John F. Zulberti (January 20, 1967 – August 1, 2021) was an American four-time All-American NCAA lacrosse player at Syracuse University from 1986 to 1989. The Orange won the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships in 1988 and 1989 with Zulberti teaming up with perennial all-timers Gary Gait, Paul Gait, and Tom Marechek.[1] He drowned at the age of 54 in August 2021.[2]
| Born | January 20, 1967 |
|---|---|
| Died | August 1, 2021 (aged 54) Sandy Springs, Georgia |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 180 pounds (82 kg) |
| Shoots | Right |
| Position | Attack, Forward |
| NLL teams | Buffalo Bandits |
| NCAA team | Syracuse University |
Syracuse Orange
editIn the 1988 championship, Zulberti teamed with high scoring teammates the Gait brothers and Tom Marechek to lead the Orange to a 13-8 win over Cornell. These same four offensive leaders again teamed up to win the 1989 championship 13 to 12 over Johns Hopkins.
Zulberti was named the Jack Turnbull Award winner as the nation's top attackman in 1988 and 1989. He is among the all-time leaders in NCAA scoring, is 6th all-time on the Syracuse scoring list, and even ranks among the all-time point getters in New York Public School history.[3]
MILL
editJohn played professionally in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League for the Buffalo Bandits, playing in their inaugural season of 1992 and again teaming with Marechek to win a championship.[4]
West Genesee
editLike fellow Syracuse alum Brad Kotz, Zulberti played high school lacrosse at powerful West Genesee High School, where he had 361 career points. In his junior and senior years at West Genesee, Zulberti had 129 and 139 points, respectively.[5]
Syracuse University
edit| Season | GP | G | A | Pts | PPG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 17 | 33 | 41 | 74 | 4.35 | |
| 1987 | 13 | 24 | 22 | 46 | 3.54 | |
| 1988 | 15 | 22 | 47 | 69 | 4.6 | |
| 1989 | 15 | 30 | 48 | 78 | 5.2 | |
| Totals | 60 | 109 | 158(a) | 267(b) | 4.45 |
- (a) 12th in NCAA Men's Division I all-time Assists
- (b) 19th in NCAA Men's Division I all-time Total Points
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Syracuse Lacrosse Media Guide" (PDF). Syracuse University. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2005.
- ^ Kramer, Lindsay (August 2, 2021). "West Genesee, Syracuse great John Zulberti dies: 'He was a face of lacrosse'". Syracuse.com. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- ^ "Syracuse Men's Lacrosse Statistics Page". Syracuse University. 1989. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007.
- ^ "West Genesee Wildcat Lacrosse". West Genesee High School.
- ^ "New York Public Lacrosse records". New York Public School Records. Archived from the original on November 29, 2010.