Remembering the pioneers behind NJ's unique lacrosse division names
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What’s in a name?
In North Jersey boys lacrosse, more than most people realize.
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Across high school sports, divisions are often wrapped in broad, patriotic themes – Freedom, Liberty, American – with teams from nearby towns. But boys lacrosse does something different.
Each division is named for a person who shaped the sport’s rise in New Jersey. A coach who built a powerhouse. An official who shaped the rulebook. A founder who planted the sport in new soil.
Below are the people behind the divisions and the teams that now carry their names into every season.
Their names – from Curcio to Cullen and many more – appear on schedules every spring, often unknown by the players competing beneath them.
Gibbs Division
Current members: Bergen Catholic, Chatham, Don Bosco, Mountain Lakes, Northern Highlands, Ridgewood
The region’s top flight is named for Gil Gibbs, the legendary Montclair coach who built one of the most dominant dynasties New Jersey has ever seen.
Gibbs took over the Mounties in 1966 – the program’s third varsity season – and immediately transformed his alma mater.
Over 13 years, he amassed a staggering 177-35 record, won four NJSIAA championships and six Coaches Tournament titles. Gibbs’ teams lost only ten games in his final decade on the sideline.
His career was cut short when he died of cancer in 1978 at age 39.
Jacobson Division
Current members: Glen Rock, Mahwah, Pascack Valley, Ramsey, St. Joseph, Tenafly, Wayne Valley
The second rung in North Jersey is named for Steve Jacobson, who collected more than 400 wins over stops at Ridgewood, Fair Lawn, Wayne Hills, Ramapo and Hunterdon Central.
He turned Ridgewood into a state powerhouse, guiding the Maroons to the overall state championships in 1990 and 1991.
On the college level, he worked at Fairleigh Dickinson, Lehigh and Stockton.
Curcio Division
Current members: Demarest, Old Tappan, Paramus, Pascack Hills, Pequannock, River Dell, Wayne Hills, Westwood
The Curcio Division honors Robert Curcio, who built Columbia High School into a perennial contender from 1975 to 1983.
Curcio compiled a 116-34 record and guided the Essex County school to five division championships and state titles in 1979 and 1982.
After coaching, Curcio spent two decades as Columbia’s athletic director.
Cullen Division
Current members: DePaul, Dwight-Englewood, Fair Lawn, Indian Hills, Lakeland, Park Ridge/Emerson, Passaic Tech, Rutherford
The division is named for Tim Cullen, a respected official enshrined in the New Jersey Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
In 2006, Cullen earned the Frenchy Julien Award, a college honor recognizing officials who have made a meaningful impact on the sport.
Before then, he was a goaltender at Ithaca College, where he still holds the program’s single-season and career records for save percentage.
Kirst Division
Current members: Eastern Christian, Lyndhurst/North Arlington, Newark East Side, Paramus Catholic, Passaic Valley, Saddle Brook, Waldwick, Weehawken/Hoboken
One of the newest divisions pays tribute to Kyle Kirst, whose three-plus decades in New Jersey lacrosse spanned playing, coaching, and youth development. Kirst was a standout goaltender at Rutgers from 1988 to 1990, helping the Scarlet Knights reach the NCAA Tournament.
After college, he led programs at Princeton High and Hanover Park before spending 10 seasons as a defensive assistant at Summit.
Kirst shaped the sport at the grassroots level by devoting 14 years to the Somerset Hills youth program. After his death in 2015 at age 47, a group of coaches formed the Kirst Cup, which replaced the Tournament of Champions.
Dowling Division
Current members: Bergen Tech, Clifton, Hawthorne, Morris Catholic, North Warren/Belvidere, Pompton Lakes, Union Catholic, West Orange
This division was named in 2024 for Sean Dowling, a driving force behind the growth of lacrosse in New Jersey.
Dowling is the former president of the New Jersey Interscholastic Lacrosse League and chairs its realignment and scheduling committees.
He also coached at Summit and Morristown‑Beard, helped establish the girls NJIGLL in 2008 and previously oversaw the NJSIAA boys lacrosse tournament.
