Even the most devoted Maryland lacrosse fan might have trouble maintaining a straight face while envisioning this: 10-year-old Jim Beardmore, taped, mummy-style, to a pole in the Terrapins locker room.
Just say the words "Jim," "tape" and "pole" in succession to Jim's father, Bud, and the former Maryland and current Washington Wave coach breaks out in hysterical laughter.
"Jimmy was what I called a rug rat; he was always getting under people's feet," recalled Bud Beardmore, an all-America midfielder for Maryland in 1961 and 1962, who, in addition to coaching the Eagle League professional box lacrosse team, operates three area Subway sandwich shops. "He acted like he kind of owned the locker room sometimes."
And, of course, paid the price.
"Yeah, those guys beat the hell out of me," Jim said of Frank Urso and the other members of the Maryland teams that made the NCAA final each season from 1973 to 1976, winning the national championship in 1973 and 1975. "No, it was a great experience. I loved it. I came up here for the practices and games. I got to go on the bus when the played on the road. It was a lot of fun. I thought they were really a neat bunch of guys, but they did used to get a little angry with me. As an obnoxious little kid, I'm sure I got on their nerves a lot."
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Jim Beardmore still spends his time getting on college lacrosse players' nerves. Only now, they play offense for North Carolina, Virginia and Navy and he plays goalkeeper for Maryland -- and is big enough, good enough and confident enough to retaliate.
Last week, with the No. 1 Terrapins leading Navy, 11-1, midway through the third quarter of their game at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium, Navy's leading goal-scorer, Mike Herger, having been unable to beat Beardmore with his marksmanship, resorted to a little gamesmanship.
After Beardmore made a clearing pass, Herger flattened him, earning a one-minute penalty for unnecessary roughness. Instead of fighting back, Beardmore, still on the ground, waved as Herger trotted to the penalty box. Sixteen seconds later, Maryland led, 12-1.
"I've matured a great deal since I came here to the university," said Beardmore, a 23-year-old senior who transferred to Maryland after spending his freshman year at Washington College. "In high school, I was a bit loud, a little bit high-strung, a lot of trouble in some of my classes. There's no one person or thing that's made the difference for me. It's something that's just come about, just taking care of my responsibilities. I mean, I still like to have a good time."
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Like the time in August 1985 when Beardmore "made a mistake" while joyriding on his motorcycle. His right foot was crushed in the accident and he was on crutches for more than three months. Beardmore, who didn't sell his motorcycle until recently, missed nearly all of fall practice and still wasn't completely healthy when last season rolled around. As a goalkeeper who succeeds mainly because of extraordinary quickness, he was in a lot of trouble.
After compiling a save percentage of .611 in 12 games as a sophomore starter, he had his percentage fall to .564 in eight games as a junior, splitting time with sophomore Dennis Sullivan.
This year, however, with the help of starting defensemen Brian Jackson, an all-America last year, Dan Coughlan and Jeff McNeil, Beardmore has been sensational. He made 20 saves in the 16-6 victory over then-No. 1 North Carolina March 28 that lifted Maryland into the top spot in the U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll.
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The following week, he made 15 saves in a 12-5 victory over Virginia in which the Terrapins held the Cavaliers scoreless for the game's first 37:20. Then, there was last week's game against Navy, in which Maryland held the high-scoring Midshipmen to just two goals during the game's first 47:38.
Beardmore's save percentage going into Saturday's game against No. 4 Johns Hopkins is an astounding .745, well ahead of the Atlantic Coast Conference single-season record of .692.
According to the USILA's information director, Doyle Smith, should Beardmore maintain his current pace, he will have recorded one of the highest save percentages in collegiate lacrosse history (the NCAA only maintains official lacrosse records for playoff competition).
"He's been as dominant a player these past few weeks as any other player on the field," said Maryland Coach Dick Edell, whose team is 8-0.
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A deft handler of his oversized stick, Beardmore isn't afraid to take off like a pressured quarterback when teams overplay the passing lanes while Maryland is trying to clear the ball. As a sophomore, he scored a goal against Maryland-Baltimore County and this year took a shot against Virginia.
Maryland's current run for the school's first national title since 1975 has brought numerous members of Bud Beardmore's championship teams back to College Park, many for their first Maryland game in years.
"After the North Carolina game, it was fantastic," Bud Beardmore said. "We had this big tailgate party and all of the old guys kept coming up to me and saying, 'Boy, Jimmy's grown up a little bit since we last saw him.' "
And taped Jim to a pole?
"Yeah," Bud Beardmore said. And then he started to laugh.
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