ST. PAUL– Dr. G. Steven Larson, who guided the Midwest Lacrosse Conference (MLC) and the Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference (MWLC) from 2014-2020 passed away Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021, at the age of 70. He was the third commissioner of the MLC and MWLC.
"Steve Larson played an important role in the growth of lacrosse in the Midwest as he worked to grow and further the Midwest Lacrosse Conference and Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference," said commissioner Kelly Anderson Diercks. " The MLC and MWLC send our condolences to the Larson family."
Steve is survived by his beloved Debra; children Jenny (Joe) Imhoff, Josh (Nicole) Larson, Jackie Larson (Charles Moore), and Ryan (Danielle) Larson; grandchildren Reagan, Steven, Lincoln, and Kira; sister Risa (Verne) Thibodeau and brother Bob (Ann) Larson.
A gathering of family and friends will be held at a later date to celebrate Steve's life. Online condolences may be offered at valleyfh.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Steve's name can be made to Cure SMA (www.curesma.org) in honor of his granddaughter Reagan Imhoff.
Larson also oversaw the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) from 2006-2020, and the Northern Collegiate Hockey Associations (NCHA) for both men and women. He moved into the commissioner's role after 20 years as Director of Athletics and head men's basketball coach at Edgewood College, which included 11 years as commissioner of the Lake Michigan Conference (LMC).
Larson held several leadership positions within the NCAA Division III governance structure, serving as president of the Division III Commissioners Association (DIIICA) and the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA), chair of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Committee, and a member of the NCAA Division III Convention Planning Subcommittee.
Prior to joining the NACC, Larson was a Hall of Fame coach at Edgewood, directing the Eagles to 362 victories, six Lake Michigan Conference regular-season titles, five LMC tournament crowns, and nine national tournament appearances. His teams posted a winning record in each of his 20 seasons at the helm. Larson was recognized with eight District Coach of the Year and six LMC Men's Basketball Coach of the Year honors and has been inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WisBCA) Hall of Fame and the athletics halls of fame at Edgewood College and Neenah-Menasha (Wis.) St. Mary Central.
Larson received the WisBCA Award of Excellence in recognition of 500 combined prep and collegiate victories and was honored with the Distinguished Service (2012) and Service Appreciation (2015) awards by the DIIICA. He also served as the first women's golf coach at Edgewood, guiding the fledgling program through its first two seasons, which included winning an LMC title and earning another LMC Coach of the Year award.
Steve's son Josh served as the Assistant Commissioner/Sports Information Director from 2017-2020. He was the fourth person to serve in this role with the league.
-MLC/MWLC-