Dowling briefly reached the NFL, appearing in three games for the Buffalo Bills in 1987.
Pooley Division
Current members: Delaware Valley, Kittatinny, Lenape Valley, Morris Hills, Mount Olive, Newton, Vernon, West Milford
Dave Pooley was the founding father of lacrosse at West Morris and Mendham. He played a central role in launching the Morris County Tournament and also officiated boys lacrosse.
Outside of coaching, Pooley served more than 20 years as an officer in the U.S. Navy and spent 25 years as the athletic director at West Morris Central.
Bianchi Division
Current members: Columbia, Glen Ridge, Livingston, Madison, Montclair Kimberley, New Providence, St. Peter’s Prep, West Essex
The tradition of naming lacrosse divisions after former icons started with Bob Bianchi.
At Columbia High, he was a two‑time All‑American who finished with 116 goals and 112 assists. He became a charter member of the New Jersey Lacrosse Hall of Fame and was later chosen as the Star‑Ledger’s Player of the Century.
Bianchi went on to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he was a team captain and Naval Aviator. At 26, he passed away in a helicopter crash during a humanitarian mission.
Fitch‑Pitt Division
Current members: Delbarton, Montclair, Pope John, Seton Hall Prep, Summit, Westfield
The division honors two early figures in New Jersey lacrosse: Fred Fitch and Larry Pitt.
Fitch spent 22 seasons as the head coach at Rutgers, leading the Scarlet Knights to a 106-71-8 record.
In 1928, his program was named co‑national champion alongside Johns Hopkins, Maryland, and Navy. Fitch chaired the All‑American committee from 1945-51 and briefly returned as a member. As a player, he was an All‑American at Syracuse.
Pitt, meanwhile, contributed to New Jersey lacrosse as an official and assignor after playing for Rutgers in the late-30’s. He wore many hats at Rutgers from broadcasting men's and women's basketball games to calling games as the public address announcer for softball.
Kimber Division
Current members: Cranford, Gov. Livingston, Johnson, Hanover Park/Whippany Park, Millburn, Morristown‑Beard, Newark Academy, Oratory Prep, Verona
The division is named for longtime college and high school official Warren Kimber.
He served as the NCAA’s coordinator of men’s lacrosse officials and sat on the organization’s board of directors. In New Jersey, he doubled as a member and chief referee for the state association for lacrosse officials.
Klank Division
Current members: Boonton, Cedar Grove, Dayton, High Point/Wallkill Valley, Hackettstown, Nutley
The Klank Division honors William “Noll” Klank, who spent more than a decade at Montclair Kimberley Academy, where he ran the boys lacrosse program and taught physical education, health, and driver’s education.
Before arriving at MKA, he coached lacrosse and football and taught at Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania.
Klank was a past president of the New Jersey Lacrosse Coaches Association. He died in 2003 at age 54.
Rizk Division
Current members: Jefferson, Kinnelon, Mendham, Montville, Morristown, Parsippany Hills/Parsippany, Roxbury, Voorhees
Richard Rizk was one of the pioneers of New Jersey lacrosse. He played two seasons at Rutgers before graduating in 1955, and a decade later he founded the boys lacrosse program at Boonton in 1965 – at a time when only 10 high school teams existed statewide.
He coached the Bombers for 24 years, then moved on to Stockton College for another 18 seasons.
Waterman Division
Current members: Bernards, Caldwell, Morris Knolls, Randolph, Scotch Plains‑Fanwood, Sparta, Warren Hills, West Morris
Hawley Waterman was the first full‑time director of athletics at Kean University, where he founded the football, lacrosse, wrestling, women’s soccer, softball, and ice hockey programs.
He was the inaugural head coach for both football and men’s lacrosse, leading the lacrosse program for 25 years.
Before arriving at Kean, Waterman served in the U.S. Marine Corps and became the athletic director at the Hun School. There, he founded the school’s lacrosse program.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: North Jersey lacrosse pioneers behind league names