Welland high school VP inducted into National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame

Students at Notre Dame Secondary School in Welland have a hall of famer walking their halls.

Vice-principal Mike Accursi is being honoured for his career in professional lacrosse, and now he is hoping his story will inspire students to chase their own dreams.

Accursi is a legend in the sport: he scored 827 regular-season points, won four National Lacrosse League championships, and cemented his legacy as one of the top 10 playoff scorers in the league’s history.

The former lacrosse star, current vice-principal and head coach of the Halifax Thunderbirds added to his resume in September when he received a very special honour. Accursi was inducted into the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame in the veterans category after more than 17 seasons as a forward.

He says he owes the achievement to his family.

“To share that with my mom and my wife and kids who have basically been my backbone,” Accursi said. “It was just a great opportunity to really recognize their support and what they did to help me get to where I was. My wife, especially who, for the last 30 years, has been a single mom every weekend when I’m travelling.”

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The former lacrosse pro still spends weekends dedicated to the sport as head coach for the Halifax Thunderbirds.

Now the vice-principal of Notre Dame Secondary School in Welland, Accursi says aspects of lacrosse carry over to his teaching.

“If you have a plan and you have something that you really want to work towards, you have to dedicate yourself to that,” he said. “With that dedication comes a lot of sacrifice, a lot of hard work. And when you put in the hard work, the results are going to get there.”

Although students now know him as Mr. Accursi, he was known as something else on the lacrosse field.

“I try to keep the ‘No Mercy’ on the down-low. But no, I think they always ask, ‘Why the No Mercy?'” Accursi said with a laugh. “And the ‘No Mercy’ was that I was relentless in how I played.”

Accursi says his story is an example of how someone from a small town can make big things happen.

“It doesn’t matter where you’re from, what your background is: put your dedication in, put your hard work in and something special’s going to come,” he said.

The Halifax Thunderbirds play their first game of the 2026 season on Nov. 28, with Accursi once again leading the team as head coach.

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