way I know it won't rain." In 1919, he helped start the tradition in which flags bearing gold stars are attached to the goals prior to the season opener. This was first done to honor three former Hopkins players who were killed in action during the First World War. The tradition has continued to date and additional stars have been added for players killed in the Second World War and Viet Nam. In 1928, Johns Hopkins won a postseason tournament to represent the United States in a lacrosse exhibition event during the Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, and Schmeisser accompanied the team as an assistant coach. He also traveled to England in 1937 alongside the all-star team. In 1941, just two months before his death, Schmeisser convinced the undefeated Johns Hopkins team to accept a challenge from the likewise undefeated Mount Washington Club. The Blue Jays edged their opponents, 7–6. Schmeisser was a long-time official of the USILA, and he held positions that included member of the rules committee, chief referee, and president. US Lacrosse, the American sport's governing body, inducted him into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1957. He was inducted into the Johns Hopkins University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995. He is also the namesake of the William C. Schmeisser Award, which is given annually to the most outstanding defenseman in NCAA Division I men's lacrosse. Professional life Schmeisser was an attorney by trade and never accepted payment for his coaching. After earning his undergraduate degree, he worked first as a bank clerk and then as a law clerk. His next job was as an attorney for the Willis and Homer firm. Later in his career, he ran his own law firm and was a member of the American Bar Association, the Maryland State Bar Association, and the Bar Association of Baltimore City. Schmeisser also served sixteen years on the board of directors of the YMCA's Baltimore Branch and as president from 1938 to 1941. He married Isabel Wooldrige, with whom he had two children, a son and a daughter. Schmeisser died on July 1, 1941 at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore after a month-long illness. References 1880 births 1941 deaths American lacrosse players Baltimore City College alumni Johns Hopkins Blue Jays men's lacrosse players Johns Hopkins Blue Jays men's lacrosse coaches Maryland lawyers Mount Washington Lacrosse Club players University of Maryland Francis King Carey School