Former OWU Head Coach Lelan Rogers Now a Full-Time Assistant Coach at Syracuse University

NOTE:  The following story appeared on the Syracuse.com Web site and was located by Reg Ungberg ’74 and forwarded to the OWU Lacrosse Alumni Association.  Coach Rogers was head coach from 1991 - 1999 and established a record of 109 wins,  33 losses, and 7 trips to the NCAA Division III play-offs during his 9 year  tenure, continuing the “Pride and Tradition” of OWU Lacrosse.

Desko Shakes Up Staff

The Syracuse head coach hopes the moves will lead to a fresh perspective.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
By Donna Ditota
Staff writer

Lelan Rogers

Lelan Rogers, who was hired by SU in 2005 as the university's Director of Lacrosse Operations, is now an assistant coach who will share responsibility for mentoring the Orange defense.

Roy Simmons III, who had coached the SU defense for nine seasons, will move to the offensive side of the ball, where he will share duties with SU head coach John Desko.

Longtime assistant Kevin Donahue will become SU’s volunteer assistant. Donahue had coached the offense and worked with SU’s goalies and faceoff men. He will now team with Rogers to coach the SU defense.

“We’re going to try it in the fall. We’ll mix things up,” Desko said. “We’re all experienced coaches. I think it’s healthy to explore the other side.”

Desko said the moves were not punitive. He stressed that he believed a change might provide the staff with a fresh perspective on SU’s personnel and its subsequent strategies.

The Orange finished 5-8 last season and failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 25 years. The SU defense was among the worst in the nation in goals allowed. And the offense, at times, labored to score goals. SU’s 12-5 defeat to Colgate to cap its 2007 season encapsulated all of those issues.

When Rogers was hired away from Cortland State a couple years ago, Desko said, the idea was to put him in charge of recruiting to help in that ever-expanding area of the game. But the NCAA’s perception of the position negated Rogers’ influence there. So this summer, Rogers was named a full-time assistant coach, which enables him to recruit and to exert his influence on the field.

Donahue, an All-American attackman at SU before becoming an Orange assistant coach, has been a member of the SU staff for 19 years. But he is also a full-time science teacher in the West Genesee School District. These days, Desko said, a Division I program requires two full-time assistants to keep up with the demands of the job.

Donna Ditota can be reached at (315) 470-2208 or dditota@syracuse.com.