The Takeaway Check, Issue #5
Brendan Looney and the Value of Making Connections; Tucker Durkin Retires
I’m currently working on my second book; it’s about the connections between lacrosse and the military. The idea was born through observing the success the programs at Army and Navy have had in lacrosse compared to other sports as well as the number of players from the academies that go on to play professionally. It’s expanded from there, but that was the book’s genesis.
I don’t think you can talk about lacrosse and the military without talking about Brendan Looney. The SparkNotes version of his story as is follows: Looney was the oldest of three brothers on the 2004 Navy team that played in one of the most exciting NCAA men’s lacrosse championship games of all time. He went through Navy SEAL training and was selected as the Honorman of Class 265 as the best in class. He was killed in action September 21, 2010, when his helicopter crashed during combat operations in Afghanistan. He’s someone that earned the respect of his peers and whose story has inspired younger generations posthumously.
When I set forth on the journey of writing this book, the first email I sent in April of 2022 was to Stacie Michaud, the Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information for the Naval Academy. She’s been there for 25 years, does a great job, and the lacrosse program —which she is the primary contact for — means a lot to her.
I asked to interview a few Navy players and head coach Joe Amplo. It wasn’t until August that I asked if she could connect me to anyone in the Looney family. When I interviewed the current Naval Academy players, we talked about Brendan’s legacy within the program. I interviewed a few of his teammates (Matt Russell and Ian Dingman) about their relationships with him. I wanted to speak with his family as well, though, to get to know him on a more personal level. She said she would try, noting that his brothers Billy and Steve were stationed overseas and his dad traveled between multiple places.
I never got an update after that.
I continued working on the project, researching connections between the military and lacrosse. I found an article about Andrew Coté, who played at Johns Hopkins, served in the military after college, and then worked with his alma mater to create a memorial wall at the Cordish Lacrosse Center. I connected with Andrew through LinkedIn, and we had a great conversation. During our call, he shared a phrase that has been like magic during this process: “You know who you should talk to?” That question has been my new favorite phrase, as it’s been asked in some form or fashion a number of times, and it’s helped make this project grow. Coté connected me with Commodore William Gallagher. Commodore Gallagher played lacrosse at Navy. Now, he is in charge of Naval Special Warfare Group TWO and has led a lot of former lacrosse players that transitioned to become Navy SEALs.
Commodore Gallagher was gracious enough to speak with me the night before he deployed overseas again. It just so happens that he’s worked closely with Steve Looney, and he was happy to connect us. The introduction text with his number came the next day, and finally, after a year and a half of my first ask, I was able to interview a member of the Looney family, even if it took a game of Six Degrees of Separation to get to it.
I spoke with Steve about his interest in lacrosse and serving in the military. We spoke about the 2004 team and that incredible ride to the national championship. He shared stories about growing up with Brendan, playing lacrosse with Brendan, and what life was like when he passed and what it’s been like since. It ran the gamut of emotions. I’m grateful he shared his experience, and I’m looking forward to putting that chapter together.
What could have been just one interview became three great conversations. This experience also showed me how you never know where one single interview will take you. It also was an example of when one way to do something isn’t working out, there’s an alternate route that can bring you to the same destination, and the journey may be even better than what you originally had in mind.
Tucker Durkin Retires
This week, New York Atlas defender Tucker Durkin announced his retirement from playing professional lacrosse. He was a six-time All-Star, the 2017 MLL Defensive Player of the Year, and a 2019 PLL First Team All-Pro. In college, at Johns Hopkins University, he was a two-time Defender of the Year and a two-time First Team All-American. At the International level, he represented Team USA twice in the FIL World Championship, winning gold in 2018.
I’ve been fortunate enough to interview Durkin several times throughout his career, including for the book I’m currently writing. In July, I interviewed him for an article on USA Lacrosse Magazine’s website about his Atlas rookie teammate Gavin Adler. We talked about his role in helping show Adler and fellow rookie Brett Makar the ropes.
“It's just a matter of of being their teammate as a veteran, an older guy, and passing along knowledge as you can,” he said, “and letting them know that you're you're there for them and you're excited for their success.”
In that conversation, he also reflected about his own journey from high draft-pick to veteran leader.
“I was in their shoes, and here I am, 11 years later, in a totally different role,” he said. “It's a totally different mindset, a different point my life, not just getting out of college and figuring shit out. So, yeah, it's definitely cool to think about just how some things change and how your role changes in your professional career.”
He also reminisced about the roles Dave Huntley and Brodie Merrill played on his career.
“The late, great Dave Huntley was my coach, my first professional coach, and just an unbelievable person who kind of had incredible belief in me from the very beginning,” he said. “No matter who I was covering, he was always just like, ‘Oh yeah, this isn't going to be any problem.’
“Having Brodie was great,” he added. “I kind of just tried to follow some of how he conducted himself on game day and in practice and just as a competitor was super valuable for me. It wasn't a lot of Brodie telling me to certain things. It was just, he was a super nice guy off the field, but just to see the way he competes and to see how much emotion he played with. My rookie year was something that I definitely took from him.”
Find more of my work:
Major League Life: Why Major League Lacrosse Players, Coaches, and Fans Share a Passion for a League that Often Goes Overlooked