This Day in Dome History: March 23

The Carrier Dome has been a busy place on this date during the past 25 years. Seven Syracuse lacrosse games have been played there on this day. In addition, legendary North Carolina men’s basketball coach Dean Smith recorded his final victory in the 1997 NCAA Men’s Basketball East Regional final.

The Syracuse men’s lacrosse squad has a 3-1 record in games played in the Dome on this date. Most recently, SU hosted Towson. The two teams were tied, 8-8, after the first 30 minutes of play. The Orange offense ignited in the second half, scoring the final five goals of the third quarter and the first two of the fourth to take a 20-13 lead. The Tigers responded with three straight goals but it wasn’t enough as Syracuse recorded a 21-18 victory. Jim Morrissey led SU with five goals and two assists, while Casey Powell had a goal and four assists.

Gary Gait scored seven goals and had an assist to lead the Orange to a 26-10 victory against Cortland in 1988. The Red Dragons led 6-1 after the first quarter, but SU outscored its opponent 6-1 in the second quarter and 8-1 in the third to take control of the game. In 1985, Syracuse beat Penn State, 27-7.

SU’s lone loss on this date came in 1991. Johns Hopkins outscored Syracuse, 6-1, in the final quarter to record an 18-12 victory. Tom Marechek had five goals and an assist in the loss.

The Syracuse women’s lacrosse team is a perfect 3-0 in games played on this date. Most recently, Leigh-Ann Zimmer and Monica Joines each scored five goals to lead SU to a 17-9 win against California in 2004. A year earlier, Zimmer scored two goals to lead the Orange to an 8-5 win against Massachusetts. With the two goals, Zimmer moved into fourth place on SU’s career goals scored list. In 1999, Jenna Szyluk scored six goals in Syracuse’s 18-11 victory against Notre Dame.

The Dome has hosted NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament action twice on this date. In 2000, Oklahome State, Duke, Florida and Seton Hall participated in open practices prior to the East Regional semifinals. In 1997, Denny Crum’s Louisville Cardinals faced Dean Smith’s North Carolina Tar Heels in the regional final with a spot in the Final Four at stake. North Carolina defeated Louisville, 94-74. It would be Coach Smith’s final victory in his Hall of Fame career as the team lost to eventual national champion Arizona in the 1997 national semifinals. Coach Smith announced his retirement prior to the 1997-98 season.

More than 23.5 million people have passed through the revolving doors of the Carrier Dome since the building’s first public event on September 20, 1980. Throughout the 2005-06 SU athletics seasons the University will celebrate the first 25 years of the Loud House.

In the first 25 years of the Dome, more than 1,740 events were staged, including collegiate, professional and high school athletics events, University commencement, concerts, a circus, and community events. These activities are chronicled in the more than 100 photographs that are currently in the concourse of the Dome. Fans who attend events in the Dome can re-live the memories with these photos.

Syracuse University Athletics

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