SUNY Potsdam Athletics

Rob Kunz was one of the most talented playmakers to ever play for the SUNY Potsdam men's lacrosse team. In just three years with the Bears, the attackman etched his name in the program's record books and helped sustain one of Potsdam Lacrosse's most successful eras.
 
The Watertown native grew up in a family surrounded by sports. His father John played rugby and football and his mother Kelly was a lacrosse coach at Jefferson Community College and Watertown High School after playing collegiately herself. Kunz has two younger brothers, David and Jonathan, that played multiple sports as well.
 
"My two younger brothers got into football in modified (middle school)," said Kunz. "I did not. I played soccer and ran cross-country and then started playing football when I got to my sophomore year in high school. And my senior year, all three of us played varsity football and lacrosse. It was pretty cool."
 
Kunz quickly realized that lacrosse was his sport. He enjoyed the team aspect, battling through challenges with his "band of brothers." As a freshman in high school, Kunz transferred to Immaculate Heart Central and was immediately pulled up to the varsity lacrosse team.
 
"Obviously I did the whole freshman bench thing" Kunz said. "But I still played in a few games. And at that point I was like, okay, well, if I can make this team as a freshman, then the next three years should be okay. And my high school had a pretty good reputation of getting kids into college to play lacrosse."
 
As he approached graduation, coaches picked up their recruiting efforts. Division II power Le Moyne, Division I programs Vermont and Mount Saint Mary's and NJCAA elite Onondaga Community College all came calling. Utica, Cortland, the Bears and Geneseo all checked in as well.
 
Kunz didn't want to leave the state, and Syracuse was close to home, so he made the choice to attend Le Moyne. Unfortunately, the 2011 season with the Dolphins didn't go how he hoped despite the attackman registering five points in six contests. He returned home, not sure if he would return to college.
 
"I got back from Le Moyne my freshman year and I was definitely burnt out from school and just the way that year had gone for me," said Kunz. "My parents obviously encouraged me to try to keep going. I'm already a year in, and I might as well try to graduate. Dave wanted to go to Potsdam, and we had taken a visit to St. Lawrence University. Dave started talking to (Coach Rick) Berkman and I just kind of told them I was a package deal with Dave. It was kind of a strange situation for me at that time, because I wasn't dead set on going back to school to go through that type of year again."
 
Kunz arrived in Potsdam in the Fall of 2011 for fall ball with a team that was fresh off its first ever SUNYAC Championship game appearance. It didn't take him long to feel comfortable and he had something to prove.
 
"I definitely kind of had a chip on my shoulder just to prove to myself that I'm not going to let a year like that slow me down at all," Kunz said. "And whoever's in front of me, I'm going to go at them. I definitely just wanted to prove to myself that I'm capable of playing college lacrosse and succeeding at it. It didn't take too long for me to get my feet wet and start going at it."
 
The Bears and Kunz got off to a solid 4-2 start in the Spring of 2012. Kunz opened the season with four assists in a shootout loss against Mt. St. Joseph in the season opener on a rough grass field at Disney World. He then had five points (3g, 2a) in a win over Hartwick and again in a 10-6 loss to St. Lawrence. He had a season-high six points on three goals and three assists against Oneonta. Potsdam eventually faded down the stretch and finished the year 5-8. Kunz had at least one point in all but one of the contests. He finished with a team-high 41 points on 22 goals and 19 assists. Kunz's play caught the attention of SUNYAC coaches and they selected him to the all-conference second team. He felt that he was finally proving himself at the college level, but his personal performance wasn't enough.
 
"I wanted more wins," said Kunz. "Winning as a team is way more fun than losing. More wins period. The points don't matter if you don't win."
 
 
Kunz led a more balanced attack during his junior year in 2013. The Bears got off to another 4-2 start before cooling off midseason. However, key victories over Oswego State in overtime and another one-goal thriller against Geneseo, helped Potsdam secure a playoff spot. When the Bears needed him, Kunz was at his sharpest. He had two goals and an assist against the Lakers. Remembering that Geneseo had kept him scoreless the season before, he matched a career-high with three goals and three assists against the Knights. The campaign came to a close at No. 1 Cortland in the SUNYAC Semifinals. Kunz was battling through a knee injury as the Bears faced the Red Dragons. He finished the year with 18 goals and 15 assists to lead the team and garner honorable mention all-conference status.
 
Kunz knew he and his teammates could reach a higher level. As his final season approached, he had a talented group of seniors and veterans around him. They were all hungry.
 
