Williams Retires

Brooklin Redmen legend and fan favourite Shawn Williams has decided to end his career in Major Series Lacrosse (MSL). He played 20 seasons in the MSL, with all but three for the Redmen (2003 in Coquitlam and 2009 and 2010 in Brampton). He won a Mann Cup in 2000 with the Redmen and repeated that feat in 2009 with the Excelsiors also taking the Mike Kelley Award as Mann Cup MVP that year.

Williams holds a number of records as a member of the Redmen; first overall with 757 goals, 1118 assists and 1875 points. He won an incredible six Bucko McDonald Memorial Trophies as top scorer in MSL as well as numerous team awards given out to Redmen players at the annual awards banquet.

Shawn reached another milestone on July 21, 2016 in a 6-4 win over Peterborough. He entered the game with 2,114 all-time points one behind Johnny Davis in second place, by the time the Redmen tied the game at 3-3 at 19:36 of the middle frame Williams had contributed two assists to reach 2,116 all-time points and now stands alone in second behind John Tavares.

Shawn was a proud member of the Redmen, the same team that his father Greg played for in the late 1970s and the two actually played a game together with his father coming out of retirement for the occasion. The Redmen had the game sheet from that contest framed and presented to Williams.

The Brooklin Redmen will miss Shawn’s drive, passion and leadership both on the floor as well as in the dressing room as he was able to share his wisdom with many of the young Redmen players who came along over the years. We wish Shawn and his family all the best in the coming years. The Redmen and their fans look forward to when Dyson Williams is draft eligible for the MSL and perhaps he will don the Redmen jersey with the same pride as his father and grandfather.

What I remember most when he first started playing with us was his tremendous skill set, unselfishness and willingness to do whatever it took to win. Add to that his tremendous leadership and passion for the game it’s easy to see why he has had such a long and outstanding career. – John Fusco, former teammate

Shawn will undoubtedly be recognized as one of the top players in Redmen history. I’ve played with and against Shawn since we were young, it was so much better having him on our team than playing against because he was so dangerous. It’s a testament of his will to play that he’s one of the few players our age to play and last as long as he did, and do so at a level most players only dream of. Brad MacArthur, Former teammate/ Coach