Doug Knight

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Doug Knight
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight190 pounds (86 kg)
ShootsLeft
PositionAttack
NCAA teamUniversity of Virginia
NLL draft33rd overall, 1997
Baltimore Thunder
MLL teamsBoston Cannons
Philadelphia Barrage
Pro career2000–2007
U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame, 2017

Doug Knight is an American lacrosse player who had a standout collegiate career at the University of Virginia, where he set numerous scoring records. He was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2017.[1]

High school and collegiate career[edit]

A native of Katonah, New York, Knight attended Hackley School in Tarrytown NY through the 10th grade and then attended prep school at the Westminster School in Connecticut, where he excelled in lacrosse, soccer, and ice hockey[2] and was selected as a high school lacrosse All-American.[3]

Knight played attack at the University of Virginia from 1994 to 1997, where he set numerous scoring records and was named a three time All-American, as a Second Team selection in 1995 and a First Team selection in 1996 and 1997. In 1996, Knight led the nation in scoring with 56 goals and 30 assists for 86 total points.[4] That year, the USILA selected him as Player of the Year in Division I, awarding him the Lt. Raymond Enners Award. Knight was a member of two Virginia squads that advanced to the NCAA championship game, one in 1994 and one in 1996. Both title games ended with Princeton University defeating Virginia by one goal in overtime.

Knight is a member of the University of Virginia Hall of Fame. He was the all-time career scoring leader for the Virginia Cavaliers with 165 goals and 84 assists for 249 points (60 games) until that total was surpassed by Steele Stanwick in 2012. Knight's nation-leading 56 goals in 1996 was a school record for most goals in a season until broken by Xander Dickson in 2023, and was also an Atlantic Coast Conference record until that number was surpassed in 2007 by Duke attackman Zack Greer. Knight is also tied with two other Cavaliers (Garrett Billings and Butch McCleary) for having scored the most Virginia goals in a single game, with eight goals versus Syracuse in 1996.[5] He holds the Virginia records for highest average goals per game in a season with 3.7 goals in 1996, most consecutive games with goals scored at 39 games, and most games in a career with goals scored at 55 games (tied with Matt Ward). In 2002, Knight was selected as one of the 50 greatest lacrosse players in ACC history when he was picked as a member of the ACC 50th Anniversary Men's Lacrosse Team.[6] The Virginia attack unit consisting of Knight, Michael Watson, and Tim Whiteley is regarded as among the best of all time,[7][8][9] leading the nation in offensive output and setting several ACC records.

Knight, along with Virginia teammate Michael Watson, is credited with popularizing "the dive" or "the dive shot,"[10][11][12][13] an acrobatic move where an offensive player attacks the goal from behind the net by diving airborne through the goal crease while shooting the ball at the goal while in mid-air. The NCAA subsequently banned this practice in 1998 due to safety concerns and difficulty in officiating the play.[14]

Professional career[edit]

Upon graduation, Knight briefly played professional indoor lacrosse in the National Lacrosse League for the Rochester Knighthawks and the Baltimore Thunder. He also played professional outdoor lacrosse in the Major League Lacrosse for the Boston Cannons and the Philadelphia Barrage, where he tallied 22 goals and 16 assists in 18 games.

Knight has also served as an assistant lacrosse coach at the University of Virginia, St. Paul's School, Haverford School, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Statistics[edit]

University of Virginia[edit]

     
Season GP G A Pts PPG
1994 16 18 7 25 --
1995 15 52 14 66 --
1996 15 56 30 86 --
1997 14 39 33 72 --
Totals 60 165 84 249 --

MLL[edit]

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team GP G A Pts LB PIM GP G A Pts LB PIM
2001 Boston 10 13 8 21 18 -- -- -- -- -- -- --
2005 Philadelphia 4 6 5 8 0 -- -- -- -- -- -- --
2007 Philadelphia 4 2 3 5 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- --
MLL Totals 18 21 16 37 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Hall of Fame Inductees". US Lacrosse. Archived from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  2. ^ http://www.laxtips.com/tips/profiles/knight.htm
  3. ^ "Inside Lacrosse - 1993 Boys' High School All-American Lacrosse Team". Archived from the original on 2006-10-17. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
  4. ^ http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/LAX_Records/2010/Men/d1mlax.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  5. ^ "Men's Lacrosse ACCtion: Saturday, February 21 - the Official Athletic Site of the Atlantic Coast Conference". Archived from the original on 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
  6. ^ "ACC Announces 50th Anniversary Men's Lacrosse Team - the Official Athletic Site of the Atlantic Coast Conference". Archived from the original on 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
  7. ^ "MLL Tailgate: Knight Cap - Lacrosse Magazine". Archived from the original on 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  8. ^ "Inside Lacrosse - Voice of the Fan". Archived from the original on 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  9. ^ "Virginia Looks to Young Attack Led by Sophomore Steele Stanwick | IL Blog Central". Archived from the original on 2010-01-29. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  10. ^ "MLL Tailgate: Knight Cap - Lacrosse Magazine". Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
  11. ^ http://video.insidelacrosse.com/video/view/XInDNAd_G3tGy93lNYIMIw/il-on-espn--the-dive
  12. ^ "Inside Lacrosse - Fan Zone". Archived from the original on 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
  13. ^ "Joel Censer: Death of the Dodging Attackman - Lacrosse Magazine". Archived from the original on 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  14. ^ http://video.insidelacrosse.com/video/view/XInDNAd_G3tGy93lNYIMIw/il-on-espn--the-dive