IL Indoor

Tony Resch

He won 2 championships as a player for the Philadelphia Wings. He won 4 more as coach of the team. Not bad for Tony Resch, a guy who admits he kinda freewheeled it with teammates. That’s not a sign of disrespect. It’s a sign of a guy who grew up with the field lacrosse game and was a 2-time All-America defenseman at Yale University before giving the indoor game a try. But has he proved, he learned a lot in a hurry with the Philadelphia Wings and his record of success as a player and coach only proves he was listening. How can you not when fellas like Dave Evans and Paul and Gary Gait are around to teach you the game?

1. Did you know much about the indoor game before trying out for the Wings in 1988?
“I had gone to England to coach for a year and I didn’t know much about the indoor league. I’d never played indoor before. But Mike French was involved with the Wings and he’d asked me if I wanted to try out and I said sure. Anytime I was able to extend my stay with the game, I was happy to.”

2. It was quite an adjustment for Americans, especially in that era of the game.
“I was a defenseman at Yale, so yeah, playing with a short stick was a novelty for me. But it was fun. That first couple of years, we were mostly American guys running around. They passed it to me occasionally.”

3. So by this time, you’d started to realize it was a bit different than the field game.
“Especially when Detroit came in to the league. We scrimmaged them in Baltimore and that was the first time I’d played against a truly Canadian group. The off-ball stuff, the chopping and the cross-checks. I was a D guy and I wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of all that! They always seemed to find the spots where you didn’t have any pads.”

4. So as you grew as a player, name the most influential teammate you had.
“Dave Evans will always be No. 1, but Paul and Gary Gait, as great as they were, were always open and willing to help. As a D man, having Dwight Maetche and Dallas Eliuk in goal was great too. They were invaluable, as far as positioning and matchups. When and where to be.”

5. Favorite Wings season as a player?
“Probably that first championship we had (in 1989). We still laugh about it when I run into guys from that team like Scott Gabrielsen and John Tucker. We kinda stumbled into it because we were all new to it. It was a perfect storm, and the fans loved us. In one game at the Spectrum, I probably played in front of more fans than all my field games at Yale combined. We didn’t know what we were doing, which can be a good thing sometimes in sports. We just showed up and worked hard.”

6. You took over as coach in 2004. Which is better: Coaching or playing?
“There’s no comparison. I tell guys now, play as long as you can play. It’s one thing to coach and realize you contributed, but it’s not the same as being part of the team on the floor and being out there. Coaching is the next best thing, though.”

7. Favorite season as a coach?
“All the teams were sort of unique in their own way. But I am most proud that we won our titles with different groups. The Gaits were there for the first one (1994), so we kind of rolled into that. Then Paul leaves and we get another one (1995). Gary leaves and it takes a few years for another one (1998) when guys like Jake Bergey rolls in. In 2001, we win in Toronto. But each of the championship teams is special and that we changed the faces and still won is special.”

8. So 2001 was your last year coaching with the Wings. Is that it or is the coaching door still open?
“I got the new job as athletic director at LaSalle College High School and I knew that after 14 years, I need a little bit of a break. But I’d never rule out not coaching again. I love coaching and being around the guys. I love the indoor game. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

9. Do you follow the Wings closely today?
“Oh yes. I see Mike French and Scott Gabrielsen regularly and I get down to a game or two each year and check the box scores. I was a big fan of Dave Huntley and I know it wasn’t for a lack of effort that there wasn’t success there for him. But John Tucker has got a nice group together now and we see ourselves as lifelong Wings so we’re sending nothing but positive vibes to get this thing going.”

Tony Resch was involved with the Wings for a total of 12 seasons, 6 as a player and 6 as a coach. In 47 games as a player, he notched 22 points on 12 goals and 10 assists. The 3-year captain won NLL titles in 1989 and 1990. He took over as coach of the Wings in 1994 and won 2 of his 4 NLL titles in his first 2 seasons as the Wings bench boss. Today, he’s athletic director at LaSalle College High School, where he’s an assistant coach with the boys lacrosse team and he also coach the Philadelphia Barrage of Major League Lacrosse to the 2006 title. He’s an NLL Hall of Famer (2008).

Past profiles

Randy Mearns
Pat McCabe
Matt Riter
Adam Mueller
Tom Carmean
Tom Ryan

From 2009

Rick Sowell
Mike French
Toby Boucher
Brian Lemon
Jeff Klodzen
Scott Gabrielson
Gary Becker
Peter Parke
Tim Soudan
Steve Govett
Gordon Purdie

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