Flip Naumburg enters the MCLA Hall of Fame as an outstanding coach.

Naumburg was the architect of the first dynasty in the MCLA, guiding Colorado State to four national championships and six visits to the title game during his prolific career.

He produced countless all-conference and All-American players, and was also part of two CSU championships as an assistant in addition to his four as a head coach.

Just as importantly, Naumburg brought a seriousness to the MCLA with his attention to detail and unwavering pursuit of making his student-athletes the best they could be.

“Flip was underappreciated in the greater lacrosse world for all he meant to the sport,” said former Michigan head coach John Paul. “He was always thinking about ways to honor the game's Native American roots. He wanted lacrosse to be simple, fun and pure.”

“Flip was in the right place at the right time for the MCLA,” said Alex Smith, who followed Naumburg at Colorado State and is now the head coach at NCAA Division II St. Michael’s (Vt.). “He had just arrived at CSU and I don’t know that he foresaw what the association would become. He just knew that if he built it, they would come. He was singularly focused on making CSU into an amazing program. It just so happened to coincide with the rise of the MCLA and we got to ride that wave to a ton of success.”

Naumburg passed away in May of 2018 at the age of 66. Shortly afterwards, the MCLA Coach of the Year award was renamed in his honor.