ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Rochester Knighthawks Owner and General Manager Curt Styres announced today that the team has named Shawn Williams the team captain for the 2011 National Lacrosse League season. Williams enters his third campaign as the team’s leader and will be joined by alternate captains Chris Schiller and Mike Accursi.
“I am ecstatic to remain the captain of such a great franchise,” said Williams, who is the third longest tenured captain in team history.
The 36 year old enters his 14th season in the NLL and 10th with the Knighthawks. He was awarded the 2010 NLL Sportsmanship Award after recording 23 goals and 46 assists in 15 games. Williams is second in team history with 724 points, 286 goals and 438 assists. In NLL history, the Scarborough, Ontario, native is seventh in goals (373), sixth in points (893), and is fifth in assists (520). He is a two-time NLL All-Pro and has won two NLL titles (1999 and 2007).
“We made a lot of changes this offseason, but ‘Willie’ is a mainstay in Rochester,” said Head Coach Mike Hasen. “Williams is a voice on the floor and in the locker room.”
Schiller, 33, will begin his first season with an “A” on his sweater. The Penfield native starts his 10th season with the Knighthawks this Saturday. In 2010, he was inducted into the U.S. Lacrosse Greater Rochester Chapter Hall of Fame. That followed a summer where he won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2010 FIL World Lacrosse Championships and was named to Team USA for the 2011 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships. Schiller is currently tied for sixth on the team in games played (114) and is seventh all-time in loose balls with 620. Additionally, he is a three-time winner of the team’s Unsung Hero award (2002-03, 2006 and 2008) and was a member of the 2007 NLL Championship team.
“He is a guy on the backend that I always counted on when playing with and the last few years coaching,” said Hasen.
Accursi, 35, enters his 14th season in the NLL and fourth with the Rochester Knighthawks. In his NLL career, he has 325 goals, 349 assists for 674 points in 188 games and has established himself as one of the most consistent playoff producers. He won back-to-back titles, earning Champion’s Cups in 2007 with Rochester and in 2008 with Buffalo. The Welland, Ontario, native spent the last two plus seasons with the Buffalo Bandits (2008-10), playing in nine games with the Rush before returning to Buffalo to lead them to a championship. He was an alternate captain with the Bandits. In the 2008 Playoffs with the Bandits, he tied for second on the team in playoff scoring with 17 points (7+10) and recorded at least five points in each playoff game.
“He is a guy we brought in here for his leadership and playing abilities,” said Hasen.
Courtesy Rochester Knighthawks
