Men’s lacrosse brothers fueled by family tradition

On April 19 at Higgins Stadium, the Ithaca College men’s lacrosse team is tied with Clarkson University 10-10 with 20 seconds remaining. It is Senior Day, and the Bombers are one win away from snapping their playoff drought of three seasons.

Sophomore midfielder/faceoff Corey White wins the faceoff and passes it off to junior attacker Tim Rogers. Rogers streaks down the right side, he swings the ball left to senior attacker Kyle Proctor. Kyle stops on a dime, and finds his little brother Lucas Proctor, sophomore attacker/midfielder, on the right side in front of the goal. Lucas runs to the net, crosses the stick over to his left and bounces the ball right past the Clarkson goalie into the back of the net, sealing the Bombers’ win. 

The Proctor brothers accomplished their goal of doing something special together on the IC lacrosse field. After Lucas’ game-winner, the first person he embraced was his older brother — they had done it, the Bombers were back in the postseason. 

The Proctors have been filling up the stat sheet for the men’s lacrosse team throughout the 2025 season. Lucas leads the team in points and goals with 49 and 28 respectively, while his older brother is atop the stat sheet in the assist category, tallying 24 on the season.

However, for the Proctor brothers, their commitment to excellence goes far beyond their love for lacrosse. Through deep-rooted family tradition and the desire to represent something greater than themselves, Kyle and Lucas look to cement their legacies on and off the field. Lucas said the phrase “The Proctor Brothers” is nothing new for his family.

“My father and his brother were both the Proctor brothers and my father’s dad and his brother were the Proctor brothers and now we’re doing it, so it means a lot,” Lucas said. 

Gary Proctor, Kyle and Lucas’ uncle, said his dad and uncle grew up during the Great Depression and World War II. Gary said that his father and uncle were relied upon to contribute to the family and the two realized that they can get more work done working together as a pair, and thus the Proctor brothers legacy was born.

“We grew up with my father and my uncle and we were always encouraged and mentored that brothers don’t fight each other,” Gary said. “[They said],’You guys need to work together, you need to respect each other, you need to look out for each other,’ because that’s how my dad and his brother had grown up.”

Gary and Dan, Lucas and Kyle’s father, excelled together in the sport of track and field in high school, making the state semifinals in multiple relays. However, the next generation of Proctor brothers, Kyle and Lucas were instantly brought together by the sport of lacrosse. Kyle said he began playing while in second grade and Lucas immediately wanted to follow suit. 

Kyle said that growing up the two of them would make a makeshift goal in the backyard with an old dog pen and a shed and play countless games of one-on-one.

“I was bigger, I beat up on him,” Kyle said. “Then after some time he started getting the hang of it and he got pretty damn good and started fighting back against me.”

The two brothers were set to finally play together in 2020, Kyle’s junior year of high school and Lucas’ first year, but the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The following season, Kyle tore his labrum, preventing the two brothers from getting ample time on the field together.

However, during that same year, tragedy struck that went far beyond lacrosse injuries when their father died.

“It has been tough on Kyle and Luke but it’s pulled them together and made them stronger,” Gary said. “We all grow up, we all get through it and all go on and we stick together.”

After Kyle’s first season at IC, their dreams of playing collegiate lacrosse together started to pick up steam. Kyle said his brother had Division I offers, but Kyle really enjoyed his first-year season at Ithaca and this really got Lucas thinking.

“I remember there was one night going into [Lucas’] senior year [of high school] and we were in Cape Cod and he was really weighing his options,” Kyle said. “I was just like, ‘Man you could go play anywhere but you know you could come to Ithaca and we could do something special,’ and he was like, ‘Man I got the chills,’ and I think from there he never looked back.”

Head coach Tommy Pearce said the biggest similarity he sees in the siblings is their ability to handle the stick with both hands. He said many players on the team are dominant with their main hand and serviceable with their off, but the Proctor brothers are seemingly ambidextrous. 

“They’re both fiery competitors, they always want what’s best for the team,” Pearce said. “They really like to win. They put it all on the table every chance they get, every practice, every game.”

Kyle said everyone on the team is like family to him, but having his literal family on the field with him definitely gives him that extra spark. 

“A lot of us on the team, we have different things we pray to before a game,” Kyle said. “Me personally, [I pray] to my father, hoping that he’s watching down over us and then when I can get up from that prayer and see my brother there waiting for me to give me a hug, that’s a very special moment every game.”

After a 2024 season that saw Lucas struggle with an ankle injury and inconsistent playing time, the brothers both said that this season has been a dream come true and it has brought joy to many people in their lives. Kyle said they get old neighbors, friends and family reaching out to them after every game.

That joy has also spread to their uncle Gary, who said he is always around for his nephews to talk about anything. He said it means the world to him to have his nephews carry on the bond that he shared with their father.

“I enjoy watching them excel in sports and how they’ve achieved a lot,” Gary said. “What I most focus on is supporting and emphasizing the positive, not being critical, not being judgmental and then always try and finish up with a story about their father.”

Kyle’s leadership on the team goes beyond just leading his little brother. Pearce said the older Proctor brother was voted a captain by his peers for his ability to hold others accountable and to get the most out of his teammates. 

Lucas said he attributes much of his success to his older brother’s leadership growing up. He said he credits the hours spent training and playing together in the backyard to their success since they know each other’s games well and where they can find each other on the field.

“The confidence really comes through him and all the work we both put in growing up,” Lucas said. “Growing up, he’s been a huge leader for me and a huge role model. He’s always worked his butt off and I’ve definitely taken that from him, being able to put that into my game, my life and it’s taught me a lot of lessons.”

As Kyle wraps up his career on the field, he said he hopes he continues to honor his father and his family legacy off the field. He said playing lacrosse will always hold a special place in his heart and he hopes both he and Lucas’ kids play lacrosse together as the next generation of Proctor brothers. 

“It’s just a kind of surreal moment knowing that we’re kind of living up to those expectations and setting our own path,” Kyle said. “I’m always proud of my brother, but us doing it together and making other people proud … it’s just a dream come true.”