Former Syracuse men’s lacrosse head coach John Desko will soon have his name forever enshrined inside the JMA Wireless Dome as he is set to become the 10th member of the Syracuse Ring of Honor.
His induction will come on Saturday, April 11 when the Orange host ACC rival Virginia for a 4 PM face-off.
In response to receiving this honor, Desko said:
“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. 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.”
This is a crowning achievement for a man who has a lot of them as one of the most decorated coaches in the history of the college game.
Coach Desko’s Syracuse career spanned an incredible 46 years, starting in 1975 as a student-athlete and continuing on until he retired as head coach in 2021. He served as an assistant coach for 19 seasons before taking over the head position for 23 years.
In his nearly half-century in Orange, he was a part of all 11 NCAA Division I National Championships in school history, including six as an assistant and five as the head coach. He amassed 265 wins at the helm and was a part of an astonishing 529 victories in his 46 combined years, well over half of the total wins in school history (961).
He led the Orange to 34 NCAA Tournament victories as head coach, which still ranks fourth all-time in Division I, while his five titles are the third-most in DI history.
Desko will become the 10th Ring of Honor member, joining his mentor, Roy Simmons Jr., Dave Bing, Jim Boeheim, Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little, Dick MacPherson, Ben Schwartzwalder and Dwayne “Pearl” Washington.
Congratulations to Coach Desko on this incredible honor!
Orange place four on preseason All-ACC team, picked first by coaches
In other news, on Tuesday the ACC revealed their preseason accolades in a vote of the league’s five head coaches, who collectively picked SU as the favorite entering into the 2026 campaign.
‘Cuse was selected first with 25 points, followed by Notre Dame with 18, North Carolina with 17, Duke with nine and Virginia with six.
As for the All-ACC team, Joey Spallina at attack, Michael Leo and Luke Rhoa at midfield and Jimmy McCool in goal were the four Syracuse players to garner recognition. Just like in the poll, the Orange led the way with their four selections, tied with Duke for the most in the conference. North Carolina followed with three players, and then Notre Dame with two and Virginia with one. The entire team can be found on the ACC’s website.
