Cyrus C. Miller
Encyclopedia
Cyrus C. Miller was an American lacrosse
player. He played college lacrosse as an undergraduate at New York University
and served as the team captain. Miller later played with the amateur organizations, the Staten Island Athletic Club and the Crescent Athletic Club. He also coached the Columbia University
team for several years.
graduate. He attended college at New York University
(NYU), where he played lacrosse
and served as the team captain. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1888. After graduating college, he played with the Staten Island Athletic Club and captained the lacrosse team to the 1890 championship. He then attended law school
at Columbia University
, where he graduated cum laude in 1891.
(AAU) tournament with the Lorillard, Manhattan, and New York clubs. There were allegations of professionalism and the importation of ineligible Canadian ringers by those three teams, and Staten Island played only under protest. Miller was critical of the New York club in particular:
He played for the Crescent Athletic Club from 1895 to 1912. In 1897, Miller accompanied the Crescent team on a tour of England with each player paying his own way as a testament to their club's principle of amateurism. After an abbreviated domestic season, the team left for England in March. There, they compiled a record of 7–5–2 against British clubs.
Miller served as the head coach for the Columbia
lacrosse team for several years. In 1900, The New York Times
erroneously reported that he had received a payment of $150 for his services as coach, which he denied in a letter to the editor. He stated "I have been somewhat strenuous in advocating the principles of pure amateur sport, I prefer not to remain under the stigma of receiving money for athletics." The confusion arose due to Miller advising the team to hire a professional coach, as he no longer had enough free time to devote to the task. The manager requisitioned $150 to hire a replacement coach, but the athletics department denied it due to a lack of funds.
He served as the president of the Professional Lacrosse Association, and from 1900 to 1902, as the president of the Inter-University Lacrosse League. The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association
(USILA) came into being on December 22, 1905 through Miller's proposal. He recommended the combination of the Inter-university Lacrosse League and the Intercollegiate Association, which at the time, played under slightly different rules. In the USILA, Miller served on the Executive Committee.
Miller was hopeful for the future of the sport and described it as follows:
Borough President
.He served on the Real Estate Board which handled the expansion of the New York City Subway
system, and in 1917, was named to the New York State and the United States Food Administration Board. He also was a trustee of NYU.
He died on January 21, 1956 and is interred in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. US Lacrosse
inducted him into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1957.
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
player. He played college lacrosse as an undergraduate at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and served as the team captain. Miller later played with the amateur organizations, the Staten Island Athletic Club and the Crescent Athletic Club. He also coached the Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
team for several years.
Education
He was born November 2, 1866 in Claverack, NY, the son of attorney Jacob F. Miller, a Williams CollegeWilliams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
graduate. He attended college at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
(NYU), where he played lacrosse
Field lacrosse
Field lacrosse, sometimes referred to as the "fastest sport on two feet," is a full contact outdoor men's sport played with ten players on each team. The sport originated among Native Americans, and the modern rules of field lacrosse were initially codified by Canadian William George Beers in 1867....
and served as the team captain. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1888. After graduating college, he played with the Staten Island Athletic Club and captained the lacrosse team to the 1890 championship. He then attended law school
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where he graduated cum laude in 1891.
Lacrosse
Staten Island participated in the 1892 Amateur Athletic UnionAmateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
(AAU) tournament with the Lorillard, Manhattan, and New York clubs. There were allegations of professionalism and the importation of ineligible Canadian ringers by those three teams, and Staten Island played only under protest. Miller was critical of the New York club in particular:
"When a club deliberately imports six or eight of the best players in Canada, feeds them like fighting cocks, keeps them with nothing to do from one week's end to another but play lacrosse, and then plays them against a team composed of business men who don't get a chance to practice more than three or four hours a week, I think it's about time to stop it ... Although we are not afraid to take a beating from a Canadian team as such, we don't care to be beaten by Canadians and have a New York club get the credit of it."
He played for the Crescent Athletic Club from 1895 to 1912. In 1897, Miller accompanied the Crescent team on a tour of England with each player paying his own way as a testament to their club's principle of amateurism. After an abbreviated domestic season, the team left for England in March. There, they compiled a record of 7–5–2 against British clubs.
Miller served as the head coach for the Columbia
Columbia Lions
The Columbia University Lions are the collective athletic teams and their members from Columbia University, an Ivy League institution in New York City, United States. The current director of athletics is M...
lacrosse team for several years. In 1900, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
erroneously reported that he had received a payment of $150 for his services as coach, which he denied in a letter to the editor. He stated "I have been somewhat strenuous in advocating the principles of pure amateur sport, I prefer not to remain under the stigma of receiving money for athletics." The confusion arose due to Miller advising the team to hire a professional coach, as he no longer had enough free time to devote to the task. The manager requisitioned $150 to hire a replacement coach, but the athletics department denied it due to a lack of funds.
He served as the president of the Professional Lacrosse Association, and from 1900 to 1902, as the president of the Inter-University Lacrosse League. The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association
United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association
The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association is an association of institutions with varsity college lacrosse programs in all three NCAA divisions, founded in 1885.-Awards:...
(USILA) came into being on December 22, 1905 through Miller's proposal. He recommended the combination of the Inter-university Lacrosse League and the Intercollegiate Association, which at the time, played under slightly different rules. In the USILA, Miller served on the Executive Committee.
Miller was hopeful for the future of the sport and described it as follows:
"When the United States and Canada are unified, Lacrosse may well claim to be the national game of the Union; for long before the earliest white pioneers and voyageurs in North America, the game of baggataway, which afterwards became lacrosse, was played by the Indian tribes in widely scattered parts of the northern continent of America ... With the elimination of old methods of play, the white man has introduced team play and science into the game, so that now it is recognized that no team of individual players, no matter how skilful [sic], can beat a team of merely good players who have fine team organization."
Professional life
Miller was an attorney by trade and worked for most of his life at the law firm started by his father. From 1910 to 1914, Miller served as the BronxThe Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
Borough President
Borough president
Borough President is an elective office in each of the five boroughs of New York City.-Reasons for establishment:...
.He served on the Real Estate Board which handled the expansion of the New York City Subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
system, and in 1917, was named to the New York State and the United States Food Administration Board. He also was a trustee of NYU.
He died on January 21, 1956 and is interred in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. US Lacrosse
US Lacrosse
US Lacrosse is the national governing body of men and women's lacrosse in the United States, primarily serving the youth game. It provides a leadership role in virtually every aspect of the game, boasts 63 chapters throughout the United States, and offers programs and services to inspire...
inducted him into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1957.