Le Moyne hires Syracuse lacrosse legend Casey Powell as head coach

Le Moyne College has turned to one of Syracuse lacrosse’s best-known names to lead its men’s program into a new era. The college confirmed that Casey Powell has been hired as head coach, a move that links a Syracuse University star to a Dolphins program that spent nearly three decades under Dan Sheehan.

The timing carries real weight in Onondaga County. Sheehan announced his retirement June 10 after 29 seasons at Le Moyne, closing a run that produced six national titles and a 382-84 record, the most wins in Division II lacrosse history. Powell will become the fourth head coach in program history, taking over a team that has spent the better part of a generation under one of the sport’s most successful builders.

Powell brings instant local recognition to a program that has to win attention in a market dominated by Syracuse lacrosse. He played at Syracuse from 1995 to 1998 and was a four-time All-American, giving Le Moyne a head coach whose name still resonates with local fans, youth players and recruits across Central New York. For a school trying to strengthen its place in the region’s lacrosse hierarchy, that matters as much as the résumé on paper.

The hire also marks Powell’s first collegiate head coaching job. His college coaching background includes assistant roles at Jacksonville and Cortland, along with volunteer work with Northwestern women’s lacrosse. He last coached in the college ranks as an assistant at Jacksonville in 2016, meaning Le Moyne is entrusting its next phase to a former elite player who has been around several different college programs but has not yet run one himself.

That combination makes the move one of the most significant local lacrosse developments in years. Le Moyne is not just replacing a coach; it is trying to follow a 29-year standard set by Sheehan while using Powell’s Syracuse ties to widen its reach in recruiting and raise its profile across the county. In a region where the sport already has deep roots, the Dolphins now have a hometown legend at the front of the program.