To some, it’s just a prize. A symbol of victory against a lesser-known opponent. Nothing special.

To Roy Simmons Jr., it’s the only tangible item left connecting the current Syracuse men’s lacrosse team to his father, the legendary Roy Simmons Sr.

To Hobart and Syracuse, it’s the trophy presented annually to the game’s winner. Tonight, when SU faces Hobart at 7 at the Carrier Dome, the two teams will battle for the Kraus-Simmons Trophy for the 19th time. Since its introduction in 1986, the intensity of the rivalry has weakened.

‘This is a Central New York rivalry,’ SU coach John Desko said. ‘We’re going for the Kraus-Simmons Trophy. I talked to the team yesterday about Roy Simmons III being on the coaching staff. I know Roy Jr. will be watching up in the stands. Our guys want to see the trophy stay at home. So it’ll give them some extra incentive to play for the trophy.’

While some agree, others know little about the details of the trophy.

‘I’m not sure how it came about,’ senior Michael Powell said. ‘But I know it’s a big deal around here, and it means a lot.’

The trophy was established after the passing of legendary Hobart coach Babe Kraus. The first year, after Hobart won it, 16-13, the Statesmen bolted to the sideline where the trophy sat, snatched it up and paraded around the stadium with it high above their heads.

Just a decade later, toward the end of Simmons Jr.’s tenure in 1995, the game ended with an 18-17 SU nail-biting win. As the teams shook hands, hit the locker room and trotted off the field, Simmons Jr. took one last look on the sideline. The trophy remained untouched, darkened under the shadow of the scorer’s table.

‘Some of those (traditions) might be lost on some of the younger guys,’ assistant coach Roy Simmons III said. ‘He’d never admit it, but I think my dad was a little hurt after that (1995 game). It’s one of the last remaining things that comes back on a yearly basis that’s about his father.’

Syracuse has won the cup every years since 1986, 17 consecutive times. It sits in the equipment room – except yesterday, when it went to the shop for some polishing – during most of the year.

It’s a big cup on a square base with four unidentified lacrosse players on each corner. The score of every game dating back to 1986 is emblazoned on the sides.

When the trophy first came about, a stinging rivalry between Syracuse and Hobart existed. At the 1986 game, the Hobart public address announcer spoke fondly about Kraus, who had just passed away. Not a word was said about Simmons Sr., who sat stonefaced amongst the crowd.

That boiled him. Now, Simmons Jr., who watches every Syracuse game from the press box, prepares a five-minute pregame speech in the SU locker room about the history of the trophy and its importance, trying to boil the players, too.

But Jay Pfeifer, SU’s junior goalie, said he thinks the rivalry’s intensity has dwindled severely.

‘Goalies always miss the speech anyway because we have to get on the field early,’ Pfeifer said. ‘Honestly, I think it’s something that’s more in the past.’

Others who hear the speech say it helps – to a point.

‘To an extent, we really do care,’ senior Steve Vallone said. ‘(Simmons Jr.) has a lot of pride in the matchup. This is a school with a lot of tradition. We want to uphold it.’

Said senior Sean Lindsay: ‘I know it’s a real big deal. Simmons Jr. takes it really seriously. It’s a big game. We’ve only lost to them one time. He likes to keep the trophy in Syracuse. So we’re gonna do everything we can to keep it here.’

The rivalry has diminished in large part because the Hobart program has, too. The Statesmen are just 3-3 this year. Hobart lost to its only top opponents – Georgetown and Navy.

‘There were times when Hobart would come here with hundreds of students who were drunk and crazy and loud,’ Simmons III said. ‘That’s dissipated a little bit. But they’re a worthy Division I opponent. So we have to be ready.’

Published on March 29, 2004 at 12:00 pm