For the last few decades, lacrosse has had a Dead Poets Society vibe going for it. While the sport is growing (U.S. Lacrosse estimates that 750,000 people play on organized teams), more than half of the people who play it are 15 or younger and fit into that decidedly white, prep-school thing. That’s what makes Josh Hawkins, the dreadlocked, half-Zimbabwean and half-Irish midfielder for the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse, something of a standout. Mostly.

Growing up, the Amherst native (see? Mostly) played all the standard sports before finding his way. “I was coming off my glorious third-grade baseball season where I didn’t hit a single ball,” he says. “So I picked up a lacrosse stick, and I just fell in love with it. I played off walls, broke windows, got my friends involved—and it’s just one of the funnest sports, because you can play it no matter your size, shape, or speed. You can find a way to be good at lacrosse.”

Hawkins describes his position as a mix of linebacker, quarterback, and soccer player, emphasizing that different talents and body types all fit into the sport somewhere. Furthermore, the 26-year-old has been revamping his diet recently, as so many athletes do once they’re on the other side of their twenties, and has found that the paleo approach is the best way for him to stay in shape and deal with hypertension. So: lots of veggies, no dairy, and lots of cooking with coconut oil. “It’s a surprisingly versatile diet,” he adds.

"It’s been a very white-dominated sport."

While you may not have known that professional lacrosse was a thing, the Cannons fans are a rowdy and passionate bunch, calling themselves CannonBall Busters. (It’s labored, but it works.) Still, for lacrosse players and fans, the main goal right now is exposure. “The sport isn’t as big as we all want it to be,” says Hawkins. “It’s something that we’re all trying to fight. A lot of what we hear now is ‘grow the game.’ ”

And Hawkins has taken “grow the game” to heart. He’s been volunteering with organizations like MetroLacrosse and Harlem Lacrosse and Leadership, nonprofits that get students and at-risk youth involved with the game, academic help, and leadership training.

“It’s been a very white-dominated sport,” says Hawkins, “while a lot of black athletes could dominate it, to be frank. It’s cool to see these kids react and watch them pick up the stick and realize how fun it is and that it’s not football and they can get scholarships for it. I mean, they don’t know me—they’re told by their teacher or director, ‘This is Josh Hawkins, he plays professionally.’ I’m not a well-known athlete, but they still get excited to see someone who looks like them that plays this sport.”

BreakfastBanana and peanut butter nondairy shake

LunchChicken, broccoli, green peppers, and sweet potato with cinnamon and honey

DinnerBowl of mushrooms and jasmine rice (not paleo, but fine in moderation), chickpeas, and mixed veggies

Luke Darby is a contributor to GQ, covering news, entertainment, and the environment. A Louisiana native, he now resides in Cleveland, and his writing has also appeared in Outside, the Dallas Observer, and Marie Claire.Related Stories for GQReal Life Diet