University of Massachusets Athletics
Lacrosse Feature: Brett Garber Carries On Family Name
May 11, 2005 | Men's Lacrosse
May 11, 2005
By Jeff Howe
Daily Collegian
"Just do it the way you think it should be done, but always remember why you do it." -Richard F. Garber, Massachusetts men's lacrosse coach from 1955-1990
It's a quote that hangs on the wall of UMass coach Greg Cannella's office, directly to the left of his desk.
It was some advice Garber had given Cannella, a point in the right direction. It was a direction that Garber started over 50 years ago, and the program hasn't steered off course yet.
When Cannella took over the reigns prior to the 1995 season, he met with Richard Garber, his former coach and mentor, just to talk.
They had talked often. Sometimes about life, sometimes about lacrosse.
When Cannella decided to transfer from Nassau Community College in New York to don the maroon and white, he met with Garber and his wife for dinner.
Garber was the reason Cannella chose UMass. He was a "throwback", a word Cannella used to describe the man whose name sits high upon the lacrosse field in the middle of campus.
He compared Garber to another legendary college coach, in a completely different sport.
Cannella says that Garber was a teacher, much like the way former UCLA men's basketball coach John Wooden was. It wasn't so much because the two coaching greats were winners or because they stayed at one school for such a long period of time, though.
"They were guys that believed in treating people the right way, treating people fairly, guys that are respectful to everybody on campus," Cannella said. "They're well respected within the community. You don't really see that now in coaching. You don't see that type of person that's able to be successful and do it his way, but really do it the right way, have the student-athletes' best interest rather than worrying about winning and losing."
It's hard for Cannella to talk about his old coach without getting choked up. Whether he was staring off into empty space in his office or just boasting an ear-to-ear smile, it was easy to tell what kind of an effect Garber had on his former players, just by the reaction they give off when his name is mentioned.
It's apparent how much respect Cannella has for his mentor, as he still refers to him as "Coach Garber" without even missing a beat.
"He has an effect on me everyday," Cannella said, at this moment smiling. "Every time I walk into the office, he has an effect on me. Every time I go out onto the field, he has an effect on me. It's sort of hard to explain. I think if you asked any of the alums, he was not only a great coach, but he was an unbelievable mentor and an unbelievable friend."
It is the same kind of respect that Cannella demands from his players now. Though it isn't so much that he needs to demand this respect, as he has done a great job over the last 11 years earning it.
The Minutemen have won 56 games since 2001, the best five-year stretch in the program's history. This isn't much of a small task, as Garber retired as the all-time winningest coach in lacrosse history. He was the first man to win 300 games, and only Jack Emmer of Army was able to surpass that, which he accomplished two seasons ago.
It's that respect, though, that Garber has helped him achieve. Cannella gives out a sheet of paper with a pyramid on it to each of his players before the start of every season. It is the identical sheet that Garber passed on to him two decades ago. It was similar to the pyramid that John Wooden devised for his players just a couple decades prior to that.
Some of it had to do with life, some was about lacrosse. It was the epitome of what UMass lacrosse has stood for since Garber took over.
.....
Two years ago, Garber's grandson, Brett Garber, needed to make the same decision all high school seniors make. Not that the decision was ever all that hard, but Brett needed to choose a college.
He was a great high school talent. He played for his father, Ted Garber, at Avon Old Farms High School in Connecticut.
Before that, however, Ted, was the second Garber to be involved with the UMass lacrosse family. He had the daunting task of replacing a legend, his father.
He took over at the helm in 1991 and coached the Maroon and White for four years, comprising a 37-17 record and reaching two NCAA tournaments. In 1993, he hired Cannella to serve as an assistant coach.
The bond is thick between the Garber family and Cannella. That is why it was no surprise that Brett chose to play for the man who coached under his father and played for his grandfather, even though virtually every top program in Division I wanted Brett for themselves.
"UMass always had a special feeling inside of me. I always knew what it was all about, just because of my grandfather and my father," Brett said. "I came on my first official visit here and just loved it. I loved the team, the players, the coaches, and I ended up canceling all of my other visits just because it was awesome. I didn't want to go anywhere else."
There were actually so many schools interested in Brett that Cannella didn't think he would land the third-generation Garber as a recruit. It wasn't until Ted called him on the phone and told him that UMass was the only school Brett wanted to play for.
Though Brett doesn't have a ton of memories of his grandfather - Richard Garber passed away on Dec. 6, 1994, at the age of 66 - he does remember sitting on the sidelines with him, while the two watched Ted coach the Minutemen.
"I know what he did, and it's special," Brett said. "The memories, I wish I had more, but what I have is awesome. It makes it even better to see his statue everyday."
The statue he talks about is the memorial that sits on the right corner of the lacrosse field, which was named after Richard Garber on April 11, 1992. The statue is a profile of Richard Garber, showcasing his accomplishments as a coach and a human being.
