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Denver Outlaws (2006–2020)

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Not to be confused with the Premier Lacrosse League team, the Denver Outlaws (2024-Present).

Denver Outlaws
SportLacrosse
Founded2006
Folded2020[1]
LeagueMLL
Based inDenver, Colorado
StadiumEmpower Field at Mile High
ColorsBlack, orange, silver
     
OwnerEstate of Pat Bowlen
Head coachTony Seaman
General managerJon Cohen
Championships3 (2014, 2016, 2018)

The Denver Outlaws were a Major League Lacrosse professional men's field lacrosse team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They began playing in the MLL in 2006 as an expansion team.

During their time in the MLL, the Outlaws played in the championship game a league-record ten times. Missed the playoffs just once in franchise history and never had a losing season. The Outlaws regularly posted the highest attendance in the league. The Outlaws won their first MLL Championship on August 23, 2014, defeating the Rochester Rattlers 12-11 and won their second MLL Championship in 2016, defeating the Ohio Machine 19–18. On August 18, 2018, the Outlaws won their third championship by defeating the Dallas Rattlers, 16–12.

Franchise history

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MLL expands west

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The Outlaws had their inaugural game on May 20, 2006, versus the Chicago Machine at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. It was played in front of a Major League Lacrosse record crowd of 13,167 (but was broken again later that year at another Denver home game which drew 15,981), where the Outlaws won 24–14.[2] The Outlaws won the Western Conference championship in their first season.

On June 16, 2007, the Rochester Rattlers won a game in overtime 27–26 over the Outlaws in the highest scoring game in MLL history at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

Denver hosted the 2008 Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game in front of 10,124 people, with the Western Conference defeating the Eastern Conference 31–15.

In 2012, behind the strong veteran play of MLL MVP Brendan Mundorf and Defensive Player of the Year Lee Zink, Denver capped their regular season with a 15–13 victory over Chesapeake to finish the year with an 11–3 record, which represented the most wins in team history for a single season. Additionally, Denver entered the postseason as the No. 1 seed for the second time in franchise history and first time since 2009.

During Championship Weekend in Boston, the Outlaws trailed 12–3 to Long Island with 11:32 to play in the third quarter. It appeared as if Denver's record-setting season had reached its end. Yet, that's when Denver set another record with a 10–0 run to end the game, catapulting the franchise into the Steinfeld Cup title game with a 13–12 victory over Long Island. Unfortunately, in the title game versus Chesapeake, the Outlaws were unable to muster that same kind of comeback magic and fell to the Bayhawks 16–6, falling one win short of their first MLL Championship.

In 2013 the Denver Outlaws posted the first undefeated regular season (14-0) in MLL history after beating the Hamilton Nationals 18–12 to finish the season. But they fell to the Charlotte Hounds in the semifinal the next week, as their first Steinfeld Cup continued to be elusive.

Championship breakthroughs

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BJ O'Hara took over as head coach for the 2014 season. That year, the Outlaws posted a 9–5 record and won their first Steinfeld Cup as the second seed. They defeated the New York Lizards in the semifinals, 14–13, in the first ever home playoff game in Denver. On August 23, the Outlaws defeated the top-seeded Rochester Rattlers 12–11 to win their first MLL Championship in the team's 9-year history, thanks to a go-ahead Drew Snider goal with 56 seconds remaining.[3] In 2015, however, the Outlaws missed the postseason for the first time ever in franchise history after posting a 7–7 record (also their worst record in franchise history).

