Roy Simmons Jr. coached SU for 28 years and recorded 290 career wins.
Roy Simmons Jr. to be Honored as Part of SU's "Celebration of Champions"
5/1/2007 9:58:59 AM | Men's Lacrosse
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Legendary former Syracuse men’s lacrosse coach Roy Simmons Jr. will be recognized at halftime of the Orange’s 2007 season finale on Saturday, May 5 versus Colgate. A banner with a blue coaching jacket featuring the Syracuse Block S logo will be raised to the Carrier Dome rafters at intermission. He will also be presented with a gold-plated whistle and leather coaching jacket.
Simmons Jr., known affectionately as “Slugger,” took over the Orange lacrosse program from his father in 1971. He guided SU for 28 seasons, retiring after the 1998 campaign with an overall record of 290-96 (.751). During his tenure as head coach, Simmons led the Orange to 19 NCAA playoff appearances, 16 straight Final Fours, and NCAA national championships in 1983, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, and 1995.
He coached and recruited some of lacrosse’s all-time greats, including Paul and Gary Gait, Roy Colsey, Pat McCabe, Brad Kotz, and Casey Powell. In 1992 he took his place among other lacrosse legends when he was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in Baltimore.
Simmons coached all three members of the Orange’s current coaching staff - John Desko, Kevin Donahue, and Roy Simmons III. Donahue became Simmons’ first first-team All-American in 1979, and all three were members of SU’s first NCAA Tournament team (1979).
As a player, Simmons competed for his father, Roy Simmons Sr., from 1956-58 and was a teammate of fellow lacrosse Hall of Famer Jim Brown.
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