Blue Tornado Lacrosse

The McCallie lacrosse program began in the fall of 1989 with approximately two dozen players and two coaches. Since that date, the program has grown into one of the top programs in the Southeast.

Sanctioned as a TSSAA sport in 2025, McCallie lacrosse sets the standard across the state and for area programs. The overall school program consists of more than 120 players on the Varsity, Junior Varsity and Middle School teams. McCallie welcomes players of all levels of experience and strives to develop them appropriately at each level.

The varsity program has built a reputation as one of the premier programs in the Southeast, having won nine State Championships since its inception 36 years ago (1996, 1997, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015 and 2022).

The 2025 team earned a berth in the state finals for the fourth consecutive year but lost to Montgomery Bell Academy 13-8. En route to the championship game, the Blue Tornado went undefeated in Region play. Despite a young team, the boys did not shy away from top-notch competition, playing a handful of recent state champions from other states including a two-game trip to Dallas, Texas, two games in Atlanta, and this year’s North Carolina Division I state champion, Christ School of Asheville.

The mission of the program is to help its student-athletes develop as McCallie Men who embody Honor, Truth, and Duty; as teammates who put their brothers’ needs above their own; and as players who are willing to be uncommon by striving for excellence and persevering through failure.McCallie lacrosse

Eamon Thornton ’02 has served as head coach and program director since 2020. Coach Thornton has been a member of the school’s faculty since 2011 and served as the JV head coach and varsity assistant for seven years before assuming the varsity head coaching role. A graduate of Hampden-Sydney College where he played lacrosse, he also teaches English and is a dorm advisor. Coach Thornton spent 10 years as the head coach of the Swiss National team and serves on the DEI Committee for the National Interscholastic Lacrosse Coaches Association.