Pat King

Handler on offensive.  I also played a lot of defense, mostly to drive the transition offense.

My greatest accomplishment as an individual was to have played on the teams I played on—for my money, two of the greatest teams in the history of the sport. KABOOM! was a perennial overachiever that introduced many innovations that became part of the game. It also developed a well-earned reputation for never quitting.  KABOOM! was like a wild animal—at its most dangerous when it was wounded.  NYNY was seven, hard years in the making.  A group of disparate egoists put their differences aside and worked for a common goal—to build the best team ever.  We pushed the sport to new levels and won six National Championships, four World Championships, and a lot of other tournaments along the way.  My greatest and proudest accomplishment was to have been associated with the guys on these two teams.

What made me stand out among the elite players? Probably that I didn’t really stand out at all. I was never a flashy player. I suppose I had a reputation for being a good thrower, being tough to cover, and coming up with big plays.  And I think most people I played with and against would agree that I had a knack for stepping up and leading when the game was on the line.  I never gave up and the teams I played on never gave up. I think this attitude contributed to KABOOM!’s uncanny ability to find a way to win when it didn’t seem possible.  On NYNY, the bigger trick was keeping such a talented group of players focused on a common objective—keeping the train on a winning track over seven grueling seasons. I believe I was one of the voices on the team that contributed to the team’s sustained focus.  I hope my teammates agree.

KABOOM! was the most overachieving team I played on and was probably the most overachieving team that ever played. We consistently beat teams we had no right to beat. I was one of the go-to guys on both offense and defense. NYNY was a better team—perhaps the best team ever. With NYNY, I also played O and D and contributed to the strategic thinking of the team.  But with a team like NYNY—a team with phenomenal talent and depth—everyone was a role player, including me.  That’s what made us so tough to beat.  My primary role on NYNY, particularly in the later years of the dynasty, was as a handler.

Wow.  So many incredible games. It’s not possible to say which was the most memorable.  One of my favorites, for a lot of reasons, was the 1991 Tempe Tournament, a January tournament and the first tournament after Nationals. A skeleton squad of about nine NYNY’ers picked up a few players from other teams to fill our roster.  We played the Iguanas in the finals, the same team we beat in the finals of Nationals a few months earlier. They had a full squad and should have squashed us like bugs.  But that didn’t happen. In the finals, I threw nine of the first 11 goals and caught one of the two goals I didn’t throw.  I tossed several more in the second half, including the game winner. But this tournament really stands out because I played wearing a jersey that belonged to my teammate, Dennis Warsen.  Dennis had to pull-out of the tournament at the last minute to attend his father’s funeral.  That’s probably why I played so well—big shoes to fill.  That win meant a lot to me.  It also kicked-off a year where NYNY completely dominated the sport, winning every major tournament on our way to our third consecutive National Championship.

It’s a team sport, obviously. I played at Dartmouth for four years and never made it out of Sectionals.  I’m sure there are a lot of great players who never get the recognition they deserve because they play for teams that don’t receive much recognition. I was voted into the Hall because I was lucky enough to play on great teams and with great teammates. I suppose the purpose of the Hall of Fame is to give recognition to individuals over teams and I’m honored that people think I deserve individual recognition.  But I have no illusions.