Three-time world champ David Huntley dies
The lacrosse world is mourning the loss of one of its best known figures both north and south of the border.
David Huntley died Monday after suffering a heart attack while attending a box lacrosse game in Delray Beach, Fla., said long-time friend Dean French on Monday night.
Huntley, 60, a native of Rexdale, is the only person to be a part of Canada’s three world field lacrosse championships. In 1978, Huntley was a key player on Canada’s first gold medal team coached by Peterborough’s Bobby Allan, in Manchester, England. Huntley was the head coach of Canada’s second gold medal team in London, Ont., in 2006. He was the manager of Canada’s 2014 gold medal winner in Denver.
He was a standout at Johns Hopkins University where he led his team to two national championships and in 1979 won the McLaughlin Award as the most outstanding player in college lacrosse.
He remained in the Maryland area the rest of his life where he and his wife Nancy raised two children, Kevin, a lacrosse star in his own right for Johns Hopkins and Team Canada, and daughter Michelle, an engineer living in Texas.
Huntley coached in both the National Lacrosse League with the Philadelphia Wings and Major League Lacrosse with the Hamilton Nationals and this season for the Atlanta Blaze. He was a part of Team Canada in various roles for most of the past 40 years until he was dismissed last month by the Canadian Lactose Association along with French, the national team chairman, and indoor director John Mouradian. They, along with women’s director Gary Gait, went public with their disagreement with the CLA on issues related to national teams.
“David Huntley was the heart and soul of Team Canada lacrosse,” French said.
“Dave’s legacy will be how much emphasis he put on team first and the character of the Canadian player based on Canadian values. He really emphasized how important team-first was.”
French said Huntley was more proud of his children than anything he accomplished. He said he also loved his wife dearly.
“It was more important to Dave that Kevin was of good character and a good person than an amazing player,” French said. “I think his legacy is also going to be those children.”