The Chicago Shamrox were an American professional lacrosse team that played in the National Lacrosse League in the 2007 and 2008 NLL seasons. Home matches were played at the Sears Centre in northwest suburban Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The team's ownership group was headed by Kevin Loughery Jr., the son of former NBA head coach Kevin Loughery. The new franchise was announced on February 16, 2006, and the name "Shamrox" was chosen in May 2006. During their inaugural season in 2007, the Shamrox finished the season 6-10 and tied for fourth place in the NLL East Division with the Toronto Rock and Philadelphia Wings. But, due to their record inside the division, the Shamrox lost the playoff tiebreaker to the Rock and missed the playoffs. On December 12, 2008, the Chicago Shamrox franchise closed their doors indefinitely. For the weeks and months before, owner Kevin Loughery Jr. had been trying to find a new ownership group. When the new group wasn't found, the team ceased operations 15 days before the opening night against the Rochester Knighthawks The team suspended operations until further notice.
Milestones
May 11, 2006: Connie Kowal was announced as the team's first president and Phil Ryan was named Vice President of Lacrosse Operations.
July 12, 2006: Goaltender Brandon Miller is selected as the first overall pick in the 2006 NLL Expansion Draft; making him the first player in the history of the Chicago Shamrox.
January 6, 2007: The Shamrox play their first-ever regular season game, a home game against their expansion cousins the New York Titans. The Shamrox win the game 15-12. Forward Jason Clark scored the first goal in franchise history at 2:17 of the 1st quarter, assisted by defenseman Tom Montour and Goaltender Brandon Miller. Miller made 46 saves on 58 shots to earn the win. 8,456 people were in attendance at the Sears Centre for the inaugural game, setting the attendance record for the Sears Centre.
April 14, 2007: The Shamrox defeat the Philadelphia Wings 17-11 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois to finish their inaugural season 6-10 and tied with the Philadelphia Wings and Toronto Rock for the fourth and final playoff spot in the NLL East Division, but miss the playoffs due to their intra-division record. 7,096 fans were in attendance at the final game for "Fan Appreciation Night," which included numerous fan giveaways, a silent auction, and a performance by the localChicago band, Ready...Break.
