse games since the 1980s, recalls one incident during a game
against Johns Hopkins earlier this decade. The Cavaliers had scored a
goal moments after a Hopkins player was released from a penalty. Ripley
and the Hopkins scorer, a young woman, were arguing whether it should
count as an extra-man goal, since the player did not have time to affect
the play. Ripley said yes; she said no.
"Doyle was standing next to us and you could tell he wanted to
say something," Ripley recalled. "He was fidgeting. Finally, he just
said, 'He's right.' She looked at Doyle a little skeptically and said,
'Why are you so sure?' He said, 'I wrote the rule.'"
Indeed, Smith wrote the Lacrosse Statistician's Manual, which
is included in pages 31-34 of the NCAA Lacrosse Rule Book. Before the
NCAA began keeping lacrosse statistics several years ago, Smith did the
job by himself for nearly 20 years.
Such work may not seem important. But many current and former
college coaches say that by creating a historical record and codifying
the rules, Smith helped confer credibility and legitimacy to a sport
long known for being clubby and informal.
"He brought a discipline and thoroughness to our game that it
really needed," Starsia said. "There's always been a lot of fun and
enthusiasm associated with lacrosse. But to be taken seriously, we
needed a written record, people on the administrative side who were
advocates for the sport. Doyle was the right man at the right time."
Over the years, Smith also built a reputation for personal
integrity and professionalism that has won him universal respect in the
lacrosse community. He was named the USILA's Man of the Year in 1984 and
19" and is also a two-time recipient of UVa's prestigious Bus Male
Service Award
"He's the class of the game," said St. Anne's-Belfield boys'
lacrosse coach Doug Tarring, a former Cavalier player who came to UVa at
the same time as Smith.
Ever the perfectionist, Smith has held Virginia's players and
coaches to the same high standards he sets for himself.
"When I first came here, the thought of working for Doyle was
slightly intimidating," Starsia said. (How many coaches would say they
work for their assistant sports information director?) "He's like that
English teacher who you always hated for making sure your notebook was
just right. Your back straightens up and you're called to attention when
Doyle walks in the room."
But Starsia quickly discovered that Smith's rigid personality
also contained a soft side.
"Doyle is the most generous, sincere, loyal, thoughtful
person around," the coach said. "He will do anything for Virginia
lacrosse and its athletes." 20
"Doyle is such a big part of our program," said senior
midfielder Henry Oakey. "People see him keeping the stats, but they
don't see what he does for players. He invites us over to his house. He
always has a good word for us. It's really special because you can tell
he cares about us."
Because of that, the UVa seniors decided last week to make
T-shirts that had the initials EDS (for Edward Doyle Smith) and 1999
NCAA on the front, with the words "This Run's For You" on the back.
When they presented Smith with the shirt before their
quarterfinal game against Delaware last Sunday, he got choked up. "Very
impressive thing to do," Smith said in his typical understated way.
This weekend will mark the end of an era for lacrosse. Smith
has been the official scorer at the NCAA Final Four for most of the past
27 years. Because of health reasons, he wasn't able to attend last year.
This year he will go as a spectator.
And as a fan. Because his code of conduct required that he act
impartially as a scorer and statistician, he never let his true feelings
for the Cavaliers show during a game.
"This time," he said, "I'll get to cheer."
