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Message: [QUOTE="BillSU, post: 4657364, member: 6809"] Jeremy - I can't let this go. With his record below you are saying he was forced out? Says he retired but I'm guessing there is more to it than that - like the star player for the women's team was retained as head coach after a stint at Harvard and BC and StarGait wasn't going anywhere and was appointed HC? Or something like that? [B]John Terry Desko[/B] is a retired lacrosse head coach. Desko coached the [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syracuse_Orange_men%27s_lacrosse']men's lacrosse team[/URL] at [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syracuse_University']Syracuse University[/URL] for 22 seasons from 1999 to 2021. Desko took over as head coach in 1999 from Hall of Fame coach [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Simmons_Jr.']Roy Simmons Jr.[/URL][URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-Start_BaltimoreSun-1'][1][/URL] Early life[[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Desko&action=edit&section=1&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro']edit[/URL]] The Desko family grew up in [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camillus,_New_York']Camillus[/URL], a suburb of Syracuse.[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-DO_profile_2002-2'][2][/URL] He played high school lacrosse at [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Genesee_High_School']West Genesee[/URL], the 15-time state champions.[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-CNYCentral_West_genee-3'][3][/URL][URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-West_Genesee-4'][4][/URL] College career[[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Desko&action=edit&section=2&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro']edit[/URL]] Desko started out in the midfield but was switched to defense by assistant coach Jay Gallagher.[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-Start_BaltimoreSun-1'][1][/URL][URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-DO_profile_2002-2'][2][/URL] He earned [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USILA_All-American_Team']All-America[/URL] honors as he helped Syracuse to a 10–5 record in 1979 and the school's first NCAA playoff berth.[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-All_Am_1979-5'][5][/URL] His two younger brothers, Dave and Jeff, were also All-American lacrosse players at Syracuse.[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-All_Am_1983-6'][6][/URL][URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-All_Am_1984-7'][7][/URL][URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-All_Am_1985-8'][8][/URL][URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-All_Am_1986-9'][9][/URL] As Coach[[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Desko&action=edit&section=3&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro']edit[/URL]] Simmons offered Desko an assistant job when assistant coach Jay Gallagher decided to leave Syracuse. Desko made only $1,000 a year as a coach, and waited tables in his spare time. He stayed on as an assistant for next 19 years.[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-Start_BaltimoreSun-1'][1][/URL] After taking over the top job from [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Simmons_Jr.']Roy Simmons Jr.[/URL] in 1999, he became the first person outside of the Simmons family to coach Syracuse lacrosse since 1931.[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-Start_BaltimoreSun-1'][1][/URL] Desko won five [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Men%27s_Lacrosse_Championship']NCAA Championships[/URL] as head coach and six more as an assistant coach.[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-CNYCentral_West_genee-3'][3][/URL] In his first eleven years as head coach, he coached the Syracuse lacrosse team to seven NCAA finals appearances and nine Final Fours. The most recent championship came in May 2009, when Desko led the Orange to their [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_NCAA_Division_I_Men%27s_Lacrosse_Championship']10th National Championship[/URL] with a 10–9 overtime comeback victory over [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornell_Big_Red_men%27s_lacrosse']Cornell[/URL].[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-2009_BR-10'][10][/URL][URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-2009_ESPN-11'][11][/URL] Under Desko, Syracuse won 4 straight [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_East_Conference_(1979%E2%80%932013)#Men%27s']Big East[/URL] championships from 2010 to 2013.[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-big_east_media_guide-12'][12][/URL][URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-big_east_2013-13'][13][/URL] After joining the ACC in 2013–14, Syracuse won back-to-back [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Coast_Conference']ACC Tournament[/URL] championships in [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_ACC_Men%27s_Lacrosse_Championship']2015[/URL] and 2016. Syracuse was also the regular season champion in 2018.[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-2019_ACC_mediaGuide-14'][14][/URL] Desko also coached Team USA to a runner-up finish at the [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_World_Lacrosse_Championship']2006 World Lacrosse Championship[/URL].[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-2006_Team_USA-15'][15][/URL][URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-2006_Team_USA2-16'][16][/URL] On June 6, 2021, Syracuse Women's Lacrosse team head coach [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Gait']Gary Gait[/URL] was named as head coach of the Syracuse Men's Lacrosse team,[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-17'][17][/URL] replacing Desko, who retired after 22 seasons as head coach.[URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Desko#cite_note-18'][18][/URL] [/QUOTE]

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