The Syracuse University community is mourning the loss of a former women’s tennis coach who led his team to three Big East conference titles and ended his career amidst controversy.

Jesse Dwire, who coached the women’s tennis team from 1978 to 1999, died Nov. 24. He was 56. SU Director of Athletics Jake Crouthamel said he believed an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of Dwire’s death.

Dwire’s 21-year tenure at SU was marked by a multi-million dollar sexual harassment lawsuit stemming from allegations that he sexually harassed two tennis players and possibly several others.The players involved charged that Dwire had fondled and propositioned them. The players alleged he hit tennis balls at them after finding out the players had reported him to administrators. He was suspended for three and a half months in 1997 following the incident. The university settled the suit out of court in 1999 and Dwire resigned shortly after.

The incident brought the university’s sexual harassment policy under scrutiny. Diane Lyden Murphy, chairwoman of the women’s studies department and one of the architects of SU’s policy, could not comment on any changes to the policy resulting from the incident. She had previously faulted the university panel that investigated the incident for handing down a divided decision. Some panel members recommended that Dwire be suspended for three-and-a-half months, while others wanted a harsher, two-year suspension.

‘It wasn’t about the policy,’ Murphy said.

Crouthamel, who served as director of athletics during Dwire’s career, didn’t believe the incident left any lasting stain on Dwire’s reputation or that of the SU tennis program.

‘A head coach never pleases everybody all the time,’ Crouthamel said.

Crouthamel remembers Dwire as a thoughtful and well-organized coach. Dwire’s record, 205 wins and 140 losses, speaks for itself, Crouthamel said.

‘Basically, he ran a one-man show,’ he said. ‘He was able to put together a very good program.’

Current women’s tennis coach Mac Gifford said he has received numerous phone calls from former players and college tennis coaches from around the nation in the days since Dwire’s death. Dwire gained respect from other coaches for his organizational abilities and was considered instrumental in putting women’s college tennis in the Northeast on the map, said Gifford, who served as an assistant coach to Dwire for five years.

Another of Dwire’s talents was attracting players accustomed to outdoor play to Syracuse and its snowbound, indoor courts, Gifford said.

‘More often than not, the man pulled rabbits out of his hat,’ Gifford said.

Gifford also does not feel that the controversy surrounding the end of Dwire’s career has had any lasting impact on the tennis program.

‘It was a strange and difficult time,’ he said.

Published on December 3, 2003 at 12:00 pm