Paul Cantabene

Paul Cantabene, born on March 26, 1970, in Rochester, New York, is an American retired professional lacrosse player and face-off specialist. He attended Irondequoit High School and then Loyola College in Maryland, where he was an All-American. He made his professional debut in 1994 in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League with the Baltimore Thunder, followed that franchise through its moves to Pittsburgh and Washington, and finished his indoor career in 2004 with the Philadelphia Wings. Outdoors he joined the Baltimore Bayhawks for the first season of Major League Lacrosse and helped them win the Steinfeld Cup in 2002 and 2005, took the league's Iron Lizard of the Year award in 2002, and won a third Steinfeld Cup with the Philadelphia Barrage in 2006, after which he retired. He was a member of the first class inducted into the Professional Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2022. The Premier Lacrosse League names its Faceoff Athlete of the Year Award after him. He has also worked as an assistant coach at several Division I programs and as head lacrosse coach at Stevenson University.