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Hall of Fame defender and 16-year professional lacrosse player Kyle Hartzell joins Mark Glicini to discuss the mindset behind a career built on persistence, discipline, and earned respect.
Kyle shares his unconventional path from picking up lacrosse in ninth grade to community college, Salisbury, and eventually the professional ranks as the final pick of the supplemental draft. He explains how rejection, limited playing time, demanding mentors, and a constant chip on his shoulder became fuel for his growth.
The conversation explores Kyle’s passion for bow hunting and its connection to elite sport. Preparation, fitness, patience, self-reliance, and the willingness to keep going remain central to both.
Kyle also discusses coaching through System 81, developing young athletes, the importance of the weight room, fatherhood, and staying fit at 40. His message is simple: trust the process, stop making excuses, and find a way.
What We Cover
Kyle’s journey from unrecruited athlete to professional lacrosse
Why being the last draft pick fueled his career
Bow hunting, self-reliance, and mental toughness
Learning through failure and difficult experiences
The mentors who shaped Kyle’s mindset
Trusting the process through doubt and setbacks
Why young athletes need the weight room
The downside of playing too much lacrosse
Building players and shaping people through System 81
Career highs, losses, and Team USA
Returning to professional lacrosse at 40
Balancing fitness, coaching, work, and fatherhood
Chapters
00:00 — Trailer Intro
01:01 — Introduction to Kyle Hartzell
03:07 — How Kyle Found Hunting
06:27 — The Meaning Behind Bow Hunting
11:08 — What Lacrosse Taught Kyle About Hunting
15:40 — Does Quitting Ever Cross His Mind?
16:57 — Building Players Through System 81
20:15 — Kyle’s Unconventional Path to College Lacrosse
27:30 — Advice for Young Athletes Facing Self-Doubt
32:56 — Mentors Who Shaped Kyle
36:47 — The Summer That Changed His Career
40:22 — Turning Rejection Into Fuel
47:40 — What’s Underrated and Overrated in Training
53:12 — Highs and Lows of a 16-Year Pro Career
55:58 — Patriotism, Relationships, and Deep Conversations 58:29 — Coaching, Fatherhood, and Life Today
01:01:25 — Staying Fit at 40 and Finding a Way
01:03:40 — Final Thoughts
Key Takeaways
Respect is earned through consistent action.
Rejection can become fuel through hard work.
Trusting the process matters when results take time.
Hard paths can build resilience and confidence.
Great mentors can raise your standards.
Physical preparation supports performance and longevity.
Young athletes benefit from strength work and multiple sports.
Staying ready creates opportunities you cannot predict.
Difficult moments require action instead of excuses.
Success often comes from finding a way when life gets busy.
Kyle Hartzell
Hartzell then went from being drafted 69th overall in the Major League Lacrosse supplemental draft to playing professionally for 16 years and winning two MLL titles and a National Lacrosse League championship as well. He was also a member of the U.S. National Team three times, winning a bronze medal at the 2011 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship, a silver at the 2014 World Lacrosse Championship and a gold at the 2018 World Lacrosse Championship.
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