John Desko Announces Retirement

The legendary Syracuse head coach has called it a career.

Legendary Syracuse men's lacrosse head coach John Desko announced his retirement on Monday. The news comes one day after reports surfaced that Desko was going to retire and Gary Gait would take over as the men's lacrosse head coach. 

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“The last 46-years at Syracuse have been an incredible experience and I’m so grateful for my time here as a player, assistant and head coach," Desko said in a statement.

"After talking with my family, I have decided to retire. I had planned on making a formal announcement later this week and will be addressing this decision in the near future – but in the meantime I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my family for all their support. My wife, Cindy, has been by my side every step of the way. I would not have been able to do this without her. I also want to thank all of the players who’ve been part of this program and the coaches for making my career so special. Moving forward, I’ll continue to be one of the program’s biggest supporters and I look forward to watching the team alongside Coach Simmons Jr. in the Dome."

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Desko leaves the Orange second in program history in wins, Final Fours (12) and National Championships. He was 258-86 (.750) as a head coach with five National Championships. Desko also led Syracuse to four Big East titles, two ACC Tournament titles and one ACC regular season championship. He was a four time ACC Coach of the Year and was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2020. As an assistant and head coach, Desko was part of each of Syracuse's 11 national titles. 

"John Desko’s career as a player, assistant and head coach at Syracuse is truly remarkable," Director of Athletics John Wildhack said. "John was part of all our national championships, first as assistant to Coach Simmons Jr., then five as head coach. John has impacted thousands of young men in his career at Syracuse. His legacy is one of greatness, commitment to his student-athletes, staff and Syracuse University. John is a hall of fame coach and a hall of fame person."

Desko is a Syracuse lifer, spending essentially his entire post high school life with the Orange. As a player, he led Syracuse to the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth in 1979. In 1980, Desko took over as an assistant coach, a role he held for 18 years until legendary coach Roy Simmons Jr. elected to retire. Desko took over as the head coach for the 1999 season. In total, Desko has spent 41 years coaching Syracuse men’s lacrosse and is one of the best coaches in the sport’s history.

Mike McAllister contributed to this report.