Tony Collette
St. Pete Dragons Youth Program • Jesuit High School • Eckerd College • Tampa Bay Thunder • Tampa Bay Lacrosse Officials Association • West Florida Lacrosse League
Pioneering force in Gulf Coast lacrosse who founded youth, high school, and collegiate programs and officiated at the NCAA Division I level.
Biography
Tony Collette is an accomplished lacrosse professional whose career spans more than four decades as a player, coach, official, and administrator. A pioneering force in the development of lacrosse across Florida's Gulf Coast, he has founded multiple programs at the youth, high school, and collegiate levels, helping establish the sport in markets where it had little prior foothold.
Career Highlights
- Founded St. Pete Dragons Youth Program (2003)
- Founded Jesuit High School Boys Lacrosse Team (2003)
- Founded Eckerd College Men's Lacrosse — first collegiate program in the region (2004)
- Played for Tampa Bay Thunder Men's Post-Collegiate Team (1994–2009) and served as team president
- Officiated NCAA Division I lacrosse (2009–2020)
- Vice President and Referee Assignor, Tampa Bay Lacrosse Officials Association
- Director, West Florida Lacrosse League
Awards & Accomplishments
- Tampa Bay Area Lacrosse Founders Award (2017)
- FHSAA Referee of the Year (2016)
- St. Lawrence Central High School Athletic Hall of Fame (2012)
- Selected to 1990 Junior College Senior All-Star Game
Contribution to Florida Lacrosse
A true builder of the game on Florida's Gulf Coast, Tony Collette founded the region's first youth, high school, and collegiate programs and advanced officiating standards at every level.