Although you may not know his name, Colin Doyle will go down as one of the most accomplished athletes in Toronto’s professional sports history.
Doyle, 39, announced his retirement from lacrosse at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre in Oakville on Wednesday.
Doyle’s jersey will be retired on Mar. 11 when the Rock take on the Calgary Roughnecks, Rock owner Jamie Dawick said.
“In the history of this team there have been many great players that have put on our jersey,” he said. “There’s nobody better than Colin in my mind.”
Doyle will be the second player to have his jersey retired by the team. The first was former goalie and Hall-of-Famer Bob Watson.
Doyle came into the National Lacrosse League with the Ontario Raiders in 1998. After one season, the team moved to Toronto and was rebranded as the Rock.
Doyle was a part of the first five championships for the Rock from 1999 to 2005.
In 2006, he was traded to the San Jose Stealth. Doyle spent three seasons with the the Stealth before being traded back to Toronto before the 2010 season. He was named the new captain of the Rock.
Several teams from around the NLL tweeted out congratulations to Doyle.
Congratulations Colin Doyle @CDLAX7 on a great career and enjoy your retirement. https://t.co/o0h7zhPXVr
— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) November 9, 2016
Congratulations on a remarkable career @CDLAX7! pic.twitter.com/6lD9YsKPlY
— Knighthawks Lacrosse (@RocKnighthawks) November 9, 2016
We look forward to being a part of such an important evening! #ThankYouColin https://t.co/rbm5QxeYeS
— Calgary Roughnecks (@NLLRoughnecks) November 9, 2016
Doyle thanked the fans for their continued support and making playing in Toronto memorable for him.
“It’s hard to explain what running through that tunnel every Friday or Saturday night meant to me. I lived for those days and I’m going to miss them a lot,” Doyle said. “I’m ready to walk away and turn the team over to the next group.”
The Rock released a tribute to their captain. Shortly after the announcement was made.
In his 16 seasons with the Rock, Doyle had 1,043 points, good for first in franchise history. Doyle also won the Champions Cup MVP in 1999, 2002, and in 2005 when he was also named the league MVP.