the most recent
SU inductee
Countdown to Kickoff: Orange in the College Football Hall of Fame
8/23/2004 8:26:13 AM | Football
In 1954, Joe Alexander was the first SU student-athlete to be inducted. One of two SU players to earn All-American honors in three seasons, Alexander was a guard and center for the Orange from 1917 to 1920.
Victor Hanson’s enshrinement in 1973 marked the second SU student-athlete to be recognized. Hanson remains the only player to be inducted into both the College Football and Basketball Halls of Fame.
Syracuse has a rich tradition of running backs, so it comes as no surprise that the next four SU student-athletes to be inducted all played that position. Ernie Davis was the first of the group to be inducted in 1979. Davis led the Orange to the 1959 National Championship and is the only SU player and the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy. Davis is also enshrined in the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame.
Floyd Little, the second SU player to earn All-America honors three times, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983. Little’s teammate, Larry Csonka, was the third SU back to enter the Hall of Fame. Csonka is Syracuse’s second all-time leading rusher and he helped lead the Miami Dolphins to two Super Bowl victories, including the 1972 championship that clinched the only undefeated season in the NFL.
Jim Brown is perhaps the greatest running back in history. Brown was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995. He holds the SU record for most rushing touchdowns in a game (six) and the former NCAA record for most points in a game (43). Brown is enshrined into four Hall of Fames; the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame, Lacrosse Hall of Fame, and the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame.
Five Syracuse coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Ben Scwartzwalder, who led the football Orange to its only National Championship in 1959, was enshrined in 1982. In addition, Hall of Fame inductees Frank “Buck” O’Neill, Howard Jones, Bud Wilkinson, Clarence “Biggie” Munn and Hugh “Duffy” Daugherty spent time on the Syracuse sidelines.
Syracuse begins the season on Sunday, September 5 at Purdue. The game kicks off at 1:30 p.m. and will be televised nationally on ABC. SU then plays at Buffalo on September 11 at 6:00 p.m. The Orange kicks off the home portion of the schedule on Saturday, September 18 against Cincinnati at 12:00 p.m. SU will also host Rutgers (Oct. 2 at 12:00 p.m.), Florida State (Oct. 9), Connecticut (Oct. 30) and Pittsburgh (Nov. 6).
Tickets are available at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B), by telephone (888-DOMETIX) or on the Internet www.dometix.com. For additional ticket information, call the Carrier Dome box office at 1-888-DOMETIX.
