Bob Watson (lacrosse)

Bob Watson
Born (1970-04-06) April 6, 1970 (age 54)
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight195 pounds (88 kg)
ShootsLeft
PositionGoaltender
NLL teamsToronto Rock
Ontario Raiders
Baltimore Thunder
Pro career1996–2011
NicknameWhipper
NLL Hall of Fame, 2011

Bob "Whipper" Watson (born April 6, 1970) is a former goaltender for the Toronto Rock in the National Lacrosse League[1] and is regarded as one of the best goaltenders ever to play indoor lacrosse.[2] Watson won six NLL Championships with the Rock, and was named Championship Game MVP in both 2003 and 2011. Watson was named NLL Goaltender of the Year in 2001 and again in 2008. After 13 years in Toronto and winning 6 Championships, Watson decided to retire to devote his time to family and a new job with the Waterloo Regional Police Service.[1][3][4][5]

Watson considered retirement after the 2010 season when the Rock lost to the Washington Stealth in the Championship game, but he later decided to come back for one more season.[5] Mid-way through the 2011 season, Watson announced that it would be his last in the NLL.[6] The Rock made it back to the Championship and in his final NLL game, Watson was named Championship Game MVP for the second time in his career as the Rock beat the Stealth 8-7 in a rematch of the 2010 game.[7]

Bob Watson was the only 2011 inductee into the NLL Hall of Fame.[8] He received 86% of the Hall entry votes, the only player that year to surpass the mandatory 75%. He was the third goaltender to be entered into the NLL Hall of Fame.

  1. ^ a b "Rock sign veteran goalie Bob Watson". Toronto Star. 2010-11-18. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
  2. ^ Girard, Daniel (May 7, 2010). "Toronto Rock goalie Bob Watson 'enjoying the ride' again after train-wreck '09 season". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  3. ^ Girard, Daniel (Feb 18, 2011). "Waterloo Region police officer saves and protects in Toronto Rock net". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  4. ^ Neil Stevens (Apr 5, 2011). "Veteran lacrosse goalie Bob Watson nears end of fabulous career". 1310 News. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  5. ^ a b Girard, Daniel (Feb 18, 2011). "To Save And Protect". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  6. ^ Ilika, Dan (March 24, 2011). "Whipper Watson set to retire". Toronto Sun. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  7. ^ Ron Knabenbauer (May 15, 2011). "Toronto Rock Win 2011 National Lacrosse League Championship". Bleacher Report. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  8. ^ "Rock's Watson named to NLL Hall of Fame". www.tsn.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-09-10.