The 38th annual Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, Nov. 12. Eight individuals and two teams will be honored, bringing the total number of inductees to 253. Every day leading up to the induction, a different member of the Class of 2016 will be profiled on GoJaspers.com.
Eugene Tanner '05 (Men's Lacrosse)
Sponsored by Nick Silva '04 & Gerard McCloskey '05
In 2002, the Manhattan College men's lacrosse team had the greatest season in program history. The Jaspers went undefeated in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play, won their first conference title, and played in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. One of the biggest reasons for that success was Eugene Tanner.
Tanner's 2002 campaign was arguably the best by a freshman not just in Manhattan history, but in MAAC history. He led the team in goals and points, while ranking second on the squad in assists. Tanner's 51 goals in 2002, a school record, still represent the second-most for a single-season in conference history, and his 74 points also established a still-standing program standard. His 3.19 goals per game that season, meanwhile, remain the most in MAAC history. In addition to being named MAAC Rookie of the Year, Tanner was a First Team All-MAAC and MAAC All-Tournament Team choice that season.
He continued setting records in 2003, becoming the fourth member of the program's 100-point club, and the first to reach the century mark as a sophomore. Tanner had a team-high 20 assists that season and ranked second on the squad with 39 points.
Manhattan returned to the MAAC Championship Game in 2004, and Tanner earned another First Team All-MAAC selection after leading the Jaspers with 25 assists. He repeated as a First Team All-MAAC choice in 2005, when he again led the team in assists (21).
A two-time team captain, Tanner is the Japers' all-time leader in assists (89) and points (186), and his 98 career goals are second-most all-time. Earlier this year, he was selected to the MAAC's 35th Anniversary all-time second team, one of just four Manhattan student-athletes across all spring sports to be recognized.
The Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame was created to honor the best student-athletes ever to wear a Jaspers uniform. Eugene Tanner, Class of 2005, certainly fits into that category. It's only right that he now joins that elite company and takes his place among Manhattan's all-time greats.
