Chazz Woodson is One-of-One
Chazz Woodson talks strategy with his team during a home game versus Monmouth on March 29, 2025, in Hampton, Virginia. (Bradmond-Lee Harewood / The Hampton Script)
A high school All-American. An All-Ivy League standout. A Major League Lacrosse All-Star. And now, head lacrosse coach for Hampton University, the only HBCU with a Division I men’s team. Chazz Woodson is truly one of one.
Growing up in Norfolk, VA, a young Woodson had dreamed of playing college basketball, but early on realized his skills on the lacrosse field outshone those on the court. His unquestionable talent gave him the chance to compete on the biggest stages, leading him all the way to Brown University and later the MLL.
At Brown, Woodson developed into quite the player and was named to the 2000-2009 All- Decade Team. Taken 19th overall in the 2005 MLL Draft by the Long Island Lizards, he was revered for being
The game took him further than he could have imagined, but Woodson recalls how rare it was for him to simply play on a team with another Black player growing up, or even attend a camp or tournament with a few other Black players. Though a minority in the sport, he has not been deterred, forging his own path and drawing from the trailblazing essence of Jim Brown, a Syracuse University lacrosse star turned NFL Hall of Fame running back.
In Woodson’s eyes, failing to acknowledge the names and contributions of many great Black players like Brown (who was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1983) sells the history of the game short.
“I think it’s incredibly important that we recognize that we are a part of the story,” he said. “We have a history and a legacy in this game even though it doesn’t really get talked about.”
He believes lacrosse has mirrored America as a delicate treasure of native purity co-opted by money and capitalism. He looks sorrowfully upon the fact that, like most sports, lacrosse has become a pay-for-play experience, inadvertently limiting the scope of who has been able to play. He sees Black boys and girls having difficulty finding places to learn the game and begin to excel.
According to the NCAA, in 2024 only three percent of all D-I men’s lacrosse players were Black. And nearly a third of them came from Hampton. “That’s sort of the nature of the beast,” he says.
Woodson, who graduated from Brown with a bachelor’s degree in educational studies, luckily has always been committed to shaping the next generation, even working simultaneously as a full-time teacher and coach in Florida during his 10-year pro career.
Despite all that he had accomplished through the sport, Woodson never saw college coaching as the end goal. In fact, the only way he would have even considered such an opportunity was if it were somewhere he saw himself living, somewhere he could mold the program to his liking, and/or at an HBCU. Fortunately, Hampton met each of those criteria.
“To be able to have the experiences that I’ve had over the years with this sport and then to come home and pour into this particular school and community is really cool for me.”
Woodson is back home indeed, having family ties to HU through his aunt and uncle, graduates of then Hampton Institute. Just 13 miles from his old stomping grounds of Norfolk Academy where he learned to play lacrosse, everything has come around full-circle.
If Hampton—or any HBCU—had a viable and competitive men’s lacrosse program during his college recruitment, Woodson says it definitely would have been on his radar.
“I wanted to compete at the highest level, but I also thought it would have been really cool to play on a team full of Black players. I know with certainty that would’ve been awesome.”
And that is exactly what the Pirates’ head coach is pitching to his current and future players: the idea that Hampton is already the place to play simply because they can build something here and build it together.
“Some folks just want to go where the championships already are,” he said. “We have the type of program where young athletes see it as a place where they can come in to play, be impactful, and help elevate it to championship level.”
Hired in 2020, Woodson’s coaching debut was delayed until the 2021-2022 spring season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Heading into season four he wants to focus on ensuring the program’s sustainability, ultimately hoping to steer the Pirates towards a successful future, regardless of how long he remains at the helm.
“Whenever my time is up I’m not going to be worried about what my record was, I’m going to be concerned with ‘is this program on the right path, on the path to success,’” said Woodson. “And I think we are.”
