Rattlers return to Rochester

ROCHESTER, NY – RocLax LLC Owner & CEO Robert Clark announced today that Major League Lacrosse will be returning to Rochester for the 2011 season.  The team, nicknamed the Rattlers, will feature the best players in the world and will play its home games at Marina Auto Stadium.

The Rattlers were a charter member of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) beginning play in 2001.  In eight seasons in Rochester, the Rattlers compiled a 55-45 record capturing the National Division championship in 2004.  The club’s greatest triumph came in 2008 when it won the MLL Championship, posting a 9-3 record en route to winning the Steinfeld Cup with a 16-6 win over the Denver Outlaws. 

“The MLL is very excited to be returning to Rochester” said MLL Commissioner David Gross.  The Rattlers had some of the most passionate and dedicated fans in the league and we’re thrilled that they will have the opportunity to enjoy MLL action again.  We had the opportunity to work with Rob Clark and his staff this past summer and believe that Rob and his crew will do an excellent job growing the fan base in the region and running a first class operation.”

In addition, the club announced that B. J. O’Hara would be returning to lead the team as head coach. “B.J. O’Hara’s resume made him the obvious choice to lead the Rattlers” said RocLax LLC Owner and CEO Robert Clark. “B.J. was a huge part of the success the Rattlers realized over the years, culminating with a championship in 2008. We feel very fortunate to have B.J.”

O’Hara first joined the Rattlers after being named their second head coach in 2004.  In five seasons at the helm O’Hara guided the team to a 38-24 mark and four playoff appearances.  During that time the Rattlers finished first overall in their conference twice (2004, 2008) and won the 2008 MLL Championship.  O’Hara spent the 2010 MLL season as the head coach of the Chicago Machine.  Before the professional ranks, O’Hara’s coaching career took him to a number of NCAA Division I and III institutions.  As a head and assistant coach, O’Hara has been a member of nine NCAA Championship coaching staffs.  He was the Head Lacrosse Coach at Hobart College, Dartmouth College and Alfred University.  O’Hara was also an assistant coach at Syracuse, Hobart, RPI and North Carolina State.

As a player at Hobart College, O’Hara twice earned All-American honors at attack. In his senior season, he was named Co-Captain and a First-Team All American, and was selected to play in the North-South Game.  As a junior, he was named to the USILA Third Team. O’Hara finished his Hobart career ranked second on the all time scoring list with 280 points (163-117) and he held the Hobart career record for goals until 1991. He was inducted into the Upstate New York Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame in 1995, the Hobart College Hall of Fame in 1998 and the US Lacrosse Greater Rochester Chapter Hall of Fame in November 2010.