Widely considered to be the greatest player in lacrosse history, Gary Gait has been hired as the Roy D. Simmons Jr. Head Men's Lacrosse Coach at Syracuse on Monday, June 7, 2021.
Gait became the fifth head coach for the 107th year of Syracuse men's lacrosse, replacing Hall of Fame head coach John Desko, who announced his retirement on that same day. He took the job after a 14-year stint as the head coach of the Orange's women's lacrosse program.
Gait's remarkable playing career features a winning theme at every level. A three-time NCAA Champion, Gait led Syracuse's most dominant stretch in program history, losing just one game in three seasons from 1988-90. He is a two-time recipient of the Lt. Raymond J. Enners Award, presented annually to the nation's most outstanding player, and was the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player on a team considered to be the greatest ever assembled in college lacrosse.
At the professional level as a player, Gait has won three NLL titles (1991, 1994, 1995), three MLL titles, (2001, 2002, 2005), three Mann Cups (1991, 1997, 1999), the Heritage Cup (2004) and the ILF World Championship (2006).
In his career, Gait is a 10-time NCAA Champion, including seven titles as an assistant coach with the Maryland women's lacrosse program (1995-01) and his three championships as a player. Gait took over as Syracuse's head women's lacrosse coach in 2007 and has turned the team into a national powerhouse, reaching three national title games, including in the 2021 season.
As a collegiate coach, Gait helped elevate programs to new heights. After a dominant run with the Maryland women's lacrosse team as an assistant, Gait turned the Orange women into an immediate powerhouse, reaching the program's first Championship Weekend in his inaugural season with the team (2008).
Under Gait, every class has reached at least one final four in their time on campus, including national championship game appearances in 2012, 2014 and 2021. He has also mentored some of the game's greatest players, including four Tewaaraton Award finalists Katie Rowan, Michelle Tumolo, Alyssa Murray and Kayla Treanor.
Prior to taking over the Orange women's program, he spent two seasons as the head coach of the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League. In that tenure, he led the Mammoth to a pair of playoff appearances and a 2006 league championship.
He also coached four seasons in Major League Lacrosse with the Baltimore Bayhawks and won a pair of titles in 2002 and 2005.
Gait and his wife Nicole have two children who also played college lacrosse. Their son, Braedon, played at Princeton, while their daughter, Taylor, played at Syracuse from 2013-19.