100 Years of Syracuse Lacrosse: The First John Desko Era
4/20/2016 9:24:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
As part of the season-long celebration of Syracuse's centennial anniversary season, the men's lacrosse program will be honoring different segments of the 100 years at each game. Tonight, we celebrate the first segment of current head coach John Desko's tenure with the Orange where he won three NCAA titles in a five-year span. The accompanying video will be shown on the Carrier Dome video boards between the first and second quarter, and the story below is in the commemorative game program, which can be purchased from Carrier Dome vendors.
Current Syracuse head coach John Desko came to Syracuse in 1976, and has been a key component to the success of the men's lacrosse program ever since.
He started his career at Syracuse as a student-athlete on the 1976 squad. As a senior, he was part of a Syracuse team that earned an NCAA Tournament berth. The team lost to Maryland, 16-13, in the 1979 quarterfinal game, but started Syracuse's 27-year streak in the NCAA Tournament.
Fresh out of school, Desko joined the coaching staff in 1980 as an assistant coach for Roy Simmons Jr. After 19 seasons and six NCAA Championships under Simmons' watch, Desko took over. In his first 10 seasons, he led the Orange to 10 NCAA Tournaments and claimed a total of five NCAA Championships, picking up right where Simmons left off.
In Desko's first season as head coach in 1999, he led the Orange back to the NCAA Championship game for the first time since 1995. After the team ended the regular season 9-4, the Orange defeated Princeton, Loyola and Georgetown on their way to the title game. Virginia beat Syracuse, 12-10, to claim the championship.
The 2000 Orange lost only once during the regular season, to Cornell by just one goal. The Orange beat Georgetown in the NCAA quarterfinal and Johns Hopkins in the semifinal to make their way to the championship game. Syracuse beat long-time rival Princeton, 13-7, and Desko earned his first NCAA Championship title as head coach.
Ryan Powell earned the Lt. Col. Jack Turnbull Award, as the nation's top attackman two seasons after his brother, Casey, won it, and a season before younger brother Mike began his run of four-straight honors. Marshall Abrams became the second recipient of the William C. Schmeisser Award, which is given to the nation's top defender.
In 2001, Syracuse returned to the title game behind a trio of first-team All-Americans in Mike Powell, John Glatzel and Josh Coffman, who each earned the honor the following year, as well. Syracuse lost to Princeton, 10-9 in overtime, in the championship game.
Syracuse returned a key core of players in 2002 who used the previous championship game memory as motivation all season. It paid off with a 13-12 victory against Princeton in the NCAA title game. The Orange advanced to the championship game with a thriling 12-11 double-overtime game against Virginia in the semifinal.
In addition to Mike Powell's second-straight Turnbull Award, he won the program's first Tewaaraton Award. John Glatzel earned the Schmeisser Award.
After a 10-6 season in 2003 and a loss to Johns Hopkins in the NCAA Semifinal, the Orange won their third title in five seasons in 2004. Desko's third title as head coach was the result of a 14-13 victory against Navy in the championship game. Mike Powell earned the Lt. Raymond J. Enners Award and his second Tewaaraton Award as the nation's top player.
Following a 7-6 season in 2005, Syracuse rebounded with another trip to Championship Weekend in 2006. The Orange lost to Virginia in the semifinal and missed the tournament all together for the only time under Desko at the midway point of his tenure thus far with Syracuse.
He'd immediately get them back on track to start his second-decade with SU with back-to-back titles.
Desko continued the success built by Simmons Jr. and maintained Syracuse as the nation's top program. In his first nine seasons at the helm, he coached 55 All-Americans, picked up three NCAA titles and a 92-38 record over that span, setting up continued success, and more NCAA titles for the Orange.
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Current Syracuse head coach John Desko came to Syracuse in 1976, and has been a key component to the success of the men's lacrosse program ever since.
He started his career at Syracuse as a student-athlete on the 1976 squad. As a senior, he was part of a Syracuse team that earned an NCAA Tournament berth. The team lost to Maryland, 16-13, in the 1979 quarterfinal game, but started Syracuse's 27-year streak in the NCAA Tournament.
Fresh out of school, Desko joined the coaching staff in 1980 as an assistant coach for Roy Simmons Jr. After 19 seasons and six NCAA Championships under Simmons' watch, Desko took over. In his first 10 seasons, he led the Orange to 10 NCAA Tournaments and claimed a total of five NCAA Championships, picking up right where Simmons left off.
In Desko's first season as head coach in 1999, he led the Orange back to the NCAA Championship game for the first time since 1995. After the team ended the regular season 9-4, the Orange defeated Princeton, Loyola and Georgetown on their way to the title game. Virginia beat Syracuse, 12-10, to claim the championship.
The 2000 Orange lost only once during the regular season, to Cornell by just one goal. The Orange beat Georgetown in the NCAA quarterfinal and Johns Hopkins in the semifinal to make their way to the championship game. Syracuse beat long-time rival Princeton, 13-7, and Desko earned his first NCAA Championship title as head coach.
Ryan Powell earned the Lt. Col. Jack Turnbull Award, as the nation's top attackman two seasons after his brother, Casey, won it, and a season before younger brother Mike began his run of four-straight honors. Marshall Abrams became the second recipient of the William C. Schmeisser Award, which is given to the nation's top defender.
In 2001, Syracuse returned to the title game behind a trio of first-team All-Americans in Mike Powell, John Glatzel and Josh Coffman, who each earned the honor the following year, as well. Syracuse lost to Princeton, 10-9 in overtime, in the championship game.
Syracuse returned a key core of players in 2002 who used the previous championship game memory as motivation all season. It paid off with a 13-12 victory against Princeton in the NCAA title game. The Orange advanced to the championship game with a thriling 12-11 double-overtime game against Virginia in the semifinal.
In addition to Mike Powell's second-straight Turnbull Award, he won the program's first Tewaaraton Award. John Glatzel earned the Schmeisser Award.
After a 10-6 season in 2003 and a loss to Johns Hopkins in the NCAA Semifinal, the Orange won their third title in five seasons in 2004. Desko's third title as head coach was the result of a 14-13 victory against Navy in the championship game. Mike Powell earned the Lt. Raymond J. Enners Award and his second Tewaaraton Award as the nation's top player.
Following a 7-6 season in 2005, Syracuse rebounded with another trip to Championship Weekend in 2006. The Orange lost to Virginia in the semifinal and missed the tournament all together for the only time under Desko at the midway point of his tenure thus far with Syracuse.
He'd immediately get them back on track to start his second-decade with SU with back-to-back titles.
Desko continued the success built by Simmons Jr. and maintained Syracuse as the nation's top program. In his first nine seasons at the helm, he coached 55 All-Americans, picked up three NCAA titles and a 92-38 record over that span, setting up continued success, and more NCAA titles for the Orange.
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