The 2016 season saw the Outlaws get out to their worst start in franchise history at 2–6. After trading John Grant Jr. to the Ohio Machine, they won their last six games of the regular season to be one of the seven teams in the league to finish 8–6. With the tiebreaker procedures, they ended up with the third seed and faced the Lizards in the semifinals. In Fairfield, Connecticut, the Outlaws defeated the Lizards, 20–17. The next week, they faced the top-seeded Machine, featuring John Grant Jr. Two weeks prior, Grant Jr. scored an MLL-record 10 goals in the final week of the regular season to secure a playoff spot for the Ohio Machine. In the championship game, the Outlaws fell behind the Machine, 9–3 in Atlanta. Lightning delayed the game for 97 minutes, and the Outlaws scored the next four goals to cut the deficit to 9–7. The Machine came back with five straight and Denver went into the locker room trailing 14–7, at halftime. The Outlaws roared back to tie the score at 15 by the start of the final quarter, before Eric Law scored a go-ahead goal with 12.9 seconds left. The Outlaws shutdown the Machine's last scoring threat and claimed their second Steinfeld Cup victory in three years.

The Outlaws returned to the big game in 2017, where they again faced the Machine. The Outlaws led for most of the game by as many as four goals when the score reached 10–6 with three minutes left in the third. However, after taking a 12–10 lead with 10:30 to go in the game, they gave up seven straight goals and lose their fifth championship game in their seventh appearance, 17–12, allowing the Machine to win their franchise's first title.[4]

Much like their 2016 championship season, the 2018 Outlaws struggled out of the gate. On Mother's Day, the Outlaws dropped a 24-22 barnburner to the Chesapeake Bayhawks in front of 1,788 fans at Mile High.[5] But the resilient Outlaws rattled off six straight victories ending with a 25-11 blowout of Boston at their annual Fourth of July game in front of 29,973 fans. The team finished 8-6 and in third place.

Despite getting swept by the Bayhawks 2–0 in the regular season, the Outlaws would go to Annapolis and get a gutsy 13–12 victory in the league semifinals.[6] The following week in Charleston, South Carolina, the Outlaws would face the Dallas Rattlers, who also swept them in the regular season, for the 2018 Steinfeld Cup. Denver would use a 7–0 run in the second and third quarters, and a nine-point performance from Matt Kavanagh to defeat Dallas, 16-12 for their third championship in five years.[7] Rookie Chris Cloutier won Rookie of the Year for the 2018 season.[8]

After the departure of over 140 MLL players to the new Premier Lacrosse League attributed to the contraction of the league from nine to six teams, the Outlaws posted a 9–7 record in 2019. Despite tying their franchise record for most losses in a season, with the longer regular season the Outlaws claimed the second seed heading to the championship weekend, which would be played in Denver for the first time. Although the Outlaws rallied to defeat the Boston Cannons, 17–15 in the semifinal, they were not able to ride the homefield advantage to their fourth title. The Chesapeake Bayhawks left Denver as victors, 10–9, after scoring two goals in the last three minutes.[9]

The 2020 season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantined at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, home to the Chesapeake Bayhawks. In a five-game regular season, the Outlaws stormed to a 4–0 start highlighted by an 18-6 throttling of the new Connecticut Hammerheads and a 13–12 overtime victory over the defending champion Bayhawks. They entered the postseason as the top seed. However, on the last night of the regular season, a Bayhawks player tested positive for COVID-19. The semifinal game between the second-seeded Hammerheads and third-seeded Bayhawks was canceled as both teams withdrew from the tournament. As a result, the semifinal between the Outlaws and the Boston Cannons was moved to the next day to serve as the championship. In their league-record tenth championship appearance, the Outlaws fell to the Cannons, 13–10.[10]

Ceased operations

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On December 16, 2020, the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) announced a merger with Major League Lacrosse.[11] The move created a unified outdoor lacrosse league that kept the PLL name and eliminated all home market teams. This left six MLL franchises, including Denver, on the outside. The league retained the rights to the now-retired team identities with the option to use these brands in future expansion.[1]

General Managers

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  • General manager - Jon Cohen

Current coaching staff

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  • Head coach - Tony Seaman
  • Offensive coordinator - John Grant Jr.
  • Defensive coordinator - Matt Bocklet
  • Strength and conditioning Coach - Chris Spangler