"I talked to a couple of them (in preseason), Ryan Duffy, Derek Frost, Jeff Love," Kunz said. "Brian McConnell as well. And Matt Donovan in group chats and outside conversations or whatever. But I think the whole mentality was we've got one year, let's make this a good one. Let's have fun. But we have to figure this out. If we don't win more games, we're not doing anything here guys. Ryan Duffy obviously put on a single-season performance like I've never seen. Between him being as electrifying as he was in goal and Jeff Love and Jake Gyder in front of him. Two very senior smart defensive players. You round out the midfield and McConnell and Kyle Hauk helping out with faceoffs and basically being a Swiss Army knife. And then you get down to Pat Bonifede as well. Jon Woodworth. All those guys were great players. Ed Dougherty. I abused that kid's talent for shooting. I got half of my assists (on his goals). He had such a hard shot. And even the freshmen at the time, like Matt Moran and Berkeley Stone. They came through in big games that year and they were all on board."
 
The 2014 Potsdam lacrosse team, consisting of those players and more, featured a talented offense and a strong defense. Kunz served as one of its captains. The Bears opened the season with a thrilling double-overtime win at Skidmore on March 1. It was followed by a 21-1 rout of Alfred State in which Kunz contributed a new career-high seven points on three goals and four assists. The team lost three of its next five games. In a one-goal loss at Clarkson, Kunz scored a goal and assisted on four. He had five goals in a home win over Utica. On March 29, No. 9 Cortland kept Kunz off the scoresheet for the only time during the season and dropped Potsdam to 4-3. The contest served as a wakeup call and the Bears rallied to win five of their next six games. Kunz had five points (2g, 3a) in a win over Canton on April 1. Against Castleton four days later, the attackman exploded for nine points on three goals and six assists. The April 9 battle with North Country rival Plattsburgh proved to be an epic. In a back-and-forth, low scoring affair featuring 19 saves by future All-American and Hall of Famer Duffy, Potsdam rallied four times to defeat the Cardinals 8-7. Kunz played a part in half of the Bears' goals with a tally and three assists. Three days later, he scored three goals in a win at Brockport. The Bears had a chance to lock up a two-seed and a home playoff game as they headed into an April 23 matchup at Oswego. The Lakers led at halftime and built a 5-2 lead early in the third quarter, with the only Potsdam goals coming from Kunz.
 
"We definitely had to fight for that one," said Kunz. "I remember getting really angry with the guys at halftime because we were not playing to our potential. That was the game we needed to really seal the deal, and I was not letting that one slip."
 
Kunz's emotion sparked the team, and the Bears rallied with an 8-1 run to clinch the win. Kunz scored three times, including two man-up markers, for five goals total. Unfortunately, the Bears were edged at Geneseo in the season finale and the Cardinals claimed revenge in the semifinal rematch on Maxcy Turf Field.
 
"Very bittersweet," Kunz said. "It's always fun to play lacrosse and play lacrosse with such a special group of guys. But losing is not what I wanted to do that day because that was kind of the nail in the coffin as far as lacrosse goes for me. You don't want to think it'll end but, it ends. You know, so bittersweet."
 
Though Potsdam's season was over, Kunz had one more game to play. He was selected along with Duffy and Love to represent the program at the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Senior All-Star Game at M&T Stadium in Baltimore. When the season finally came to a close, Kunz had recorded 59 points on 30 goals and 29 assists. He was one of three Bears earning first team All-SUNYAC honors and seven to claim all-conference accolades. Kunz ranks 12th in program history in scoring with 133 points (70g, 63a) and seventh in assists.
 
Kunz wasn't finished with Potsdam lacrosse after graduation. He spent four seasons, 2017-20, serving as assistant coach for the Bears women's lacrosse team and enjoyed the experience.
 
"(Head coach) Lauren Bruce was awesome," said Kunz. "I liked working for her. She taught me a great deal, especially about coaching the women's side of the game. It's a little bit different than what I'm used to. I had an absolutely fantastic four years with Lauren and the Lady Bears. They were probably some of the more fun experiences I've had around lacrosse."
 
The Pandemic brought a close to Kunz' coaching career, at least for a while, but he's had a full life in the last few years. In 2019, he married former Bears women's lacrosse player and Canton native Michelle Varney '14. They have two children, four-year old Archer and one-year old Iyla. The kids both have their own lacrosse sticks already. Last year the family completed construction of their home. Kunz is a water treatment specialist. He also is the lead guitarist for the band PTO (Paid Time Off), a group he started, playing classic rock and country.