Darris Kilgour facts for kids

Darris Kilgour is a former professional lacrosse player and coach. He is from the Tuscarora Indian Reservation near Lewiston, New York. Kilgour currently coaches the Seneca WarChiefs team in the FNJBLL.

Playing Career

Darris Kilgour played for the Buffalo Bandits in the National Lacrosse League for eight seasons. He then played for the Rochester Knighthawks and the Albany Attack. As a player, he helped the Bandits win three championships. He is also the Bandits' all-time leader in penalty minutes and faceoffs.

In March 2001, the Buffalo Bandits retired Kilgour's jersey number '43'. This made him the first player in the NLL to have his number retired. In 2007, he was honored by being inducted into the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame.

In 1994, while playing for the Six Nations Chiefs, Kilgour received the Mike Kelly Memorial Trophy. This award is given to the most valuable player in the Mann Cup competition.

Coaching Career

In 1998, Darris Kilgour started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Canisius University. He worked under Randy Mearns, who was a former captain of the Rochester Knighthawks.

Kilgour became the head coach of the Washington Power for the 2001 season. He led the Power to the playoffs in both of his two seasons as coach. After the 2002 season, he returned to Buffalo to coach the Bandits.

In the 2003 season, the Bandits had a great record of 12 wins and 4 losses. For his excellent coaching, Kilgour received the NLL Coach of the Year Award. The next year, in 2004, the Bandits reached the Championship game for the first time since 1997. However, they lost to the Calgary Roughnecks with a score of 14-11. In 2005, the Bandits again made it to the Champion's Cup final. This time, they lost to the Colorado Mammoth 16-9.

Darris Kilgour has more wins than any other coach in NLL history. On March 12, 2010, he passed Les Bartley's record of 93 wins. This happened when the Buffalo Bandits beat the Toronto Rock 11-10 in overtime. The game was played at Toronto's Air Canada Centre.

After leaving the Buffalo Bandits, Kilgour was hired as the head coach of the Seneca WarChiefs. This is a Junior B box lacrosse team that plays in the First Nations Junior B Lacrosse League.

Awards