Celebrating the Orange in Halls of Fame
12/9/2008 6:08:07 AM | Football
The Hall of Fame celebrations for Syracuse All-Americans Don McPherson and Art Monk continued Monday night in New York City as more than 200 members of the Syracuse family gathered to honor the them at a reception. Tonight McPherson will join 14 other former Orange men, including Ernie Davis, Tim Green, Jim Brown, Larry Csonka and Floyd Little, in the College Football Hall of Fame at the National Football Foundation Awards Dinner. Monk was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton in August.
"Coach Mac (Dick MacPherson) had a number of expressions in 1987. One was, 'We are not looking for extraordinary men to do ordinary deeds, we are looking for ordinary men to do extraordinary deeds,'" McPherson recalled as the group applauded for MacPherson. "That is what we were. The guys you saw in the video, Jeff Mangram, Blake Bednarz and Daryl Johnston, all very ordinary men. We had extraordinary leadership and extraordinary love for each other."
McPherson culminated his college career with MVP honors in the 1988 Sugar Bowl against Auburn, when the War Eagles elected to kick a field goal in the late going for the 16-16 tie. He won the Maxwell, Davey O'Brien and Johnny Unitas awards and finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting in 1987 after setting 22 Syracuse individual records. McPherson's leadership obviously was a catalyst in jump-starting the Syracuse program, as the Orange, following his departure (under MacPherson and later Coach Paul Pasqualoni), went to 11 bowls in the next 14 seasons and won nine of them.
Monk, who donned the canary yellow jacket, a legendary symbol of elite status in professional football, in August at the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement in Canton, was the Washington Redskins first round draft selection out of Syracuse in 1980. The 18th overall pick in the draft, Monk became one of the top receivers in the National Football League. He is the sixth enshrinee with ties to Syracuse University, joining Jim Brown, Jim Ringo, Larry Csonka, Al Davis and John Mackey. Syracuse is one of just nine schools to have at least six alums in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
"The support that I have had from the University, from teachers, coaches, has just been tremendous and really helped launch me and prepared me for the NFL," Monk said. "I am indebted to the University, obviously not just because it is my alma mater and I had some great years there, but the support I have gotten from the University and the community, is really special. I appreciate it because it helped mold me and shape me into the person you see here today and the person you saw out there on the field."
"I am very humbled to be around all of you this evening and to be representing the class tomorrow night at the Hall of Fame dinner," McPherson said. "I am extraordinarily proud of my alma mater and even in this trying year that we have had, I have been very proud of the way Syracuse University has carried its head high. I am very proud to be part of that family and very proud, as well, to be part of the coming days when people will be talking about Syracuse University. And, I guarantee you, they will not stop talking."
