Yale Won The Men's Lacrosse National Championship, And Their Coach Cried In The Manliest Way Ever

Yesterday, Yale won the men’s lacrosse division 1 national championship. Yale. Fucking Yale. These guys STUNK when I was in college. They were the only Ivy League team we beat my freshman year. And somehow, Andy Shay has turned their program from a middling Ivy League team to NATIONAL CHAMPIONS. I don’t follow college lacrosse that much, so I honestly have no idea how this happened. But honestly, I’m so pumped for Yale. We Ivy Leaguers have to stick together. Nothing but love for this squad and their incredible year. It’s so much harder to win a national championship when your league limits the number of off-season practices you can have to “protect the academic integrity of the student-athlete” or some bullshit, or when you can’t recruit complete meatheads because the admissions committee told you the entire team needs to be literate. So, huge congrats to Yale, who also won the hockey national championship in 2013? What the hell is in the water in New Haven, besides lead and probably some hypodermic needles?

The highlight for me was the post-game interview of Yale’s coach, Andy Shay. Shay was coaching when I was playing and he actually recruited me. I always liked him. I remember he called me and had to get off the call because he was heading into a lamaze class with his expecting wife. I liked that–he felt like a real human being instead of a salesman. Of course, I didn’t go there, but he always seemed like a good guy. And that impression was totally enforced with this interview. He fights back tears because he’s so proud of his team, and he does it like a goddamn man. There’s a certain way that men can cry in sports and we love it. Hockey players are really good at it. Andy Shay nailed it. And then, halfway through the interview, it finally hits home and he loses his mind for a second. “We’re national champs, dude!” Dude had no idea they had won. Hadn’t set in at all. “Just looked over your shoulder and saw the score board.” If that doesn’t make you smile, then you probably blame college lacrosse players for the patriarchy or something.

Congrats Coach Shay. You deserve it.