Coach Desko Named to Syracuse Ring of Honor
1/27/2026 3:34:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – An 11-time National Champion and member of countless Halls of Fame, Syracuse legend John Desko will have his name enshrined for permanent display at the JMA Wireless Dome as the former head men's lacrosse coach becomes the 10th member of the Ring of Honor.
"It's unbelievable to think that my name is going to be up there on the Ring with the names that are already up there," Desko said. "I'm still trying to take that in. I have a real appreciation for where the program was when I came to Syracuse as a student-athlete and where it reached. I got a call from head coach Roy Simmons Jr. and did a tour of campus. Living in the area, I hadn't appreciated what the University was at the time. When I came through and walked through campus and the quad and the surrounding buildings, it shifted that perspective to more than just Archbold Stadium and eventually the Dome."
On Saturday, April 11 Syracuse will honor the long-time head coach with Ring of Honor Distinction. The Orange are scheduled to face ACC rival Virginia that day with a 4 p.m. faceoff at the Dome. Single-game, season tickets, and special ticket packages are on sale at Cuse.com/lacrosse-tickets.
Desko will join Ring of Honor members Roy Simmons Jr. (Men's Lacrosse), Jim Brown (Football/Men's Lacrosse), Dick MacPherson (Football), Ernie Davis (Football), Floyd Little (Football), Jim Boeheim (Men's Basketball), Dave Bing (Men's Basketball), Dwayne "Pearl" Washington (Men's Basketball), and Ben Schwartzwalder (Football).
"John Desko's legacy at Syracuse is truly extraordinary," said Director of Athletics John Wildhack. "Few coaches have made an impact on their institution the way that Coach Desko has at Syracuse. In his 46 years at Syracuse as a student-athlete and coach, John helped build Syracuse into the nation's preeminent lacrosse program. He was an Assistant Coach for six championship teams and then Head Coach for five National Championship teams. His commitment to excellence, dedication to his student-athletes, and his profound impact on thousands of young men make a deserving entrant into the Ring of Honor. Coach Desko is truly a Syracuse legend."
A touchstone in the Syracuse men's lacrosse program for 46 years - from 1975 as a student-athlete until his retirement as head coach in 2021 - Desko was part of all 11 NCAA Division I National Champions (1983, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009) while amassing 265 wins at the helm, with 529 victories to his credit as a student-athlete, an assistant coach for 19 seasons, and 23 years as the headman. Desko took the reins from long-time mentor Roy Simmons, Jr. for the 1999 season, becoming just the fourth coach in the program's 100-plus year history.
Coach Desko finished his head coaching career 15th all-time in Division I with his 265 wins and ranks 11th among all men's lacrosse coaches by winning percentage at .742, including seventh among head coaches with at least 20 years at the helm. Desko guided Syracuse to 34 NCAA Tournament wins as the head coach, which still ranks fourth all-time in Division I history. His five titles as a head coach are the third-most all-time in Division I, trailing only Princeton/Denver head coach Bill Tierney's seven and the six captured by Syracuse legend Roy Simmons Jr.
During his time as a head coach, Desko mentored 271 All-Americans, three Tewaaraton Winners (Mike Powell 2002, 2004; Mike Leveille 2008), two Lt. Raymond J. Enners Award (Outstanding Player) Winners (Ryan Powell 2000; Mike Powell 2004), two Lt. Donald C. MacLaughlin, Jr. Award (Outstanding Midfielder) recipients (Steven Brooks 2008, Joel White 2010), three William C. Schmeisser Award (Outstanding Defenseman) honorees (Marshall Abrams 2000; John Glatzel 2002; John Lade 2011), six Lt. Col. Jack Turnbull Award (Outstanding Attackman) winners (Ryan Powell 2000; Mike Powell 2001-04; Kevin Rice 2015), and two Ensign C. Markland Kelly, Jr. Award (Outstanding Goalie) winners (John Galloway 2010, 2011). Desko himself was honored in 2008 as the Morris Touchstone Award (Coach of the Year) winner.
"Local lacrosse was so good here," continued Desko, who made the switch from midfield at West Genesee High School to defense at Syracuse. "There were basically three big areas for lacrosse: Syracuse, Long Island and Baltimore. I came to Syracuse University with a group of friends, Kevin Donohue, Tim O'Hara, Bill Udovich, and a bunch of other guys. After that, future classes came through Syracuse from West Genesee. Coach Simmons asked me to stay on as an assistant coach and after a few years we won our first national championship in a while (1983)."
A member of several Halls of Fame, Desko was recently enshrined by the Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IMLCA) into its Hall of Fame. In 2020, Desko was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame - a Hall of Fame where a dozen of his former players are also enshrined. Matriculating to the University from nearby Camillus, Desko is also a member of the Upstate New York Chapter of the Lacrosse Hall of Fame, the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame, and the Camillus/West Genesee Sports Hall of Fame. He was a two-time National Coach of the Year, and a five-time conference Coach of the Year while becoming the first coach in ACC men's lacrosse history to be honored in four straight seasons (2015-18).
