It can easily be argued that Buffalo Bandits head coach John Tavares ranks as the most prodigious figure in the history of the National Lacrosse League.
As a player, the Toronto native’s resume is as mind-blowing as the peak flow rate of nearby Niagara Falls. Tavares is the league’s all-time leader in goals scored (815), while sitting second in assists (934) and games played (306), amid a 24-season career that featured four NLL championships.
The Bandits lifer assumed the role of co-head coach in 2018, later becoming the singular bench boss prior to the 2019-2020 shortened campaign. Since trading in a jersey and shorts for a suit and tie, the now 56-year-old has more than continued his winning ways, leading Buffalo to two consecutive NLL titles, as part of a run that includes five successive trips to the championship round.
All told, the man whose fabled number 11 hangs from the KeyBank Center rafters has been instrumental in six Buffalo NLL crowns.
“When you think of the Buffalo Bandits, the first name you think of is JT,” explains Bandits General Manager/Assistant Coach Steve Dietrich. “As both a player and now as a coach, he is what being a Bandit is all about. He played with a passion to be the best every time he stepped on the floor, and now as a coach, he has instilled that passion and belief in our team.”
BUFFALO, NY – JUNE 3: John Tavares, Buffalo Bandits head coach, lifts the trophy and celebrates with his team after winning the NLL Championship against the Colorado Mammoth at KeyBank Center on June 3, 2023 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Kevin Hoffman/Getty Images for NLL)
Tavares’ combined on-the-field and behind-the-bench success is astoundingly unique in the world of professional sports. While there have been many legendary figures who have excelled as either a player or coach, living at the very top of both of these lists ranks as an incredibly atypical occurrence. In fact, of the top 10 winningest coaches in the MLB, NFL, NHL and NBA, only basketball great Lenny Wilkens established enshrinement into the Hall of Fame as a player, before putting together a long and successful coaching tenure.
The NBA possesses the most glaring examples of a superstar player taking on head coaching duties, with the following assortment of big names delivering an array of mixed results. In small sample sets, all-time greats like Bill Russell, Larry Bird and Steve Nash were successful, while a one-of-a-kind floor leader like Magic Johnson struggled in his brief appearance on the Lakers bench.
In the current-day NBA, Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd is the best example of a Hall of Fame player morphing into a respected coach, as he led Dallas to an NBA Finals loss to the Boston Celtics, a mere one season ago.
Perhaps, the most comparable paradigm regarding an athlete of Tavares’ stature attempting to master the art of X’s and O’s is NHL icon Wayne Gretzky. “The Great One” blew the whistle for the then-Phoenix Coyotes, amassing a 143-161-24 record during a four-season stint in the Arizona desert.
When assessing Tavares’ overall impact on the NLL panorama, an additional area of focus has to involve a look at the three-time MVP’s holistic imprint on the history of the Bandits franchise. From 1992 through present day, the D’Youville University alum has either worked as a Buffalo player, assistant coach or head coach. The man’s more than three-decade presence within the organization rivals very few in the history of sports. A scenario that is most certainly recognized by the upper echelons of this signature NLL franchise.
Buffalo Bandits vs Panther City 03-22-2024
“To put JT’s accomplishments as a member of the Buffalo Bandits into perspective, and what he’s meant to the organization, is probably more appropriate to be told in a book or a movie,” confers Bandits Senior Director of Lacrosse Operations/Alternate Governor Scott Loffler. “The guy has done it all as a player, then doubled down and has done it all as a head coach. Each is rare in its own right, let alone both. He essentially has two Hall of Fame careers, and he’s still early in his coaching career.”
Loffler then takes his Tavares praise a step further when discussing the connection between the lacrosse icon and the city in which he represents.
“There is no other Buffalo sports figure that has achieved and accomplished what he has… multiple scoring records, multiple MVPs, multiple championships, and that’s just his playing career. The guy deserves a statue.”
When racking one’s brain to discover an athletic figure who harbors an association with a team, similar to that of Tavares and the Bandits, a certain league logo immediately comes to mind.
Jerry West starred for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1960-1974, leading the Purple and Gold to nine NBA Finals appearances (winning one), while earning an All-Star selection in every one of his seasons as player. West’s 27 points per game average ranks seventh all-time, with this figure being especially noteworthy when considering that it occurred in the period before the installation of the three-point line. Upon retiring from the hardwood, the West Virginia native operated as a Lakers coach, scout and legendary general manager, serving as the chief architect of both the 1980’s “Showtime” teams of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy (five NBA championships), as well as the early 2000’s Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal run of three consecutive titles.
West passed away in June of 2024, at the age of 86. A statue of the celebrated number 44 stands tall outside of Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena.
Based on the remarkable choice of words uttered by Scott Loffler, perhaps John Tavares will be bestowed a similar honor, conceivably on the grounds of downtown Buffalo’s KeyBank Center, in the years that lie ahead.
