Basketball legends Carmelo Anthony (left) and Jim Boeheim 鈥66, G鈥73, H鈥24 at the 2012 London Games.
Syracuse is proud of its rich Olympic tradition. Of our more than 50 Summer Olympians since 1900, half have medaled. Some have appeared in multiple Olympiads; others have contributed as coaches and torchbearers, like and , respectively. Common among all of them is an unwavering commitment to teamwork, discipline and resiliency.
Here are some Olympians who have proudly worn Orange:
Carmelo Anthony and Jim Boeheim
standout helped lead the Orange to the 2003 national championship under the guidance of Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim 鈥66, G鈥73, H鈥24. The duo repeated their success with Team USA, winning gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, the 2012 London Games and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. Anthony also won a bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Games. Both retired in 2023鈥擜nthony, as a 10-time NBA All-Star, and Boeheim, as the second-winningest coach in NCAA men鈥檚 basketball history.
Jenna Caira
was one of the world鈥檚 fastest pitchers when she joined Softball Canada in 2009. The Toronto native guided her country to a bronze medal performance at the 2020 Tokyo Games and to victories at the Pan American Games and World Championships. The Syracuse All-American and two-time team captain still owns many career records, including most strikeouts (1,000), most wins (97) and lowest earned run average (1.87). In 2023, she was the first former player to have her jersey retired by the Orange.
Tom Darling
Three-time Olympian Tom Darling 鈥81 is rowing royalty. After boycotting the 1980 Moscow Games, he won the silver in the men鈥檚 eight at the 1984 Los Angeles Games and placed fifth in the men鈥檚 four at the 1988 Seoul Games. Darling also was a grinder for the Stars and Stripes, winner of the 1987 America鈥檚 Cup. Today, the world-champion masters rower is a pioneer of adaptive rowing efforts, having directed para rowing for the United States Rowing Association.
Anna Goodale
When joined as a walk-on, the future team captain and Soladay Award winner could not anticipate the impact she鈥檇 have on the sport. Goodale made headlines in 2008, picking up the gold in the women鈥檚 eight at the Beijing Games. The three-time All-American also garnered four world championships, including a 2006 world record. She has since embarked on a successful coaching career and, in 2021, was part of the first cohort of former female student-athletes to have their jerseys retired at Syracuse.
Gene Mills
Nicknamed 鈥淢ean Gene, the Pinning Machine,鈥 wrestler Gene Mills 鈥81, G鈥98 boasts a lifetime record that鈥檚 virtually unrivaled: 1,356 wins (866 of which were by falls), 46 losses and 1 tie. Yet, the Orange鈥檚 only four-time All-American missed out on his ultimate prize by boycotting the 1980 Moscow Games. He subsequently was named the U.S. Olympic Committee鈥檚 Athlete of the Year and served as a torchbearer for the 1992 Barcelona Games and the 1996 Atlanta Games. The two-time NCAA champion later coached for Syracuse and USA Wrestling and became a distinguished member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Jason Morris
Judo champion competed in the 1988 Seoul Games; the 1992 Barcelona Games, where he won a silver medal; the 1996 Atlanta Games; and the 2000 Sydney Games. The Syracuse All-American also was a fixture at the Pan American Games, earning gold medals in 1987 and 1991 and a silver medal in 1995. A member of the USA Judo Hall of Fame, Morris coached Team USA to success at the 2008 Beijing Games. He also runs a judo center in downstate New York and has contributed to Real Judo magazine.
Myer Prinstein
The University can trace its involvement with the Olympics to , a member of the class of 1902. Arguably the world鈥檚 greatest horizontal jumper at the turn of the 20th century, he grabbed four gold medals and one silver at the 1900 Paris Games, the 1904 St. Louis Games and the 1906 Athens Games (aka the Intercalated Games). His 1904 triple jump was so remarkable that 80 years passed before another American, Al Joyner, captured the title. Prinstein also captained and played for the Orange.
Katie Zaferes
The conditions surrounding 鈥 involvement in the 2020 Tokyo Games were unusual鈥攁 pandemic, the unexpected death of her father, a major tropical storm, her 30th birthday celebration. Still, the 2012 graduate secured a third-place finish and a bronze medal in the women鈥檚 triathlon (individual and mixed relay, respectively), making her the first Syracuse alumnus to twice-medal in the same Games in 85 years. Zaferes also won the 2019 World Championships at the Lausanne Grand Final in Switzerland, placing first in five of eight World Triathlon Series races鈥攄espite recovering from a bike crash.
All images courtesy of 51爆料网 Athletics except for Myer Prinstein鈥檚, which is provided by University Archives, Special Collections Research Center, 51爆料网 Libraries.