All-time head coaches

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# Name Term Regular Season Playoffs
GC W L W% GC W L W%
1 Jarred Testa 2006 12 10 2 .833 2 1 1 .500
2 Jim Beardsmore 2007 4 1 3 .250 - - - -
3 Brian Reese 2007–2011 56 38 18 .679 7 2 5 .286
4 Jim Stagnitta 2012–2013 28 25 3 .893 3 1 2 .333
5 B.J. O'Hara 2014–2018 70 41 29 .586 7 6 1 .857
6 Tony Seaman 2019-2020 21 13 8 .619 3 1 2 .333

Roster

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2020 Denver Outlaws
Number Player's Name Nationality Position Height Weight College
2 Kyle Pless United States D 5 ft 10 in 178 lb Rutgers
4 Brian Begley United States M 5 ft 10 in 185 lb Loyola
5 Will Snider United States M 6 ft 2 in 220 lb Maryland
9 Max Adler (C) Israel FO 5 ft 10 in 180 lb Bentley
10 Colton Jackson United States M 6 ft 1 in 200 lb Denver
12 Andrew Newbold United States D 6 ft 3 in 210 lb Sacred Heart
18 Nick Washuta United States G 6 ft 3 in 195 lb Vermont
20 Chase Caruso United States LSM 5 ft 11 in 180 lb Sacred Heart
21 Garrett Michaeli United States D 6 ft 3 in 205 lb Rutgers
22 Michael Rexrode (C) United States D 6 ft 0 in 180 lb Rutgers
23 Charlie Hayes United States M 5 ft 11 in 180 lb Detroit
24 John Grant Jr. Canada A 6 ft 2 in 220 lb Delaware
32 Sean Mayle United States LSM 6 ft 1 in 200 lb Denver
34 Dylan Jinks United States A 5 ft 10 in 190 lb Hartford
38 Casey Dowd United States FO 5 ft 9 in 220 lb Siena
40 Christian Knight United States G 6 ft 1 in 195 lb Cornell
43 Miles Silva United States A 6 ft 4 in 225 lb Army
45 Ryan Lee Canada A 6 ft 2 in 200 lb RIT
46 Tom Rigney United States D 6 ft 3 in 225 lb Army
50 Jack Jasinski United States M 5 ft 7 in 165 lb Ohio State
57 Chris Aslanian United States A 6 ft 3 in 190 lb Hobart
59 Mikie Schlosser (C) United States M 6 ft 2 in 180 lb Michigan
68 Taylor Stuart Canada D 6 ft 0 in 185 lb Bellarmine
77 Daniel Bucaro United States A 6 ft 2 in 195 lb Georgetown
80 James Burr United States A 6 ft 0 in 190 lb Boston University
88 Pat Aslanian United States M 6 ft 2 in 205 lb Notre Dame

(C)- captain

MLL Award winners

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Most Valuable Player

Rookie of the Year

Coach of the Year

Defensive Player of the Year

Offensive Player of the Year

Goalie of the Year

Most Improved Player

Retired numbers

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  • 19 - Jesse Schwartzman
  • 29 - Lee Zink
  • 7 - Matt Bocklet