"It's unbelievable to think that my name is going to be up there on the Ring with the names that are already up there," Desko said. "I'm still trying to take that in. I have a real appreciation for where the program was when I came to Syracuse as a student-athlete and where it reached. I got a call from head coach Roy Simmons Jr. and did a tour of campus. Living in the area, I hadn't appreciated what the University was at the time. When I came through and walked through campus and the quad and the surrounding buildings, it shifted that perspective to more than just Archbold Stadium and eventually the Dome."
On Saturday, April 11 Syracuse will honor the long-time head coach with Ring of Honor Distinction. The Orange are scheduled to face ACC rival Virginia that day with a 4 p.m. faceoff at the Dome. Single-game, season tickets, and special ticket packages are on sale at Cuse.com/lacrosse-tickets.
Desko will join Ring of Honor members Roy Simmons Jr. (Men's Lacrosse), Jim Brown (Football/Men's Lacrosse), Dick MacPherson (Football), Ernie Davis (Football), Floyd Little (Football), Jim Boeheim (Men's Basketball), Dave Bing (Men's Basketball), Dwayne "Pearl" Washington (Men's Basketball), and Ben Schwartzwalder (Football).
"John Desko's legacy at Syracuse is truly extraordinary," said Director of Athletics John Wildhack. "Few coaches have made an impact on their institution the way that Coach Desko has at Syracuse. In his 46 years at Syracuse as a student-athlete and coach, John helped build Syracuse into the nation's preeminent lacrosse program. He was an Assistant Coach for six championship teams and then Head Coach for five National Championship teams. His commitment to excellence, dedication to his student-athletes, and his profound impact on thousands of young men make a deserving entrant into the Ring of Honor. Coach Desko is truly a Syracuse legend."
A touchstone in the Syracuse men's lacrosse program for 46 years - from 1975 as a student-athlete until his retirement as head coach in 2021 - Desko was part of all 11 NCAA Division I National Champions (1983, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009) while amassing 265 wins at the helm, with 529 victories to his credit as a student-athlete, an assistant coach for 19 seasons, and 23 years as the headman. Desko took the reins from long-time mentor Roy Simmons, Jr. for the 1999 season, becoming just the fourth coach in the program's 100-plus year history.
Coach Desko finished his head coaching career 15th all-time in Division I with his 265 wins and ranks 11th among all men's lacrosse coaches by winning percentage at .742, including seventh among head coaches with at least 20 years at the helm. Desko guided Syracuse to 34 NCAA Tournament wins as the head coach, which still ranks fourth all-time in Division I history. His five titles as a head coach are the third-most all-time in Division I, trailing only Princeton/Denver head coach Bill Tierney's seven and the six captured by Syracuse legend Roy Simmons Jr.
During his time as a head coach, Desko mentored 271 All-Americans, three Tewaaraton Winners (Mike Powell 2002, 2004; Mike Leveille 2008), two Lt. Raymond J. Enners Award (Outstanding Player) Winners (Ryan Powell 2000; Mike Powell 2004), two Lt. Donald C. MacLaughlin, Jr. Award (Outstanding Midfielder) recipients (Steven Brooks 2008, Joel White 2010), three William C. Schmeisser Award (Outstanding Defenseman) honorees (Marshall Abrams 2000; John Glatzel 2002; John Lade 2011), six Lt. Col. Jack Turnbull Award (Outstanding Attackman) winners (Ryan Powell 2000; Mike Powell 2001-04; Kevin Rice 2015), and two Ensign C. Markland Kelly, Jr. Award (Outstanding Goalie) winners (John Galloway 2010, 2011). Desko himself was honored in 2008 as the Morris Touchstone Award (Coach of the Year) winner.
"Local lacrosse was so good here," continued Desko, who made the switch from midfield at West Genesee High School to defense at Syracuse. "There were basically three big areas for lacrosse: Syracuse, Long Island and Baltimore. I came to Syracuse University with a group of friends, Kevin Donohue, Tim O'Hara, Bill Udovich, and a bunch of other guys. After that, future classes came through Syracuse from West Genesee. Coach Simmons asked me to stay on as an assistant coach and after a few years we won our first national championship in a while (1983)."
A member of several Halls of Fame, Desko was recently enshrined by the Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IMLCA) into its Hall of Fame. In 2020, Desko was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame - a Hall of Fame where a dozen of his former players are also enshrined. Matriculating to the University from nearby Camillus, Desko is also a member of the Upstate New York Chapter of the Lacrosse Hall of Fame, the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame, and the Camillus/West Genesee Sports Hall of Fame. He was a two-time National Coach of the Year, and a five-time conference Coach of the Year while becoming the first coach in ACC men's lacrosse history to be honored in four straight seasons (2015-18).
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