This year’s edition of the HEADstrong Foundation Nick Colleluori Classic was held at a rain-soaked James M. Shuart Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 7. The Hofstra men’s lacrosse program hosted four other schools in a series of scrimmages throughout the day.
The HEADstrong Foundation was founded in 2006 by Nick Colleluori, a player on the Hofstra men’s lacrosse team who was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma before passing away from the disease on Nov. 28 of that year.
It was during this time that Colleluori realized that there weren’t many resources for cancer patients and their families. This resulted in the creation of the HEADstrong Foundation.
“We are relentless in improving quality of life for those affected by cancer. With every action that we make, we are fulfilling the vision of the late Nicholas Colleluori, our founder,” reads the mission statement. “Nick’s last wish was that others would benefit from his journey. On behalf of all of us at HEADstrong, we invite you to join us.”
“I think we raised just under $10,000, when the goal was 3,000,” said Hofstra head coach Seth Tierney, who was only five months into his Hofstra tenure when Colleluori died. “Our guys dug in, and that money is going to go to cancer research.”
According to the HEADstrong Foundation website, the organization has helped raise more than 27 million dollars and has helped 25,709 patients and families since being established in 2007.
Not only has Hofstra hosted many Colleluori Classics over the years, but the program has done something untraditional to keep his memory alive.
The program does two things. Firstly, it gives out the Nick Colleluori “27” Tribute Award to a player who embodies the traits of a servant leader, is the ultimate teammate, is hardworking and plays with heart, according to Michael Colleluori, Nick’s brother who is now the vice president of the HEADstrong Foundation.
Secondly, instead of retiring the No. 27 that Nick wore, the team gives it annually to a player who exemplifies the same personality traits that Colleluori showed both on and off the field.
This year, Tierney and his staff bestowed that honor to fifth-year graduate student Chase Patterson.
“I got chills,” Patterson said. “This is my fifth year, so just being here and knowing what it means to wear 27, it was a shock. I’ve got to continue to carry on the legacy the best way I can and continuing on and then pass the torch on when it’s all over.
“Listen to the second half of this sentence: [Patterson] stinks as a lacrosse player as compared to what type of person he is, and that’s why deserves to wear number 27,” Tierney said. “He’s a really good lacrosse player. He’s 15 times a better person than he is a lacrosse player.”
Patterson will become the 14th player to adorn Colleluori’s number, succeeding Corey Kale, who won the honor in 2022.
“It means a lot being considered like [Colleluori], it’s a huge honor,” Patterson said. “When you come here, the first thing you hear about is [Colleluori]; what kind of person he was, teammate, and you really just want to be like [him]. So, I would say being considered like him is truly an honor and I hope to carry that out and continue on his legacy.”
In the two games the Pride played, Hofstra lost their first scrimmage to the Bucknell University Bison by a score of 9-7, where Ryan Woodland scored a hat trick. Game two was the final game of the fundraiser, and Hofstra played none other than lacrosse powerhouse Johns Hopkins University. The Pride beat the Bluejays by a score of 12-9, with John Madsen scoring four goals, as well as two from Trey Parkes – all important players to keep eyes on in the coming season.
Michelle Rabinovich contributed to the reporting.
Photo courtesy of Evan Bernstein/Hofstra Athletics