Season by season

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Denver Outlaws
Year W L % Regular season finish Playoffs
2006 10 2 .883 1st in Western Conference Won semifinal 23–14 over San Francisco Dragons
Lost championship 23–12 to Philadelphia Barrage
2007 7 5 .583 2nd in Western Conference Lost semifinal 13-12 (OT) to Philadelphia Barrage
2008 8 4 .667 1st in Western Conference Won semifinal 13–12 over Los Angeles Riptide
Lost championship 16–6 to Rochester Rattlers
2009 9 3 .750 1st in Division Won semifinal over Boston Cannons 11-10
Lost championship to Toronto Nationals 10-9
2010 8 4 .667 2nd in League Lost semifinal to Long Island Lizards 16-12
2011 7 5 .583 2nd in League Lost semifinal to Hamilton Nationals 9-11
2012 11 3 .786 1st in League Won semifinal vs Long Island Lizards 13-12
Lost championship 16–6 to Chesapeake Bayhawks
2013 14 0 1.000 1st in League Lost semifinal vs. Charlotte Hounds 17-14
2014 9 5 .643 2nd in League Won semifinal vs New York Lizards 14-13
Won championship vs. Rochester Rattlers 12-11
2015 7 7 .500 5th in League Did not Qualify
2016 8 6 .571 3rd in League Won semifinal vs New York Lizards 20-17
Won championship vs. Ohio Machine 19-18
2017 9 5 .643 1st in League Won semifinal vs Rochester Rattlers 15-8
Lost championship vs Ohio Machine 12-17
2018 8 6 .571 3rd in League Won semifinal vs. Chesapeake Bayhawks 13-12
Won championship vs. Dallas Rattlers 16-12
2019 9 7 .563 2nd in League Won semifinal vs. Boston Cannons 17-15
Lost championship vs. Chesapeake Bayhawks 9-10
2020 4 1 .800 1st in League Lost championship vs. Boston Cannons 10-13
Totals 128 63 .670 Total Playoff Record 12 - 11
Playoff Win % = .522

Draft history

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References

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  1. ^ a b Shapiro, Jake (December 18, 2020). "Denver Outlaws without a home after Major League Lacrosse merges with PLL". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on February 18, 2021.
  2. ^ Smith, Theresa (May 20, 2006). "A sock it to 'em debut". The Denver Post.
  3. ^ Outlaws top Rattlers 12-11 for first MLL championship
  4. ^ "Denver Outlaws fall to Ohio Machine in 2017 MLL Championship". Denver Outlaws. August 20, 2017.
  5. ^ "Denver Outlaws lose 24-22 to Bayhawks". Denver Outlaws. May 14, 2018.
  6. ^ "Outlaws to make league record 8th championship game appearance following 13-12 semifinals win over Bayhawks". Denver Outlaws. August 12, 2018.
  7. ^ "Outlaws win third MLL championship with 16-12 win over Dallas Rattlers". Denver Outlaws. August 19, 2018.
  8. ^ "Cascade Rookie of the Year Award". Major League Lacrosse. August 17, 2018.
  9. ^ Bayhawks win 2019 MLL Championship
  10. ^ "Cannons win 2020 MLL championship". Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  11. ^ Turner, Nick (December 16, 2020). "Premier Lacrosse League Merging With Rival in Bid to Unify Sport". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on July 2, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  12. ^ "2006 MLL Draft". Lax.com. June 1, 2006. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014.
  13. ^ "Outlaws Acquire Five in 2007 College Draft". OurSports Central. June 1, 2007.
  14. ^ "MLL Collegiate Draft 2008". Lax.com. May 29, 2008. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014.
  15. ^ "2009 MLL College Draft". Lax.com. May 29, 2009. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014.
  16. ^ Devitte, Kyle (July 23, 2010). "Draft Grades: Analyzing the 2010 Major League Lacrosse collegiate draft". Inside Lacrosse.
  17. ^ "2011 MLL Draft Results". Major League Lacrosse. March 2, 2011.
  18. ^ "2012 MLL Draft Results". Major League Lacrosse. March 18, 2012.
  19. ^ "2013 Collegiate Draft Results". Major League Lacrosse. January 1, 2013. Archived from the original on February 26, 2014.
  20. ^ "2014 Collegiate Draft Results". Major League Lacrosse. January 1, 2014. Archived from the original on February 9, 2014.
  21. ^ "2015 Collegiate Draft Results". Major League Lacrosse. January 1, 2015.
  22. ^ Gadsby, Paige (January 22, 2016). "Atlanta Blaze Select Duke's Myles Jones No.1 Overall in 2016 MLL Collegiate Draft". Major League Lacrosse. Archived from the original on March 30, 2016.
  23. ^ "Denver Outlaws Make 10 Selections In 2017 MLL Collegiiate Draft". Denver Outlaws. May 30, 2017.
  24. ^ "Denver Outlaws Select Eight Players In The 2018 MLL Collegiate Draft". Denver Outlaws. April 19, 2018.
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