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Crotty, Danowski Inducted into National Lacrosse Hall of Fame
1/10/2026 10:27:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
BALTIMORE, Md. – Duke men's lacrosse standouts Ned Crotty and Matt Danowski were inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the M&T Bank Exchange Saturday night.
The Blue Devil duo was among eight inductees – Ned Crotty, Matt Danowski, Leif Elsmo, Maggie Faulkner, Tom Flatley, Christie Jenkins Kemezis, Crista Samaras, Kristin Sommer Jenney.
Crotty and Danowski are the fourth and fifth Blue Devils on the men's side to be inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, joining Kevin Cassese and Eugene Corrigan.
A three-time All-American and winner of the 2010 Tewaaraton Award, Crotty departed Duke as one of the most decorated lacrosse players in Blue Devil history. In addition to his All-America honors, he garnered All-ACC honors twice and was the ACC Player of the Year in 2009 while leading the Blue Devils to ACC Championship titles in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Crotty spearheaded the attack unit in 2010 en route to leading Duke to its first NCAA title. He finished his collegiate career ranked second on Duke's all-time assists list (147) and fourth in points (239).
"I've always said that whatever I didn't learn from my parents and my family I learned from team sports, my coaches and my teammates," said Crotty. "And I've been blessed to have some of the best ones an athlete could ever ask for. I always knew that I loved the game and how much joy it brought me, which is the reason I played so long. I have so much gratitude for being able to be a part of it. For a kid who started playing for the sheer love of the game, then learning to play it the right way, to now be standing here with this great honor tonight is beyond my wildest dreams."
Equally as successful on the international lacrosse stage, Crotty was a member of three U.S. Men's world championship teams, winning gold in 2010 and 2018 and silver in 2014. He enjoyed a 12-year professional career, playing in the NLL, MLL and PLL.
Danowski is the most decorated player in Duke lacrosse history, earning nearly every award possible in his career. A four-time All-American, he won the Tewaaraton Award in 2007 as the nation's top player. He also garnered the USILA's Enners Award as the national player of the year in 2007 and 2008 and was voted the nation's top attackman with the Lt. Col. Jack Turnbull award in 2005 and 2007.
"I was very lucky to grow up in Farmingdale, New York," said Danowski. "Just blessed that my parents decided to find a house and move there and be there. I was surrounded by unbelievable coaches and men from when I was very young. Lacrosse got me to an academic institution I certainly couldn't get into without the sport, so I owe the sport everything in that."
Registering 90-plus points in three seasons, Danowski led the nation in scoring three times and finished as the all-time NCAA Division I scoring leader with 353 career points. He was a member of the 2018 U.S. Men's Team that won the world championship and played 11 years in the professional ranks while earning MLL all-star honors seven times. Matt joins his father John Danowski in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, becoming the 10th father-son duo to be inducted in the Hall of Fame.
"Lacrosse is an amazing thing," Danowski said. "Getting to go over to Israel to play lacrosse was an incredible experience. I'll be the first one to say it. I was towards the end of my career, and I didn't have a lot of business being on that team, besides the fact that I knew how to play my role. One of the great things about this induction is you really do have time to reflect on your career, and when you look back and have these moments and what stands out the most is just the teams I've been on."
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's lacrosse, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMLAX".
#GoDuke
The Blue Devil duo was among eight inductees – Ned Crotty, Matt Danowski, Leif Elsmo, Maggie Faulkner, Tom Flatley, Christie Jenkins Kemezis, Crista Samaras, Kristin Sommer Jenney.
Crotty and Danowski are the fourth and fifth Blue Devils on the men's side to be inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, joining Kevin Cassese and Eugene Corrigan.
A three-time All-American and winner of the 2010 Tewaaraton Award, Crotty departed Duke as one of the most decorated lacrosse players in Blue Devil history. In addition to his All-America honors, he garnered All-ACC honors twice and was the ACC Player of the Year in 2009 while leading the Blue Devils to ACC Championship titles in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Crotty spearheaded the attack unit in 2010 en route to leading Duke to its first NCAA title. He finished his collegiate career ranked second on Duke's all-time assists list (147) and fourth in points (239).
"I've always said that whatever I didn't learn from my parents and my family I learned from team sports, my coaches and my teammates," said Crotty. "And I've been blessed to have some of the best ones an athlete could ever ask for. I always knew that I loved the game and how much joy it brought me, which is the reason I played so long. I have so much gratitude for being able to be a part of it. For a kid who started playing for the sheer love of the game, then learning to play it the right way, to now be standing here with this great honor tonight is beyond my wildest dreams."
Equally as successful on the international lacrosse stage, Crotty was a member of three U.S. Men's world championship teams, winning gold in 2010 and 2018 and silver in 2014. He enjoyed a 12-year professional career, playing in the NLL, MLL and PLL.
Danowski is the most decorated player in Duke lacrosse history, earning nearly every award possible in his career. A four-time All-American, he won the Tewaaraton Award in 2007 as the nation's top player. He also garnered the USILA's Enners Award as the national player of the year in 2007 and 2008 and was voted the nation's top attackman with the Lt. Col. Jack Turnbull award in 2005 and 2007.
"I was very lucky to grow up in Farmingdale, New York," said Danowski. "Just blessed that my parents decided to find a house and move there and be there. I was surrounded by unbelievable coaches and men from when I was very young. Lacrosse got me to an academic institution I certainly couldn't get into without the sport, so I owe the sport everything in that."
Registering 90-plus points in three seasons, Danowski led the nation in scoring three times and finished as the all-time NCAA Division I scoring leader with 353 career points. He was a member of the 2018 U.S. Men's Team that won the world championship and played 11 years in the professional ranks while earning MLL all-star honors seven times. Matt joins his father John Danowski in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, becoming the 10th father-son duo to be inducted in the Hall of Fame.
"Lacrosse is an amazing thing," Danowski said. "Getting to go over to Israel to play lacrosse was an incredible experience. I'll be the first one to say it. I was towards the end of my career, and I didn't have a lot of business being on that team, besides the fact that I knew how to play my role. One of the great things about this induction is you really do have time to reflect on your career, and when you look back and have these moments and what stands out the most is just the teams I've been on."
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's lacrosse, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMLAX".
#GoDuke
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