Leroy "Buddy" Atkins had never seen a lacrosse game when he arrived in Lexington from North Carolina in September 1964 to begin his freshman year at Washington and Lee University.

He was a talented football player and an accomplished tennis player, yet happenstance cast him as one of the pivotal figures in the 36-year history of the Lexington Lacrosse Club.

"The first time I ever saw a lacrosse game was in the spring of my freshman year," Atkins recalled. "Carroll Klingelhofer, who was an excellent attackman, encouraged me to attend. It was a miserable, rainy afternoon, and W&L was playing Ohio State. The Generals won in overtime, and my intrigue started there. There was a lot of basketball-like movement, which I liked. The problem was learning to use a stick..."

The following spring, Atkins was on the W&L junior varsity team coached by Klingelhofer. He played for Coach Dana Swan on the varsity squad during his junior year and, as a senior, played on the first W&L team coached by Dick Szlasa.

"I came back to Lexington to work at W&L, and I started helping Bill McHenry coach a little bit. Then, after Mark Derbyshire left, I agreed to become the head coach," Atkins said. "I guess I wasn't expecting to do that for the next 15 years. My son, Cole, was just a little boy when I started, and I continued until he finished his high school career."

Until the 1990–91 school year, the team played as an independent club.

"We had some really good players," Atkins noted. "Several of them went on to play at the college level. I really enjoyed coaching. It was a chance for me to step outside my usual world and do something different, and I enjoyed watching the boys grow into men. [W&L Presidents Robert] Huntley and [John] Wilson were really great about it. They liked it when we became deeply involved in the community. President Wilson would often ask me how the team was doing. Their support meant a lot."

"And [then-Lexington High School Athletic Director] Dan Lyons was critical to the club’s development when he encouraged us to become a varsity sport representing LHS during its last two years," Atkins continued. "Then he paved the way for us when the new high school opened. During that time, RARO was really supportive, helping us extend the program down into the middle schools. And Chad Joyce, who was once one of my players, became the coach."

Asked what the highlight of his coaching tenure was, Atkins offered an unexpected answer, given the great on-field success of his teams.

"We had a few guys who others had labeled as problem kids. Folks predicted they wouldn’t make it. Well, most of them did. You have to wait a while to know how things turn out with people, so I’m glad I stuck around as long as I did."

After the 1994 spring season, Atkins passed the head coaching reins to George Ray, who had been one of the original participants in McHenry’s clinics 20 years earlier.

by doug Chase