July 9, 2014 · 0 Comments
The National Lacrosse League has announced that Orangeville native Pat Coyle has been voted into the NLL Hall of Fame as inductee of the Class of 2014.
Coyle becomes the first defenseman in league history to win induction.
Coyle become the 22nd member.
He played 12 seasons in the league including seven seasons with the Toronto Rock from 1998-2004 and four years with the Colorado Mammoth from 2005-2008.
The defender played in 156 career regular season games, recording 940 loose balls and 133 points (28+105).
Coyle won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2002, the first year in which the award was given.
Coyle’s teams made it to the playoffs in 11 of his 12 seasons where he posted 12 points (3+9) along with 116 loose balls in 18 games played and won five championships (Toronto 1999-2000, 2002-2003 & Colorado 2006) in six Championship Game appearances.
He currently serves as an associate head coach with the Mammoth.
The five finalists for the Class of 2014 were selected last month by the League’s Hall of Fame Committee.
The other three finalists included Jake Bergey and two automatically returning from last year’s ballot in Pat McCready and Kaleb Toth.
Hall of Fame ballots were cast by the teams, current members of the NLL Hall of Fame and senior members of the league’s covering media. Voters were able to select up to three of the five nominees on the ballot.
To win induction into the Hall of Fame, nominees must be selected on a minimum of 75 percent of the overall ballots cast or 75 percent of ballots cast by Hall of Fame members.
Plans for the NLL Hall of Fame Class of 2014 induction ceremony will be announced at a later date.
The NLL Hall of Fame was established in 2006.