Rutgers Lacrosse: Why Tom Hayes name is on the back of jerseys

You’re wondering why Rutgers Lacrosse has the same name on the back of their jerseys — Tom Hayes. Tom Hayes. Tom Hayes. The name flashes across the screen every-time the Scarlet Knights make another impressive play during their inspired season.

The answer is quite simple — Rutgers is honoring a legend.

Tom Hayes didn’t just change Rutgers Lacrosse — he changed lacrosse. An icon of the sport and the all-time leader in wins for a coach in the history of the Scarlet Knights with 194, Hayes made an undeniable impact.

In March of 2022, Hayes passed away. As a tribute to the legend, Rutgers announced they would honor the pioneer for the remainder of the season, wherever it takes them.

The lacrosse world is mourning the passing of an iconic figure in the sport.

We'll honor former Rutgers head coach Tom Hayes on our jerseys for the rest of the season pic.twitter.com/u7H0REblNk

— Rutgers Men's LAX (@RUmlax) March 13, 2022

After his passing, Rutgers laid out the immense accomplishments of one of the sport’s great coaches.

“Hayes coached the Scarlet Knights from 1975 to 2000 and led the team to 21 winning seasons and to final top-20 rankings for 24-straight years. During his 25-year tenure at the helm of the Scarlet Knights, Hayes guided 55 players to All-American accolades and had 30 North-South All-Star game participants. His teams competed in five NCAA tournaments, including back-to-back appearances in 1990 and 1991. Hayes also accomplished a number of firsts with the Scarlet Knights, including leading the first team to win 11 games in a season (1986), the first victory in an NCAA tournament game (1986) and the longest winning streak of nine (1982).”

Additionally, Hayes’ contributions to the game didn’t end in Piscataway — he grew the game on a national level.

“Following his tenure as RU head coach, Hayes remained involved in the sport,” wrote Rutgers. “He was a member of the Federation of International Lacrosse, established in 2008 to serve as the sport’s international governing body and served as the organization’s president from 1994-2002, also holding roles as vice-president, secretary-treasurer, general delegate, Marketing Committee Chair and Development Committee Chair.”

Hayes was always about moving forward, but he took a moment to reflect on his accomplishments when he was inducted into the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.

“One of the things I believe in and tried to pass on to my former players is that you’re going to get a lot out of this sport, so make sure you put something back into it,” Hayes said at the time of his Hall of Fame induction in 2017, per Rutgers. “I think we’ve definitely done that and I’m proud of them for that.”

Rutgers has honored Tom Hayes and then some this season. At the moment, the Scarlet Knights are one win away from their first Final Four berth in program history.

With Tom Hayes watching their backs, the Scarlet Knights are looking to continue making history. The pioneer played a huge role in Rutgers Lacrosse, and it’s only fitting for him to play a huge role in one of their best seasons ever.