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Syracuse head coach John Desko was one of eight individuals selected for the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020, according to a list released Thursday.

Desko, whose .750 winning percentage is the best of any active Division-I coach, has compiled 258 wins over 22 seasons as head coach after succeeding Roy Simmons Jr. after the 1998 season. After his induction in October, all four Syracuse head coaches in program history will be in the Hall of Fame, with Desko joining Simmons Jr., Laurie Cox and Roy Simmons Sr.

“I’m honored to be inducted to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame,” Desko said in a release. “I’ve been so fortunate in my time at Syracuse to be surrounded by incredible players, coaches and administrators, which made the success of our program possible.”

After concluding his collegiate career at Syracuse in 1979, Desko served as an assistant for 19 seasons under Simmons Jr., winning 229 games and six national championships together. After taking over for Simmons Jr., Desko led the Orange to five more championships — 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2009.

His 34 NCAA tournament wins rank third-most all-time. He’s guided SU to nine Big East and Atlantic Coast Conference championships since 2010, named conference coach of the year five times. During that time, All-American nominations and Tewaaraton Award winners have complemented those titles.

Published on May 21, 2020 at 2:05 pm

Contact Andrew: arcrane@syr.edu | @CraneAndrew