William George Beers

Lacrosse

  • Yet another great sport invented by Canadians!
  • Even though lacrosse was played since the 1600s, Beers set out the standard rules in 1860 and was the leading mover in organizing and popularizing lacrosse.
  • Introduced to lacrosse at age 6, he was chosen at age 17 to represent Montréal as goalkeeper in the match played before the Prince of Wales. In 1867 he campaigned to have lacrosse accepted as Canada's national game.
  • The rules Beers had published in 1860 to help standardize the game were adopted.