Wesleyan University

John Raba is entering his 29th season at the helm of the Wesleyan men’s lacrosse program in 2025. The NESCAC’s all-time winningest coach, Raba, boasts an incredible 320-137 record, marking a 70.2 winning percentage while playing in the most competitive conference in the country.

Raba is currently ranked seventh all-time in head coaching wins at the Division III level. In his 28 years as head coach, the Cardinals have finished with a winning record 27 times and had just one season below .500, his first in 1997. He has guided Wesleyan to a National Championship (2018), four NCAA Final Four appearances (2006, 2007, 2017, 2018), and three NESCAC titles (2009, 2017, 2024). Raba, who was named the 2017 USILA Division III National Coach of the Year, took over Wesleyan in 1996 and also serves as an adjunct professor in the physical education department as well as an assistant director of athletics.

In the 2024 season, Wesleyan won their third NESCAC championship, finishing with a 15-4 record and making their ninth appearance to the NCAA tournament. Wesleyan finished in the top 10 in several NCAA categories: they were #4 in the country in assists per game, #9 in points per game, and #12 in goals per game. Wesleyan also ranked #2 in the country for the least number of turnovers. It was the most-efficient offense in team history while the Cardinals finished ranked No. 7 in the country in the final USILA Coaches Poll. At the conclusion of the 2024 season, Raba was named New England Coach of the Year, and the Wesleyan Staff was named NESCAC Staff of the Year.

In the 2022 season, Wesleyan made another trip to the Sweet 16, with 80 percent of starters playing for the first time. The Cardinals finished the season ranked No. 13 in the USILA poll. 

In 2019, the Cardinals entered the season ranked No. 1 in the country for the first time in program history. Despite losing 15 seniors from its 2018 National Championship squad, Raba guided Wesleyan to a 13-4 overall record, an 8-2 NESCAC mark, and a third-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals also finished in a three-way tie for the Little Three Championship, marking the third-straight year they won at least a share of the title.

The 2017 and 2018 campaigns marked historical years for Raba and Wesleyan. Coming off its best season in program history, expectations were high for the Cardinals, and they did not disappoint. After winning the Little Three title outright for the second year in a row and tying its program-best NESCAC mark of 9-1, Wesleyan earned the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament for the first time. The Cardinals advanced to the NESCAC Championship game, the NCAA Tournament, and the NCAA Final Four for a second-straight year. This time, however, Wesleyan advanced to the national finals and upset powerhouse Salisbury at Gillette Stadium, 8-6, claiming the University’s first-ever national team title. Wesleyan’s road to the Championship featured wins over the top-three teams in the country; on the road against No. 2 Tufts and No. 1 RIT before knocking off the third-ranked Sea Gulls. Raba coached a program-record nine All-Americans in 2018.

A year earlier, in 2017, after losing the season-opener, the Cardinals went on to win 20 straight games to mark the longest winning streak in the nation at any division. Wesleyan reached the NCAA Final Four and finished the year with a 20-2 overall record and a 9-1 NESCAC mark to post single-season program records for overall victories and conference wins. The team also won the NESCAC Championship and Little Three titles outright as Raba earned National and NESCAC Coach of the Year honors, as well as the All-New England Co-Coach of the Year award. Additionally, Raba’s staff was named the Northeast Regional Coaching Staff of the Year as Raba coached seven All-Americans that season, including First Team selections Ted Bergman ’17 and Harry Stanton ’18. Bergman was also awarded the Ensign C. Markland Kelly, Jr. award, which is presented to the top goalie in Division III. The 2017 Cardinals received the James “Ace” Adams Sportsmanship Award as well, which is given annually to a college or university in each of the 11 officiating districts whose coaches, players, and fans exhibit the best sportsmanship throughout the season. Throughout his tenure, Raba has earned three NESCAC Coach of the Year honors (2017, ’06, ’01) since the conference’s first season in 2001 and has received six NEILA Coach of the Year laurels (2017, ’09, ’06, ’05, ’04, ’01). He has coached three national position players of the year and 48 All-Americans. In 2019, he was inducted into the Middletown Sports Hall of Fame and the Connecticut Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

In addition to coaching lacrosse, Raba assisted the football team during the fall from 1996 through 2007, working on the defensive side of the ball each of those 12 seasons with eight as defensive coordinator (1998-2005). He stepped down from that post in 2008, assuming the position of recruiting coordinator for the athletic department.

A 1993 graduate of the University of New Haven, Raba was an All-American lacrosse player for the Chargers as a grad student in 1994 after leading Division II in scoring as a senior in 1993. Also outstanding on the gridiron, Raba was a team captain, a two-time All-New England pick as a running back, while earning MVP honors for the Chargers. UNH was ranked #2 in the country. He was honored by UNH as its Male Athlete of the Year in both his junior and senior seasons. He was inducted into the UNH Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.

Before coming to Wesleyan in 1996, he served as an assistant football coach at Brown during the 1995 season. He was a graduate assistant for the University of New Haven football team during the 1993 and 1994 seasons. Raba is a Long Island native and attended lacrosse powerhouse Farmingdale High School, graduating in 1989. He is married to his wife, Jen, who teaches in the West Haven School system, and they have two sons, Jack who plays lacrosse at Wesleyan, and Jason who plays for St. John's.