On a rain-soaked 2016 evening in Kennesaw, Georgia, Eric Law cemented his legacy as one of the greatest scorers in the history of field lacrosse.
Law netted five goals in the Major League Lacrosse championship that night, including the game-winner with 12.9 seconds left on a diving, over-the-shoulder shot with two defenders draped all over him. It earned Law MVP honors in the Denver Outlaws’ epic 19-18 comeback win over the Ohio Machine, the second of three MLL titles for the Outlaws that Law played a central role in.
Fast forward to this season, and Law remains ready to do whatever it takes to help the Outlaws win another championship. Only this time, it won’t be with a stick in his hand as the Outlaws face the New York Atlas in the Premier Lacrosse League championship next Sunday.
“I’m going to do anything and everything I can besides stepping on that field to help out,” Law said. “Whether that be giving guys advice on the sideline, if I see something that I think we can exploit and attack, helping the coaches out if there’s tricky plays where we have to make a split-second decision if we’re going to challenge or not.
“If I need to be the person filling up water bottles and passing them out, that’s what I’ll do. Any and all tasks to help the team win, I’m ready for it.”
One of Colorado’s all-time lacrosse legends, Law hasn’t announced his retirement yet, but the end is likely next Sunday. The Arapahoe High School and DU Pioneers product has only played in one game this season and won’t play in the championship. He’s taken on a mentorship role on the roster for the reborn Outlaws, who are in their second year as a PLL franchise.
“He’s been such a great leader for us over the last two years,” Denver Outlaws coach Tim Soudan said. “He was vocal in our training camp, he’s been vocal on our video chats.
“We had a ton of young guys last year who needed a kick in the butt, and some leadership, and to be shown how to do things the right way. Coming from the coaches, it’s not always received as well as when it comes from a veteran like Eric Law. It’s another part of the recipe that’s got us (into the championship). Guys really respect him.”
Law, a five-time MLL all-star and the league’s offensive player of the year in 2017, will finish his career seventh all-time in one-point goals with 296. He’s also the all-time field lacrosse leader in shooting percentage among players with at least 500 career shots. His 50.3% is nearly 10% higher than the next-closest player on the list.
Sunday marks Law’s fifth title game in his eight seasons in the organization, with five years playing for the Atlas sandwiched between his two stints for Denver. Last year, Law had 13 points (11 goals) in six games for Denver, but saw his role diminish this year due to the potency of four young stars who are headlining the Outlaws offense.
Pat Kavanagh (37 points, 21 goals) leads the Outlaws’ attack, while Brennan O’Neill (34, 20) and Logan Wisnauskas (21, 13) have also been key. Midfielder Jared Bernhardt has added 22 points (18 goals).
Denver traded for Kavanagh, the younger brother of former Outlaws star Matt Kavanagh, in the offseason. The team signed Bernhardt as a free agent just after the start of the season, and drafted Wisnauskas first overall in 2022 and O’Neill first overall in ’24. All four players won the Tewaaraton Award for the most outstanding player in college lacrosse, and the quintet was a primary motivation for Law to return to the team in ’25.
That, and the chance for Law to play in front of his 11-month-old son Welles, a feat he accomplished on Aug. 2 during the league’s stop at Peter Barton Stadium at DU.
“One big reason I wanted to come back at least for one more year is because I knew the talent we had on this team, and I knew how young we were going to be on offense,” Law said. “I wanted to be that guy to help guide these guys along, especially with the resurgence of the Outlaws coming back (as a PLL team).
“This brand, this team means a lot to me and who I am as a lacrosse person. It’s been an identity for myself for a handful of years, so I still wanted to be a part of it. And being a new dad, I really wanted to play in front of my kid at least one time.”
Denver Outlaws attackman Eric Law motions to a teammate during their home opener against the Charlotte Hounds at Mile High Stadium on May 7, 2017. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Now, Law has one final box to check: Helping his Outlaws beat the Atlas next Sunday at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. Denver topped New York in a thriller in the game Law played in, 13-12, as Jared Bernhardt scored the game-winner in OT to clinch the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed. Former DU star Trevor Baptiste is one of the Atlas’ headliners.
The Outlaws are making their first PLL championship appearance and 11th overall after 10 title games in the MLL. But unlike the MLL days, the team is currently Denver in name only. The PLL is a touring league with a model that Denver veteran defenseman Jesse Bernhardt, who also played in the MLL, believes has reinvigorated men’s professional outdoor lacrosse.
“The way we’ve been operating has been great, because it allows people from all across the country to see our product, and maybe expose it to people who haven’t gotten the chance to experience it,” Bernhardt said. “We’re bringing the show to them… and it’s been a good change for the players, too.”
Still, both Soudan and Law hope that geographically-based teams with local owners, home schedules and community ties are on the horizon. During the Outlaws’ 15-year tenure in the MLL, the team was primarily owned by the Bowlen family and played its home games at the Broncos’ stadium. Prior to the relaunch of the Outlaws in 2024, the PLL team was known as the Chrome Lacrosse Club.
“At the end of the day, when it really comes down to it, the reason the PLL assigned home cities to teams is to move that direction eventually,” Soudan said. “It’s just a matter of when is the right time to do it.”
When that time comes, “E Law” could find himself back with the Outlaws.
He’s been getting into broadcasting over the last decade, calling games for DU as well as the National Lacrosse League’s Colorado Mammoth. Law also serves as the director of lacrosse development for Denver City Lax, which aims to expand opportunities in the sport for youth in underserved neighborhoods in the city.
But a professional coaching job could also be in his future. In many ways, this role with the Outlaws this season has been a preview of that possibility.
“As long as they’ll have me, I’d love to keep representing the Denver Outlaws after I’m done playing,” Law said.
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