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2020 Inductee - Shawn Williams

Shawn Williams

Lacrosse

  • Inducted in 2021
  • Athlete

Born in Scarborough and a current resident of Oshawa, Shawn Williams developed a love for the sport of lacrosse at a young age, following in the footsteps of his father, Greg, who had previously played with the Brooklin Redmen; along with his fondness for the game, Shawn’s remarkable talent on arena floors and playing fields led to one of the most illustrious careers in the history of the sport.

Shawn enjoyed considerable success in both indoor lacrosse and field lacrosse, with perhaps his most significant achievements recorded over his 19 seasons with the Brooklin Redmen of Major Series Lacrosse (MSL). During this time, he won the league scoring championship six times (1999, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2012) and he was named the league’s Most Valuable Player on three occasions (2005, 2007, 2011). Shawn is Brooklin’s all-time leading scorer, (currently second all-time in Canadian lacrosse) having recorded an astounding 2,121 points over a total of 474 regular season and playoff games; this includes a league record of 21 points in a single game, set in the 1999 season.

Shawn’s MSL career included two Mann Cup titles, with Brooklin in 2000 and a second with Brampton in 2009 after being acquired from Brooklin in a trade deadline deal. In the 2009 series, Shawn led all scorers with 29 points in seven games and was named Mann Cup MVP.

While his scoring prowess produced substantial recognition for both Shawn and his Brooklin teams, he also enjoyed parallel success on various other stages; this includes 17 seasons in the National Lacrosse League (NLL), in which he recorded 1,152 total points in 257 regular season games (4.5 points per game) plus another 78 points in 24 career playoff games. He played in six NLL All-Star games (2002, 2005-2009) and won league championships in 1999 (Toronto) and 2007 (Rochester).

Shawn has represented Canada in several international lacrosse competitions, winning two indoor championships (2003, 2007) and one field title (2006) as well as silver medals at the 2002 and 2010 field championships. He was also a member of the Toronto Nationals Major League Lacrosse field championship team in 2009, and a four-time Canadian University Field Lacrosse champion (Baggataway Cup) with Brock University.

As a high school teacher in Durham Region since 2005, Shawn has coached several local teams to championships in lacrosse, football, and basketball. His coaching success extends to the Brock University Men’s Field Lacrosse Team (two national championships), the Whitby Minor Lacrosse Association (10 total provincial championships in box and field lacrosse with son Dyson’s teams), the Oshawa Minor Lacrosse Association (two provincial box and field lacrosse championships with son Tucker’s teams), and a Minto Cup national title in 2007 as the offensive coach with the Six Nations Junior A team.

Shawn is currently the head coach with the Whitby Warriors Junior A Lacrosse team and an assistant coach with the Colorado Mammoth of the NLL.

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