John Tavares is a former professional box lacrosse player.
It’s impossible to discuss the history of the National Lacrosse League without the name John Tavares being uttered early and often. The Toronto native now stands as one of the very few Hall of Fame players (in any sport) who has also led a team to a championship as a head coach.
Tavares concluded his playing career as the NLL’s all-time leader in games played (306), goals (815), assists (934), and points (1,749), as well as second in league history in loose-ball recoveries (2,169). He played in a league-record 10 NLL All-Star games and was named to the NLL All-Pro team a record 19 times, while winning the league’s Most Valuable Player award in 1994, 2000, and 2001.
Tavares served as an alternate captain for the Buffalo Bandits for 18 seasons before being named captain prior to the 2013 season. He led the team in scoring in 17 of his 24 seasons with the franchise, including 10 consecutive seasons from 1999 to 2008. Tavares was a part of four Bandits championship teams (1992, 1993, 1996, and 2008),
Photo courtesy NLL.