Jim Loman, widely regarded as the father of high school lacrosse in the Finger Lakes region, will be inducted into the National Interscholastic Lacrosse Coaches Association Hall of Fame this fall.
Loman, a 1910 graduate of Hobart College, will be one of 13 inductees honored during a ceremony at the Milleridge Inn in Jericho on Oct. 17.
A Geneva native, Loman was a three-sport athlete at Hobart, competing in football, basketball and lacrosse. After graduating, he worked throughout the Midwest before returning to Geneva in 1923.
Loman spent the next 26 years teaching and coaching at Geneva High School, where his football, basketball and lacrosse teams became some of the most successful in the region despite often competing against larger schools. During his coaching career, he mentored several athletes who went on to earn college All-America honors, including four who were later inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
His football teams never lost more than two games in a season, while his basketball teams captured 11 Finger Lakes League championships and the 1934 sectional title.
Loman’s greatest impact came in lacrosse. He guided Geneva to a 75-24-5 record, winning nine championships and posting seven undefeated seasons. At the time, many high school teams regularly faced college freshman squads to complete their schedules, making those accomplishments even more notable.
Loman retired in 1949 because of declining health. His final game was a 45-7 football victory over Wellsville, after which his players carried him off the field.
He died in Virginia in 1970 at the age of 85.
Loman was inducted into the Geneva Sports Hall of Fame in 1991, and Geneva High School’s main athletic venue, Loman Stadium, bears his name.
