First Nations lacrosse legend to be inducted into Ontario hall of fame

Though some of his greatest accomplishments were about three decades ago Larry King continues to be recognized for his lacrosse exploits.

King is one of the six individuals who will be inducted into the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame this year. Induction ceremonies will be on Nov. 24 in St. Catharines, Ont.

King, 64, is a member of the Mohawks of Akwesasne, which is located on the Ontario/Quebec border and straddles into the state of New York.

“I physically reside in Quebec,” said King, who will be inducted into the Ontario hall via the Player category. “But the New York state border runs right off the corner of my house. It's right through the middle of my swimming pool.”

King said his greatest lacrosse success occurred when he was still a teenager. At the age of 19 he was selected to play for the North American Native Warriors at the 1980 Nations Cup in Vancouver.

That tournament, which also included England, Australia, the United States, and won by Canada, was considered the first world box lacrosse championship.

“That was probably my most memorable thing,” King said, adding the Native Warriors captured the silver medal in the event. “It was a big tournament.”

This past May, King and his 1980 teammates were inducted into the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame. 

King was unable to attend that induction ceremony, which was held in Wisconsin, but he is planning to travel to St. Catharines this fall to be honoured by the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “And my family will probably go too.”

King had a lengthy playing career at the Senior B level. He served as captain and led the Akwesasne Thunder to the Presidents Cup, the Canadian Senior B crown, in 1995.

After finishing second at the 1996 Presidents Cup tourney, King and his Akwesasne teammates captured the national title again in 1997.

King was able to excel in lacrosse even though he didn’t grow up playing in an organized youth system.

“As this came about you sit back and wonder back to the days and maybe what could have been if we had an arena to play out of and opportunities like that,” he said. “The city of Cornwall is just a hop, skip and a jump away from us and that was considered a hotbed for minor lacrosse back in my younger days.

“But they would not allow us to play over there. So, we played in the fields and in the schoolyard, anywhere there was a half decent level ground. That’s where we played.”

King was inducted into the Akwesasne Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. But he was caught off guard when the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame came calling.

“I’m pleasantly surprised,” he said. “There's a lot of good lacrosse players there.”

Besides playing lacrosse, King also represented his First Nation in other areas.

He served as an elected district chief of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne from 1997 to 2015.

Besides being an advocate for youth and Elder involvement, his political efforts focused on sports development, land claim resolutions and economic sustainability for future generations.

King was also proficient in boxing. He was a six-time New York State Golden Gloves champion.

He dabbled in acting and had a role in a 1992 film titled The Last of the Mohicans, which starred Daniel Day-Lewis.

“Boxing success, the movie and being a district chief in my community contributed to my selection,” King said of his upcoming hall of fame induction.

King, who was an ironworker and self-employed carpenter, considers himself retired these days.

“I’m not trying to work,” he said.

King still attends his share of lacrosse games.

“We’ve got a junior team that's doing awesome,” he said of the Akwesasne Thunder, a Junior B squad. “I’m a big fan of watching these young guys as they keep on developing.”

King believes many of those Akwesasne junior players have bright futures ahead of them.

“Some of these kids have colleges looking at them,” he said. “And they'll probably be in the professional leagues as well.”

Akwesasne also has a Senior B men’s team, but King doesn’t have time to also go to their contests.

“I’ve got two grandkids that are playing,” he said. “That keeps us busy enough.” His grandchildren are playing for A level clubs that have hectic travel schedules.

“We’re on the road every weekend following them around,” he said.