Thomas Langan: The Grinder

October 15, 2012 |  Hard-nosed, Feisty, Aggressive 

by Samuel Perley

Thomas Langan was eight years old when he first saw it. Sitting in the window of the sporting goods store in Inner Harbor just outside Baltimore, MD was his soon-to-be first lacrosse stick. Despite never seeing the sport nor really knowing what it was for, Langan’s mother, Kathleen purchased it for her son at his request perhaps not truly understanding the impact this purchase would ultimately have on Thomas’ life from then on out.

Born and raised in Potomac, MD, Langan began playing lacrosse at age eight; coached by his father, Bryan, right up until the beginning of high school. He enrolled at The Heights, an-all boys preparatory school in Potomac before transferring to Winston Churchill High School for his junior and senior years. Despite dabbling in football and soccer, Langan focused mainly on lacrosse during his high school tenure. During his birthdays each year, Langan even celebrated by attending the Division II lacrosse National Championship game regularly held at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD.

When it came time to make a decision about playing at the next level in 2006, Langan knew he wanted to play for a perennial lacrosse powerhouse. So it was only natural that he settled on Limestone College, a team that he regularly got to see in person competing for a National Championship in Baltimore. Langan made the move to Gaffney, SC but soon realized it was going to take some time to stand out in a program that was bringing in as many as thirty very talented freshmen every year.

Although Langan admits it took some time for him to get noticed at Limestone, things started to take off his sophomore season and eventually he made his way onto the field more and more as his career progressed, which included accolades such as Division II Preseason All-American and Second Team All-Carolinas Conference Team. He also helped Limestone reach the NCAA Final Four every year. An ACL tear just prior to his senior season forced him to use a medical redshirt but Langan bounced back from the injury in 2011 to put up the best season of his career. His final year, he played in all 17 games and notched 37 points, 33 of them being goals, second highest on the team. Langan was also selected to the prestigious North/South All-Star Game at the conclusion of his senior season.

During his lacrosse career, Langan’s game has been described in such ways as “hard-nosed, nasty, and not always pretty” by many, including Copperheads’ President Graham D’Alvia. He has earned the reputation on the team as the guy that is willing to do the dirty work in any capacity needed whether it’s on offense, defense or in the faceoff circle. Spencer Wims, a current Copperhead and former Limestone teammate, has played with Langan for nearly six years and currently lives with him. “I have never met someone with the same drive as him. When Langan is going down the tracks, you either jump on for a ride or get out of the way” says Wims.        

After graduating from Limestone in 2011 with a degree in Marketing and Management, Langan moved back north to Potomac but it wasn’t long before he received a phone call from Copperheads’ head coach Tom Ryan asking if he would be willing to relocate to Charlotte to play for the Copperheads after being selected in the sixth round of the PLL Draft. Langan made the jump back down south where his aggressive, down-and-dirty style of play has made his transition from field to box lacrosse uncommonly easy.  “Since [Langan joined the team he] has been an integral part in our grass roots efforts. He has made learning the box game a priority in his life” says Ryan. Despite taking up box lacrosse relatively recently, Langan has spent time with the United States Developmental Lacrosse Team and also traveled to Prague, Czech Republic in May 2012 to play in LCC Sokol tournament.     

Thomas is not the only member of the Langan family that has taken up the sport. His sister, Maggie, was a four year starter at Villanova University and his cousin, Katie Delaney, won a national title at Division III Franklin and Marshall. Additionally, Langan has six nieces and nephews who have also already taken to the sport at a young age. And like his game on the lacrosse field, Langan also has a number of interests outside the sport which include outdoor activities like snowboarding, fishing, and hunting. It seems only natural that Langan’s life outside of lacrosse is seemingly just as diverse as the invaluable skill set and responsibility he brings to the Charlotte Copperheads every time he takes the field.