Class of 1979
Sports: Lacrosse and Soccer
Positions: Attack and Fullback
Jersey: #11
Athletic Accomplishments:
Soccer: Peter was team MVP for1978. During his career he was chosen as First team All-Conferenceand named to National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics(NAIA) District 19 first team All-Stars.
Lacrosse: Senior year, he waschosen honorable mention, All–American; the only St.Mary’s player so recognized. He was also the third leadingscorer in nation. Peter was chosen as the College’s MaleAthlete of the Year for 1979.
Most Memorable Experience at St.Mary’s:
#1: “Beating Salisbury in lacrosse.Unfortunately, it has only happened once since 1977 and is humblingto realize that it took so long to do it a second time. Thehumbling part is that my teammates and I are now more than 30 yearsolder and have actually aged since then. The game was at St.Mary’s and our fans were unbelievable. Cars and vans backedup to and surrounding the field as there was no stadium or even afence to limit access. The fans harassed the Salisbury players tothe point that after the game ended, Salisbury actually startedtrying to fight our fans. It was pretty crazy, celebrating thevictory while holding back our fans from literally beating up theSeagulls.” #2: “Spring Break 1977. The lacrosse teamtraveled to North Carolina where we played Duke and UNC. We spenttwo nights at a ‘summer camp’ that barely had runningwater and was in the middle of nowhere. We lost to Duke prettybadly but beat UNC the next day.” #3: “A sign of thetimes that should make the athletes of today appreciate what theyhave. The AD asked our lacrosse coach, as a means of saving moneyto: a. Have us keep our ankles, knees or whatever taped for twodays instead of cutting it off after one and b. Have a mealallowance of $2 for an away game instead of the normal $3 since itwas really only a scrimmage.”
Most Missed:
“The fans. It was a very unique venue back then. Cars,vans and trucks were allowed to park on the field and wouldtypically harbor kegs and coolers which never stayed full. Playwould routinely be stopped due to a dog running on the field.Visiting teams would be harassed unmercifully both verbally and onoccasion, physically. The physical abuse was not malicious, just afew oranges tossed at players or their shorts pulled to the groundas they readied on the wing to pursue a faceoff. Our teams, bothsoccer and lacrosse were comprised of a few solid players, and alot of guys who in some cases had never played before. Forinstance, in my first two years playing lacrosse we had less than20 guys on the team, of which not even 12 had played in highschool. We never won a championship, but we did compete at a veryhigh level attaining the first ever national ranking in lacrossefor St. Mary’s.
Words of Advice for Today’s SeahawkAthlete:
“Stop—look around, absorb and enjoyevery moment you’re on the field. You have been given a giftto play ball in one of the most unique settings in college sports.Try and enjoy every moment as four years of hard work will rewardyou with a lifetime of memories and relationships.”
Since St. Mary’s:
“Trying to figure out how I turned 53! I amstill living in Lutherville, Maryland, married to a St.Mary’s graduate and on many occasions still hanging out withour college friends. After successful stints in the Fortune 100world, American Express, GE and Expedia, I am working with a smalldata company out of Louisville, Kentucky. I have three childrenwhom have not followed in my footsteps athletically, but arechasing their passions independently.”
Involvement in Sports Today:
“I still play lacrosse in a spring league as well atseveral tournaments around the country with other St. Mary’steammates, John Nocher ’81 (1993 Hall ofFamer), Vim Cassard ’84, Rich Magness ’80, SamBland ’78 (founder of the Geezers Lacrosse Club),Wes Cook ’78, Jake Jacobs ’74, andJim Matters ’75. Our most notableaccomplishment was winning the 1994 Lacrosse World Games inManchester, England with fellow alums, Corey Roberts’81, Mike Lord ’81, and Jake Jacobs’74.”
Other Thoughts/Memories:
“Riding the ‘blue goose’forever. St. Mary’s had a glorified school bus thatwe used for away games. Custom seats with a head rest, no airconditioning with a top speed of 60. Way too many hours were loggedon that bus by myself and hundreds of other players. Boxlunches for away games—sandwiches. One piece ofbologna, or cheese or salami between two slices of white bread. Nocondiments. Eaten only under dire circumstances…And no,not all three items were on one sandwich and it wassupplied for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Equipment issuedto players to participate, NONE. We did get shoes forlacrosse twice but that was it. Bus rides home after awin, we were allowed to drink on the bus! [legal drinkingage was 18] Then there were the beer sprints the nextday…Trainers, we were blessed with astudent trainer, Julie Arrogancia ’78 wholearned on the job. She was awesome given what she had to workwith, and that includes the athletes who frequented the closetshe worked in. Weight room—it didn’texist. Coaches—John Sothoron (1997 Hall ofFamer) took the lacrosse program from nothing to nationalrecognition. He did so by committing a ton of hours and effort thatI have never said thank you for. Thanks John for putting up with meand the antics of our team that never ceased to amaze any of us.Mike Sweeney (2006 Legend) took over themen’s soccer program when I was a senior and his legacyspeaks for itself. He helped inspire many men and then women toachieve through hard work.”
“It is with great pride that I share these thoughts. St.Mary’s provided me with a stage to take advantage of and growin ways that I am thankful. As for my comments, I trust they aretaken in the light that they are being shared; with fond affectionfor the College and its programs that provided us all with anopportunity to shine, by people that were supporting us asbest they could in a time when St. Mary’s was definingitself. It is an honor to be associated with the College and toprovide these candid thoughts.”
