Hall of Fame
A two-time All-American midfielder for the Hobart lacrosse team, Harold “Beaver” Draffen III ’75 led the Statesmen to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division II national championship game after transferring from Nassau Community College in 1974. In his two years at Hobart, Draffen led the Statesmen to a 27-4 record and two straight NCAA Division II national finalists’ trophies after recording 103 points on 78 goals and 25 assists in only 31 career games.
In the 1974 title game against Towson State, Draffen scored a record eight goals and added an assist in the overtime loss. He tallied the game-tying goal with about a minute and a half left in regulation to send the contest to OT. Draffen finished his first Hobart season with 35 goals and nine assists to garner his first All-America award. He was named a team captain for the 1975 season and helped the Statesmen to a 12-game win streak. Draffen recorded 43 goals and 16 assists in his final collegiate season, including five goals in a record-breaking 30-0 win over Rensselaer.
Draffen’s senior season included an impressive haul of accolades. He earned the U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Fran McCall Award as the national midfielder of the year, the first Statesman to win that prestigious honor. Draffen repeated as a first team All-American and was also selected to play in the the 1975 North-South All-Star Game, where he scored two goals to cap his collegiate career.
A two-time All-ICAC first team selection, Draffen received the 1975 Judge Thomas A. Kane Memorial Trophy as Hobart’s most valuable lacrosse player.
In addition to lacrosse, Draffen was also a two-year member of the Hobart rugby team.
Before transferring to Hobart, Draffen helped the Lions to back-to-back NJCAA national championships after going 32-0 in two seasons. He was inducted into the Long Island Metropolitan Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Nassau Community College Hall of Fame in 2014. Draffen was also honored in his hometown with induction into the Garden City Sports Hall of Fame.
