Syracuse Names Men's Lacrosse Head Coaching Position over Simmons Jr.

While the impact that National Lacrosse Hall of Fame coach Roy Simmons Jr. made at Syracuse University will forever be remembered, it's his name that will now be attached to the position he held for 28 years.

Syracuse's men's lacrosse head coaching position will now be called 'The Roy D. Simmons Jr. Head Men's Lacrosse Coach,' with Saturday's statue dedication serving as the culmination of a fundraising campaign to endow the position. Brett Jefferson '88 established the Men's Lacrosse Coaches Endowment to name the head coaching position after Roy Simmons Jr.

This endowment allows the Orange to recruit and retain the best coaches in the country and ensure that SU continues as the gold standard of lacrosse programs.

"The head coach of Syracuse men's lacrosse has been synonymous with excellence since the program's inception and no one exemplifies that more than Coach Simmons," said Director of Athletics John Wildhack. "The program has only featured four head coaches in its storied history. Three are in the Hall of Fame and Coach Desko has seamlessly continued that winning tradition. This endowment will help us ensure that Syracuse men's lacrosse continues to be a beacon of success."

Roy Simmons Jr.'s Orange ties began with his father, Roy Simmons Sr., who was a two-time USILA national champion with the lacrosse team before coaching lacrosse for 40 years. He also coached boxing and was an assistant football coach, helping each team earn a national title and coaching eight boxers to individual national championships.

Simmons Jr. led the team to a 253-130-1 record, before turning the program over to his son in 1971.

Simmons Jr., who was a two-time USILA Honorable Mention All-American, graduated in 1959 and coached the freshman team for 12 seasons before taking over the varsity program. Once there, he led Syracuse to unprecedented success and transformed Syracuse into the storied program it is today.

He's the first coach to win six NCAA titles and one-of-two to win three-straight national titles. In his time leading the program, 131 players earned All-American honors and 11 former players have joined him in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

Syracuse University Athletics

Syracuse Names Men's Lacrosse Head Coaching Position over Simmons Jr.

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