Matt Danowski

Danowski was a starter at Duke throughout his entire college career.{{cite web |url=http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=25941&SPID=2027&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=792817&Q_SEASON=2006|title=Matt Danowski Blue Devil Player Bio|accessdate=2007-05-14 |format= |work=GoDuke.com }} As a sophomore in 2005, he won the Jack Turnbull Award, given to the nation's top collegiate attackman.{{cite web |url=http://www.laxpower.com/laxnews/news.php?story=1354 |title=USILA Special Awards, Players/Coaches of the Year (2005) |accessdate=2007-05-14 |format= |work=Laxpower.com }}

Danowski was a member of Duke squad during the 2006 Duke University lacrosse team scandal, cutting short his junior campaign to eight games after the University prematurely ended the season. Following the forced resignation of long-time Duke lacrosse coach Mike Pressler, Danowski's father, John Danowski, became the head coach of the team.{{cite web |url=http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2007/02/family-matters |title=Family Matters |accessdate=2007-05-14 |last=Taddei |first=John |date=February 22, 2007 |work=DukeChronicle.com}} Due to the shortened season, resulting from "unusual circumstance," the NCAA granted 33 Duke lacrosse players, including Danowski, a rare fifth year of eligibility.{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/news/story?id=2887146 |title=NCAA to allow Duke players to reclaim lost season |access-date=2007-05-31 |work=ESPN.com}}

Danowski, and teammate Zack Greer, led the Blue Devils high-powered attack to the 2007 NCAA Final Four. Duke faced Johns Hopkins University in the final, but lost despite mounting a strong comeback at the end of the game,{{cite web |url=http://www.ncaasports.com/lacrosse/mens/recaps/d1_0528_id550296/2007|title=Johns Hopkins 12, Duke 11 |accessdate=2007-05-27|work=NCAA Sports.com}} This match-up was a repeat of the 2005 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship game.

In 2007, Danowski won the Tewaaraton Trophy, awarded to the nation's most outstanding collegiate lacrosse player.{{cite web |url=http://www.tewaaraton.com/home/183010.html |title=2007 Tewaaraton Trophy Winners Presented by Warrior |accessdate=2007-05-31 |work=Tewaaraton.com |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070812085833/http://www.tewaaraton.com/home/183010.html |archive-date=2007-08-12 |url-status=dead }} That year, he also won the USILA's Lt. Raymond Enners Award as the national player of the year, and his second Jack Turnbull Award as attackman of the year.{{cite web |url=http://laxpower.com/laxnews/news.php?story=7312|title=USILA Announces Player of the Year Awards for 2007|accessdate=2007-05-31|work=LaxPower.com}}

In the first round of the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship, in a victory over Loyola, Danowski broke the career points record, eclipsing Joe Vasta's mark.{{cite web|url=http://www.insidelacrosse.com/page.cfm?pagerid=2&news=fdetail&storyid=189784 |title=Danowski Sets NCAA Career Scoring Mark As No. 1 Duke Defeats Loyola, 12-7 |accessdate=2008-05-19 |author= |date=May 10, 2008 |publisher=InsideLacrosse.com |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514014946/http://insidelacrosse.com/page.cfm?pagerid=2&news=fdetail&storyid=189784 |archivedate=May 14, 2008 |url-status=dead|df= }} However, in the 2008 NCAA semifinals, Duke was again defeated by Johns Hopkins, ending Danowski's collegiate career without winning an NCAA championship. In 2008, he was again awarded the Lt. Raymond Enners Award as national player of the year.{{cite web|url=http://insidelacrosse.com/blog/2008/05/26/usila-announces-major-award-winners/ |title=USILA announces major award winners |last=Burns |first=Sean |date=May 28, 2008 |work=InsideLacrosse.com |accessdate=2008-05-27 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529003208/http://blogs.insidelacrosse.com/2008/05/26/usila-announces-major-award-winners/ |archivedate=May 29, 2008 |url-status=dead|df= }}

Only a few days after Danowski was awarded the 2008 Enners award as the USILA player of the year, he was drafted second overall by the New Jersey Pride in the 2008 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft.{{cite web|url=http://www.majorleaguelacrosse.com/news/pressreleases/index.html?article_id=966|title=Paul Rabil selected with #1 Overall Pick|date=May 28, 2008|publisher=MajorLeagueLacrosse.com|accessdate=2008-06-10|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080601190838/http://www.majorleaguelacrosse.com/news/pressreleases/index.html?article_id=966|archivedate=June 1, 2008|df=}}

Danowski earned Rookie of the Week honors in Week 5 of the 2008 MLL season. He has scored 19 goals in 12 games with 3 two-point goals and 14 assists giving him a total of 36 points.

In July 2009, Danowski was traded from the Colorado Mammoth to the New York Titans in exchange for Ryan Powell. Danowski becomes the fourth player in 2009 to play both for the Lizards of the MLL and the Titans of the NLL in the same season, joining Stephen Peyser, Matt Zash, and Keith Cromwell.

In 2011, Danowski was traded from the Long Island Lizards to the Charlotte Hounds along with Stephen Berger and two other draft picks in exchange for the No.1 pick in the 2012 MLL Collegiate Draft Pick. The Hounds also gave up former Boston Canon MLL-All Star Max Quinzani whom Charlotte just picked up in the expansion draft.

Danowski joined roughly 140 professional players leaving the MLL for the newly formed PLL in 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.uslaxmagazine.com/pro/pll/pll-announces-rosters-for-six-inaugural-teams-with-creative-release|title=PLL Announces Rosters for Six Inaugural Teams with Creative Release|website=uslaxmagazine.com}} He was an important staple for the Chrome Lacrosse Club during the inaugural 2019 season, playing in all ten games. Danowski did not play during the shortened 2020 season bubble tournament during the COVID-19 pandemic, and on February 22, 2021, he announced his retirement from professional lacrosse.

Matt Danowski's father, John Danowski, is the Duke men's lacrosse head coach since June 2006. Matt's grandfather, Ed Danowski, was as a quarterback for the New York Giants and led them to two championships in 1935 and 1938.{{cite web|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9401E4DB1F3DF936A35751C0A961958260|title=Ed Danowski, 85, Star Player For Fordham and the Giants |last=Brink|first=Bill|date=February 5, 1997|work=New York Times|accessdate=2009-01-12}}

: ^(a) 6th in NCAA Division I career assists

: ^(b) 3rd in NCAA Division I career points

• Seven-time MLL All-Star (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
• Tewaaraton Trophy (2007)
• Four-time USILA All-American (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008)
• Lt. Raymond Enners Award (2007, 2008)
• Jack Turnbull Award (2005, 2007)
• Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year (2005)
• Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year (2004)

{{S-start}}

{{Succession box| before = Michael Powell | title = Jack Turnbull Award | years = 2005 | after = Joe Walters}}

{{Succession box| before = Joe Walters | title = Jack Turnbull Award | years = 2007 | after = Zack Greer}}

{{Succession box| before = Matt Ward | title = Lt. Raymond Enners Award | years = 2007
2008 | after = Max Seibald}}

{{Succession box| before = Matt Ward | title = Tewaaraton Trophy | years = 2007 | after = Mike Leveille}}

{{S-end}}

{{reflist}}

{{Tewaaraton Trophy}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Danowski, Matt}}

Category:1985 births

Category:Living people

Category:Duke Blue Devils men's lacrosse players

Category:Major League Lacrosse players

Category:People from Farmingdale, New York

Category:Lacrosse players from Nassau County, New York