Any time the Gary Gait lacrosse story is told, fans reminisce about the days watching him dazzle at Syracuse and in Major League Lacrosse. His skills on the lacrosse field were unmatched, and his highlights still circulate on social media today.
Gait, the current Syracuse women’s lacrosse coach, joined fellow Orange great Paul Carcaterra for Season 3, Episode 9 of the “Overtime” podcast. His journey has been chronicled before, but fans learned plenty about one of the game’s greatest players.
Let’s dive into our biggest takeaways.
Gait Traveled Down the West Coast to Play Field Lacrosse
Gait grew up in Victoria, B.C., playing both box and field lacrosse When it came time for Gait to think about his future in the game, he knew he needed more experience in the field game. He’d have to travel across the border to find more competition.
His more frequent stops? San Francisco and Portland.
“We’d go down and play in tournaments against other school-aged teams,” Gait said. “I loved the American style, the ability to play with both hands.”
The Origin of No. 22
Gait wore No. 38 his freshman year, but as soon as the No. 22 opened up, he got permission from coach Roy Simmons Jr. to switch. That number became synonymous with the Syracuse program for decades.
It was no random choice. Gait wore No. 22 in Junior A lacrosse back in Western Canada, and he did so to honor a former teammate murdered in Victoria. John Crowther, who played at Rutgers, was killed in 1984. He was a teammate and mentor to Gait as he grew into a talented young player.
“He was just the nicest, amazing guy,” Gait said of Crowther. “He was a guy I looked up to. He was older when I got called up to play Junior A in Victoria. I always liked him and looked up to him.”