MILL 1992 Playoff Program

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EPISODE #55: Russ Cline and the Birth of Modern-Day Indoor Box Lacrosse

Our first-ever (and long-overdue) exploration of the sport of professional lacrosse begins with a conversation with one of the godfathers of the modern indoor game, Russ Cline – founder (along with partner and fellow Kansas City sports promoter Chris Fritz) of 1987’s seminal four-team Eagle Pro Box

The sport of professional lacrosse begins with a conversation with one of the godfathers of the modern indoor game, Russ Cline. Check out the excellent Podcast from our friends at GoodSeatsStillAvailable.com

Genial host Tim Hanlon talks with Cline about how he and partner, fellow Kansas City sports promoter Chris Fritz, came up with the original Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League (soon renamed the Major Indoor Lacrosse League (MILL). The duo’s rationale behind choosing lacrosse as the focus of their entrepreneurial efforts; the slow-growth approaches to expansion beyond the lacrosse-rich Northeast and national television coverage; the business model battle between single-entity and individually-owned franchises; and the delicate balance between maintaining the integrity of the sport’s rich history and marketing a hard-hitting, high-scoring, action-packed entertainment product.

Plus: playing surfaces borne of carpet remnants and Coca-Cola; robbing Philadelphia to pay Baltimore; becoming ESPN2’s first-ever scheduled pro league; and turning down a very tempting birthday gift!

Click on photo to see full image gallery.