John Danowski

John Danowski is one of the most respected college lacrosse coaches in the nation and has been the head coach for the men's U.S. national team since 2016. Danowski led the U.S. to the 2018 world championship in Netanya, Israel and will be the head coach for the 2023 World Lacrosse Men's World Championship in Southern California.

Danowski took over as the head coach at Duke in 2007 and has achieved tremendous success. He has compiled an impressive 199-63 record entering 2021 in leading Duke to seven ACC regular season titles, four ACC tournament titles, 10 appearances in the NCAA semifinals, including eight straight from 2007-14, five in the NCAA title match and ultimately to the 2010, 2013 and 2014 national titles.
 
The 2014 NCAA crown put Danowski among a small group of nine coaches to win three national titles and among eight to capture consecutive crowns. Meanwhile, Duke’s run of eight straight NCAA semifinals rank as the second most of any program since 2000 with Syracuse.
 
In 2019, Danowski made history by becoming the first Division I men's head coach and only the third across all three divisions to reach 400 career wins when Duke beat Furman 17-9.

Danowski, the 2007 Lacrosse Magazine Person of the Year, spent 21 campaigns (1986-06) at Hofstra before coming to Duke. He compiled an overall record of 192-123 (.609) with eight conference championships, eight NCAA Tournament bids and 17 final national rankings among the top 20 teams in the nation.

Prior to his stint at Hofstra, Danowski spent three seasons as the head coach at Long Island University-C.W. Post, helping the Pioneers to a 27-16 (.628) ledger from 1983-85. He received his start in coaching in 1982 as an assistant coach at LIU-C.W. Post in 1982.

A 1976 graduate of Rutgers University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science/education, Danowski was a four-year letterman in lacrosse and continues to hold several Scarlet Knight records. He established school single-game records for assists (13 vs. Penn State, 1973) and total points (14 vs. Penn State, 1974) and a single-season standard for assists with 54 in 1973.

Danowski’s son, Matt, was a member of the gold-medial winning 2018 U.S. men’s team.