The Chicago Shamrox were an American professional

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

team that played in the

National Lacrosse League The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a men's professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The NLL currently has fifteen teams: ten in the United States and five in Canada. The N ...

(NLL) in the 2007 and 2008 NLL seasons. Home matches were played at the

Sears Centre The Now Arena (originally known as the Sears Centre, Sears Centre Arena and stylized as NOW Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a northwest suburb from Chicago, near land which formerly contained the Poplar Creek Musi ...

in northwest suburban

Hoffman Estates, Illinois Hoffman Estates is a village in Illinois, United States. The village is located primarily in Cook County, with a small section in Kane County. It is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 52,530. The village now serves a ...

. The team's ownership group was headed by Kevin Loughery Jr., the son of former NBA head coach Kevin Loughery. The new franchise was announced on February 16, 2006, and the name "Shamrox" was chosen in May 2006. During their inaugural season in 2007, the Shamrox finished the season 6–10 and tied for fourth place in the NLL East Division with the

Toronto Rock The Toronto Rock are a professional box lacrosse franchise based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the North Division of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The team was the first Canadian franchise in the NLL. Oakville resident ...

and Philadelphia Wings. But, due to their record inside the division, the Shamrox lost the playoff tiebreaker to the Rock and missed the playoffs. On December 12, 2008, the Chicago Shamrox franchise closed their doors indefinitely. For the weeks and months before, owner Kevin Loughery Jr. had been trying to find a new ownership group. When the new group wasn't found, the team ceased operations 15 days before the opening night against the

Rochester Knighthawks The Rochester Knighthawks (also known as the K-Hawks) are a professional box lacrosse team in the North Division of the National Lacrosse League. They play in Rochester, New York at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial. The Knighthawks are ow ...

The team suspended operations until further notice.

Milestones

* May 11, 2006: Connie Kowal was announced as the team's first president and Phil Ryan was named Vice President of Lacrosse Operations. * June 1, 2006: Jamie Batley was named the first Head Coach and General Manager in Chicago Shamrox history. * July 12, 2006: Goaltender Brandon Miller is selected as the first overall pick in the 2006 NLL Expansion Draft; making him the first player in the history of the Chicago Shamrox. * September 13, 2006: The Shamrox select Josh Wasson with their first pick (12th overall) in the 2006 NLL Entry Draft. Wasson formerly starred at the University of Hartford and for the Peterborough Lakers of the

Ontario Lacrosse Association The Ontario Lacrosse Association (Ontario Lacrosse) is a not-for-profit sport organization and a member association of the Canadian Lacrosse Association, the national governing body for lacrosse in Canada. The Ontario Lacrosse Association is the ...

. * January 6, 2007: The Shamrox play their first-ever regular season game, a home game against their expansion cousins the New York Titans. The Shamrox win the game 15–12. Forward Jason Clark scored the first goal in franchise history at 2:17 of the 1st quarter, assisted by defenseman Tom Montour and Goaltender Brandon Miller. Miller made 46 saves on 58 shots to earn the win. 8,456 people were in attendance at the

for the inaugural game, setting the attendance record (at the time) for the

. * April 14, 2007: The Shamrox defeat the Philadelphia Wings 17–11 at the

to finish their inaugural season 6–10 and tied with the Philadelphia Wings and

for the fourth and final playoff spot in the NLL East Division, but miss the playoffs due to their intra-division record. 7,096 fans were in attendance at the final game for "Fan Appreciation Night," which included numerous fan giveaways, a silent auction, and a performance by the local Chicago band, ''Ready...Break.''

Awards

* Brandon Miller Defensive Player of the Week - 2007 Week #2 vs. the New York Titans and Week #5 vs. the

San Jose Stealth The San Jose Stealth were a member of the National Lacrosse League, the professional box lacrosse league of North America from 2004 until 2009. They played at the HP Pavilion at San Jose, which is also the home of the NHL's San Jose Sharks and t ...

. * Bill McGlone Rookie of the Week - 2007 Week #2 vs. the New York Titans. * Cody Jacobs Rookie of the Week - 2007 Week #9 vs. the

Minnesota Swarm The Minnesota Swarm was a box lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League who played at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota from 2004 until 2015. The team's previous owners (Minnesota Sports & Entertainment) who also own the NHL's ...

All time Record

Draft history

NLL Entry Draft

First Round Selections * 2006: Josh Wasson (12th overall) * 2007: Kevin Ross (12th overall)

References

External links

NLL Official WebsiteChicago Shamrox Official Website
{{Defunct NLL Defunct National Lacrosse League teams Lacrosse clubs established in 2006 Sports clubs disestablished in 2008