Like most athletes, Brett has a routine before every game. His is unique, though there is a reason for that. Not many people get to play on the field that was created by their grandfather. After leaving the locker room, he walks by the statue, and he flashes it a little wink.
Brett doesn't take any of this for granted. He knows what he has, and he knows how lucky he is with the opportunity he has been given.
"Before every game, I get nervous, but before every home game, I always find myself in the corner in the locker room," Brett recalled. "And I just think about where I am, and it hits me.
"It pumps me up because I know I only have a certain amount of time here, and the feeling just rushes through my body. It's such a scary but awesome feeling because I get another chance to play on Garber Field, and I get another chance to wear this jersey. It's just so special."
It would be for someone who grew up around lacrosse greats such as Mark Millon, Chris Nentwich and Mike Valente. In fact, Millon, who graduated from UMass in 1993 and is currently a member of the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse, was Brett's favorite player as a kid.
A few years ago, for Brett's birthday, he mentioned to his father that all he wanted was for Millon to show up to his party. Ted tried arranging for his former player to make the trip to Connecticut, but things didn't work out.
"He just wanted Mark to come to his birthday party," Ted said. "Mark unfortunately couldn't make it because of his job at the time, but he sent him his uniform from the World Games [in 1998] that he was MVP in with his autograph on it."
"Mark was one of my big idols growing up, and my dad tried surprising me," Brett said. "I saw [the jersey], and it was so awesome. I have it back in my room just hanging up over my bed, so it's over me when I sleep. I love it."
Brett still keeps in contact with Millon through E-mail on a somewhat regular basis.
"It was nice of Mark to do that for him," Ted said. "I know Mark is a big fan of his and encourages him to keep working hard and do the best he can everyday, and he's trying to do that."
.....
There were high expectations for Brett coming into UMass as a freshman last year. He was a two-year team captain, an All-American and he was asked to try out for the U.S. Under-19 Team. He scored 100 goals and tallied 77 assists during his four-year high school career for 177 points.
He wasn't exactly a statistical juggernaut last year, as he only recorded five goals and three assists. His best game came against UMass' long time rival, though, in the team's trip to the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.
Brett scored three times and added an assist in the Maroon and White's 17-10 loss to the Orange, and he earned ECAC Rookie of the Week honors after his breakout performance.
This season, he has really come to life and showcased some flashes of brilliance. He is tied for fourth on the team with 14 goals and seven assists, and he is fifth on the Minutemen with 21 total points. His best statistical game came against Brown, when he scored twice and contributed an assist. He showed up for Syracuse again, too, as he found the back of the net twice in the team's 14-13 overtime win on April 30.
Even when things aren't going well, though, when he needs advice in life or for his game, he just looks to his old high school coach.
"My dad is who I always call when I'm in tough positions," Brett said. "He means so much to me. He guides me a lot through experience. He's always there for me."
His father doesn't hesitate to get on him about his game, either. In UMass' 6-5 loss at Loyola on March 26, Brett's first two shots were high, right where Greyhound goalie Michael Fretwell's stick was waiting.
"I usually give him a jab a little bit if I think his shooting isn't in the right location," Ted said. "That's what I stressed here and stress with everybody."
There are other expectations for Brett, though. Bigger ones.
And they have everything to do with his name. They are the same demons that Ted faced as a coach, and Brett is well aware of them now as a player.
"There are expectations from people," Ted said. "Even when I played in college, and my dad was coaching in college, and I didn't play well, they'd be like, 'Well, you're Coach Garber's son, shouldn't you play better?' And that sort of followed me around a little bit.
"I didn't want Brett to have to go through that. When I was interviewing [for head coach] at UMass, they asked me, 'How could you take the place of your dad? He's the all-time winningest coach and is in all these Halls of Fame.' And I said, 'It's easy, I gave him all his plays.' They sort of looked at me, but I was joking. What am I supposed to tell them?"
That was what Ted did so well, according to Cannella. He was witty and could brush things off with a joke if he wanted.
Brett is more reserved in comparison to his father, and Cannella said that Brett's personality is more similar to that of his grandfather's.
But while Ted may have handled those things differently than Brett does, it doesn't mean the younger Garber has any problems with living up to these meteoric pressures.
"I think [his teammates] respect the hell out of it," Cannella said. "There is a lot of pressure. I don't think Brett feels the pressure. I know if it was me, playing on my grandfather's field, I'd feel pressure, but he seems to revel in it."
These four - Richard, Ted, Brett and Cannella - have all been tied together through one another. Richard built the program from the ground up, Ted continued the winning tradition while Cannella and Brett have kept it moving in the same direction.
And they have all done it their way.
When Cannella reads that piece of paper in his office, which he transcribed immediately after his conversation with the Hall-of-Fame coach, he remembers why he took the coaching job and what it means, not just to him, but to five decades of UMass lacrosse tradition.
Looking down, these roles may be reversed, and Richard F. Garber would certainly admire that.
