STX (sports manufacturer)
Manufacturer of lacrosse, field hockey, and ice hockey equipment.
STX (pronounced "S-T-X") is a sports equipment company headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. The name is a shortened form of "sticks." While it makes gear for field hockey and ice hockey, its primary focus is lacrosse equipment for both men and women, including sticks, gloves, pads, and protective eyewear for women. The company is owned by Wm. T. Burnett & Co.
The company was founded in 1970 by Richard B.C. Tucker, Sr. Tucker grew up playing lacrosse in Baltimore and was an All-American on the Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse team. After graduating in 1951, he joined the family business, Wm. T. Burnett & Co. There, he and other lacrosse players—including Joseph Sollers Jr., Bill Crawford, and chemist Roland Fracalossi—began experimenting with synthetic materials for a lacrosse head. At the time, all sticks were handmade on Native American reservations, which limited supply and produced inconsistent results. Tucker, who was left-handed, also found it especially hard to find a quality replacement when his stick broke.
By 1966, the group had produced the first synthetic lacrosse head. A patent was filed in 1967, and a refined prototype was first used in a 1968 game between the US Naval Academy and West Point. In 1970, the company received U.S. Patent #3,507,495 for the double-wall synthetic head. The following year, every goal scored in the first NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship (Cornell 12, Maryland 6) was made with an STX head—a dramatic shift from the wooden sticks that had been standard just a year earlier. This synthetic design became the most common type in the sport.
In the mid-1970s, STX expanded into golf putters, aided by connections with DuPont. By 2006, a Darrell Survey on the PGA Tour ranked STX putters among the top five. However, as of 2021, the company no longer sells golf clubs. STX also produces ice hockey equipment—shoulder pads, elbow pads, gloves, shin guards, and sticks—under three lines: Stallion, Surgeon, and Halo. NHL players using STX gear have included Jiří Hudler, Matt Moulson, Vincent Trocheck, Ivan Barbashev, and Brandon Pirri. STX remains one of the largest lacrosse equipment manufacturers and is part of a Maryland industry worth over $66 million.
Quick Facts
- Founded
- as STX Inc.
- Founder
- Richard B.C. Tucker Sr.
- Hq Location
- Baltimore, Maryland, United States
- Key People
- Richard B.C. Tucker Sr. (Chairman, Founder and co-creator of first stick) · Richard B.C. Tucker Jr. (CEO) · Jason Goger (President)
- Industry
- Sports equipment
- Parent
- Wm. T. Burnett & Co.
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
STX was founded in 1970 by Richard B.C. Tucker, Sr. as STX Inc., a contraction of the word "sticks." Tucker grew up playing lacrosse in Baltimore and was a member of the Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse team, earning All-American status in his senior year. After graduating from Hopkins in 1951, Tucker joined the family business, Wm. T. Burnett & Co. At Burnett, Tucker and his fellow lacrosse-playing colleagues began experimenting with a synthetic lacrosse head to make the game more accessible. Up through the 1960s, all lacrosse sticks were handcrafted on Native American reservations, resulting in limited supply and inconsistency. Tucker, being left-handed, found it especially difficult to find quality replacement sticks. By 1966, Tucker, Joseph Sollers Jr., Bill Crawford, and Roland Fracalossi produced the first synthetic lacrosse head. A patent application was filed in 1967, and a refined prototype was developed over the next year. In 1968, during a game between the US Naval Academy and West Point, a synthetic lacrosse head was used for the first time. In 1970, US Patent #3,507,495 was received. One year later, in the first NCAA lacrosse national championship, every goal was scored with an STX lacrosse head, marking a dramatic shift from wooden sticks.
Reader's Guide
STX's development of the first synthetic lacrosse head fundamentally changed the sport of lacrosse. Before STX, sticks were handcrafted on Native American reservations, creating limited supply and inconsistency. The synthetic head made the game more accessible and standardized equipment. The 1971 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship, where every goal was scored with an STX head, demonstrated the rapid adoption of the new technology. STX later expanded into golf putters in the mid-1970s, aided by ties with DuPont, and by 2006 STX putters were considered among the top five on the PGA Tour, though the company no longer sells golf clubs as of 2021. In ice hockey, STX produces shoulder pads, elbow pads, gloves, shin guards, and sticks across three lines: Stallion, Surgeon, and Halo. Several NHL players, including Jiří Hudler, Matt Moulson, Vincent Trocheck, Ivan Barbashev, and Brandon Pirri, use STX gear. STX remains one of the largest manufacturers of lacrosse equipment and is part of Maryland's $66+ million lacrosse industry.
Did You Know?
- STX is a contraction of the word "sticks" but is commonly called "S-T-X."
- The first synthetic lacrosse head was put into play during a 1968 game between the US Naval Academy and West Point.
- Every goal in the first NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship (1971) was scored with an STX lacrosse head.
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