Reflecting on the legendary John Grant Jr. and his amazing season as a 44-year old.

“He was an incredible player, still is,” Currier said. “Which is insane to think about, that he’s still doing that at his age.”



- 2019 MLL Coca-Cola MVP Finalist Zach Currier to the Denver Post

“It was wild. I was playing attack with two of the best players to play the game with John Grant Jr. and Lyle Thompson. It was surreal. I used to watch John Grant Jr. highlights on YouTube. I watched a lot of Thompson Brothers. It was a cool moment and one I will remember the rest of my lacrosse career.”



- Atlanta Blaze Attackman, Brendan Sunday to US Lacrosse Magazine

“We were pretty deep in the possession. We got a fresh 60-second shot clock off a ride back. Junior got the ball on the end line. He’s a left-handed player, and I saw him drive up with his right and pump and go back to his left. I figured I should find his eyes. No one was moving. The defensemen were watching Junior, because he’s dangerous with behind-the-backs and no-looks. It was a cool feed and a great finish. It was a special moment to be a part of. When you’re in the moment, you’re not thinking too heavily about it. Any time Junior sets you up, you want to take advantage of it. I wanted to do my job and finish the play.”



- Denver Outlaws Midfielder, Brendan Kavanagh on the point that broke the all-time regular season points record to US Lacrosse Magazine

“Great players find a way to reinvent themselves to continue being great players and I think he did that. It just shows how good he was as a player and committed he was to his craft. It gave a chance for people to continue to watch one of the all-time great players.”

- NLL Georgia Swarm’s Head Coach Ed Comeau to NLL.com

“You can’t take the fire out of this dragon.” - Raygen Grant on her husband to The Gazette

"Now I see that he's really the best player," Gabby says. "Well, he used to be. And I get so mad when they don't pass it to him because they see him limping. I think that's why they don't pass to him. I really want him to score more goals."



- Gabby Grant on her dad to WBUR

“He sets the bar high. He certainly is one of the ultimate competitors that I’ve been around.”



“He immediately has the utmost respect due to his history. Because of that, and because of his low-key personality, you can’t help but just love the guy. He gains immediate respect.”



“John Grant, Jr., with a chip on his shoulder will be something to watch.”

- Bob Shillinglaw, Grant Jr.’s coach at Delaware to Inside Lacrosse

Quotes by John Grant Jr.

“I’m going to find myself getting to that right five-and-five on the right more than the left. I can’t push off my left leg that much anymore,” he said. “No one slid, but I could get my eyes around. All five defenders had their eyes on me. [Kavanagh] cut to the cage, and I was able to find him.”



“Obviously Rob Pannell. If he keeps breaking his own record for points in a season, and they added games, I’m sure he’ll do that,” he said, referring to how each team in the league will play 16 games this season as opposed to 14 in previous seasons. “To watch and play with Zach Currier, he’ll keep dominating. Lyle Thompson, the guy has a thousand points in college. If he continues to play in MLL, he’ll score a lot of points. Every team has a lot of guys.”



- John Grant Jr. on the point that broke the all-time regular season points record to US Lacrosse Magazine

“I love playing. The joy of playing supersedes everything.”

“I have a quick trigger – when I’m not playing well, I’ll pull myself out. I want the guys to know that everyone is accountable. You play well, you play hard – or you don’t play. That starts with me.”



“A couple mornings I’ve thought, ‘What am I doing?!’ But then my daughter runs in with her excitement and it overwhelms the pain."

John Grant Jr. to CBS 4 Denver

“I keep playing with these guys that are 20 years younger than me. I have a passion for this game. I love to play and be part of this team,” he says. “That passion, it’s contagious. We’re not getting rich doing it or anything else. You play because you love it; there’s a special bond there.”



“I’ve defied the odds. My next game could always be my last.”



“I play every game like it’s a championship. I prepare the same. I do the same things I’ve been doing religiously. I do whatever I do to help this team.”

John Grant Jr. to Inside Lacrosse

"I preach to all the teams I coach — the youth, high school, pro teams — that it's not about the individual, it's about the team. Now I have to go show it. I don't think I really, really lived that out while I was playing. I was hanging on to what I thought was important which was a legacy and trying to be the best player in the world. Right now, I don't think it's about that. I'm going to be a role player and maybe some games I'm not even going to touch the field."

- John Grant Jr. to the Peterborough Examiner

"I just love this game," he said. "I’ve been playing literally since I was in diapers. [At the age of 3], I picked up my dad’s stick and started smacking people with it. And it’s all I’ve ever done."



"I think it[coaching] was a way for me to still stay in the game and maybe stay relevant, so to speak," John says. "But once I started doing it, I got really, really charged up by it. And it kind of started to become an obsession like playing was."



"If every once in a while I can get a goal on SportsCenter for Gabby to see, then that's icing on the cake."



- John Grant Jr. to WBUR

“I made peace with it, I transitioned to coaching and I was okay with it, but my little girl wasn’t,” he says.



- John Grant Jr. to FOX 31 Denver

His life was saved, but doctors told him his career was over.

“I just told them to shove it,” Grant Jr. said. “I’ll play if I want to play. And they’re like, ‘Okay. Well, have fun.’ And I did.”



John Grant Jr. to the Denver Post after doctors told him his life was saved, but his career was over

“I was always just so focused on winning and being a good teammate, and I think with most athletes that’s what happens.”



John Grant Jr. to The Gazette