Danowski Contract Extended Through 2018

May 27, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach John Danowski and attackman Josh Dionne (8) celebrate their teams 16-10 victory over the Syracuse Orange following the 2013 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

DURHAM, N.C. – The contract of Duke head men’s lacrosse coach John Danowski has been extended through the 2018 season, announced by the school’s Vice President and Director of Athletics Kevin White on Friday.

Last month, Danowski guided the Blue Devils to the 2013 NCAA Championship with a 16-10 victory over Syracuse in the title game. It marked the program’s second national crown while stretching the program’s current streak of consecutive trips to Memorial Day Weekend to seven.

“It is with great enthusiasm that Duke Athletics announces the extension of Coach John Danowski’s contract through the 2018 season,” said White. “John’s unparalleled level of achievement, including two national championships in the past four seasons, places him among the elite coaches in college lacrosse, if not in all of college athletics. This amazing record of on-field success, coupled with his players’ ongoing commitment to academics and community involvement expected of Duke student-athletes, is a clear testament to John’s leadership. Simply put, we are ecstatic to have John firmly in place as the leader of the Duke Men’s Lacrosse program for several years to come!”

In seven seasons at Duke, Danowski has guided the Blue Devils to a 111-31 (.782) record with two NCAA titles, six ACC regular season championships and four ACC Tournament crowns. The 111 victories are a nation’s best during the seven-year stretch. A three-time ACC Coach of the Year selection, he has mentored two Tewaaraton Trophy recipients, 37 All-America selections and 12 USILA Scholar All-America picks.

In 2013, the Blue Devils posted a 17-5 overall record en route to their second national championship in the past four seasons. In the run to the title, Duke defeated reigning NCAA champion Loyola, second-seeded Notre Dame, Cornell and the top-seeded Orange by averaging 14.0 goals per game. Junior midfielder Brendan Fowler spearheaded the roster by earning first team All-America, ACC Defensive Player of the Year and NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors. He was joined on the USILA’s All-America first team by senior midfielder David Lawson while junior attackman Jordan Wolf (2nd team), senior midfielder Josh Offit (3rd team), junior attackman Josh Dionne (Honorable mention), sophomore midfielder Will Haus (Honorable mention) and senior midfielder Jake Tripucka (Honorable mention) also received recognition.

In 31 years as a head coach, Danowski has compiled a career ledger of 331-168 (.663), marking the second-highest win total among active coaches. The two-time national coach of the year choice is the only coach to guide a program to seven straight national semifinal berths to begin a coaching tenure.

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